Chairs of Interest to Lawyers

This chapter discusses the lawyers' interest in the humanist's post which taught humanity or Latin. It observes that Scottish lawyers had long taken a special interest in the teaching of Latin because their classes were given in Latin. It notes that the professors on the continent, where Scots lawyers generally trained before the 1730s, also taught background courses on Roman history, which was useful to those studying civil law also given in Latin. It reports that the lawyers asserted their interest in the humanist's post by providing an endowment for it in 1597, which led to the creation of...

This chapter discusses the lawyers' interest in the humanist's post which taught humanity or Latin. It observes that Scottish lawyers had long taken a special interest in the teaching of Latin because their classes were given in Latin. It notes that the professors on the continent, where Scots lawyers generally trained before the 1730s, also taught background courses on Roman history, which was useful to those studying civil law also given in Latin. It reports that the lawyers asserted their interest in the humanist's post by providing an endowment for it in 1597, which led to the creation of a body nominating candidates for this chair. It further reports that the body was composed of a Writer to the Signet, an advocate, two Lords of Session, and two town councilors.