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Advocates Library
Law library of the Faculty of Advocates, in Edinburgh

The Advocates Library, founded in 1682, is the law library of the Faculty of Advocates, in Edinburgh. It served as the national deposit library of Scotland until 1925, at which time through an act of Parliament, the National Library of Scotland Act 1925 (15 & 16 Geo. 5. c. 73), the National Library of Scotland was created. All the non-legal collections were transferred to the National Library. Today, it alone of the Scottish libraries still holds the privilege of receiving a copy of every law book entered at Stationers' Hall.

The library forms part of the complex that includes Parliament House, located on the Royal Mile.

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History

The library was formally opened in 1689. It was an initiative of George Mackenzie.2

The present library building was designed by William Henry Playfair in 1830, and is a category A listed building.3

Librarian Samuel Halkett began an ambitious catalogue, based on the rules of John Winter Jones for the British Museum catalogue of 1839, but with extensive biographical information on authors. It was published in six volumes, from 1858 to 1878.4 Halkett's successor, Thomas Hill Jamieson, had to deal with a fire that damaged some thousands of books on 9 March 1875.5

By 1923 the library held around 725,000 books and pamphlets.6

Keepers

  • 1684–1693 James Nasmith7 (NB in place before official opening.)
  • 1693–1702 James Stevenson8
  • 1702–1728 John Spottiswoode of that ilk9
  • 1703–1718 (joint keeper) Adam Colt10 or Coult11
  • 1705–1719 (joint keeper) William Forbes12
  • 1730–1752 Thomas Ruddiman13
  • 1735–1766 (assistant keeper) Walter Goodall14
  • 1752–1757 David Hume15
  • 1757–1758 Adam Ferguson16
  • 1758–1765 William Wallace17
  • 1766–1794 Alexander Brown18
  • 1794–1818 Alexander Manners19
  • 1820–1848 David Irving20
  • 1849–1871 Samuel Halkett21
  • 1871–1876 Thomas Hill Jamieson22
  • 1877–1906 James Toshach Clark2324
  • 1906–1925 William Kirk Dickson2526
  • 1925-1928 James Stevenson Leadbetter27
  • 1928-1948 Robert Candlish Henderson28
  • 1948-1949 Henry Wallace Guthrie29
  • 1949-1956 Thomas Pringle McDonald30
  • 1956-1970 Margaret Henderson Kidd31
  • 1970-1972 Alexander John Mackenzie Stuart32
  • 1972-1977 Charles Kemp Davidson33
  • 1977-1987 John Taylor Cameron34
  • 1987–1994 Brian Gill35
  • 1994-2002 Angus Stewart
  • 2002-2004 Edgar Prais
  • 2004-2008 Stephen Woolman
  • 2008-2021 Mungo Bovey QC
  • 2021 Stephen O'Rourke QC36
  • 2022- present Neil Mackenzie KC

See also

  • Patrick Cadell and Ann Matheson, editors (1989). For the Encouragement of Learning: Scotland's National Library 1689–1989. Edinburgh: HMSO.
  • John St Clair and Roger Craik (1989). The Advocates' Library: 300 Years of a National Institution 1689-1989. Edinburgh HMSO.

Notes

Media related to Advocates Library at Wikimedia Commons

55°56′56″N 3°11′29″W / 55.94889°N 3.19139°W / 55.94889; -3.19139

References

  1. Brewer, E. Cobham (1978) [reprint of 1894 version]. The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Edwinstowe, England: Avenel Books. p. 17. ISBN 0-517-25921-4. 0-517-25921-4 ↩

  2. Jackson, Clare. "Mackenzie, Sir George, of Rosehaugh". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/17579. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.) /wiki/Dictionary_of_National_Biography#Oxford_Dictionary_of_National_Biography ↩

  3. Historic Environment Scotland. "Parliament Square, Advocates' Library, including wall and railings (Category A Listed Building) (LB51179)". Retrieved 18 April 2019. /wiki/Historic_Environment_Scotland ↩

  4. Cadell & Matheson, pp. 211–2. ↩

  5. Brown, Iain Gordon. "Jamieson, Thomas Hill". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/14644. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.) /wiki/Dictionary_of_National_Biography#Oxford_Dictionary_of_National_Biography ↩

  6. "Gift to nation. National Library for Scotland. Generous Edinburgh donor". The Glasgow Herald. 29 June 1923. p. 10. Retrieved 3 March 2017. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ipdAAAAAIBAJ&pg=3497%2C7826255 ↩

  7. Cadell & Matheson, pp. 292–6. ↩

  8. Cadell & Matheson, pp. 292–6. ↩

  9. "Spottiswoode, John". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/26168. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.) /wiki/Dictionary_of_National_Biography#Oxford_Dictionary_of_National_Biography ↩

  10. Cadell & Matheson, pp. 292–6. ↩

  11. Cadell & Matheson, p. 41. ↩

  12. Cadell & Matheson, pp. 292–6. ↩

  13. Cadell & Matheson, pp. 292–6. ↩

  14. Cadell & Matheson, pp. 292–6. ↩

  15. Cadell & Matheson, pp. 292–6. ↩

  16. Oz-Salzberger, Fania. "Ferguson, Adam". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/9315. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.) /wiki/Dictionary_of_National_Biography#Oxford_Dictionary_of_National_Biography ↩

  17. Cadell & Matheson, pp. 292–6. ↩

  18. Cadell & Matheson, pp. 292–6. ↩

  19. Cadell & Matheson, pp. 292–6. ↩

  20. Ovenden, Richard. "Irving, David". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/14472. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.) /wiki/Dictionary_of_National_Biography#Oxford_Dictionary_of_National_Biography ↩

  21. Cadell & Matheson, pp. 292–6. ↩

  22. Brown, Iain Gordon. "Jamieson, Thomas Hill". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/14644. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.) /wiki/Dictionary_of_National_Biography#Oxford_Dictionary_of_National_Biography ↩

  23. Cadell & Matheson, pp. 292–6. ↩

  24. "Edinburgh exhibition postponed". Otago Witness. No. 2712. 7 March 1906. p. 13. Retrieved 20 July 2021. https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/OW19060307.2.51 ↩

  25. Bell, Alan. "Dickson, William Kirk". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/72368. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.) /wiki/Dictionary_of_National_Biography#Oxford_Dictionary_of_National_Biography ↩

  26. "Edinburgh exhibition postponed". Otago Witness. No. 2712. 7 March 1906. p. 13. Retrieved 20 July 2021. https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/OW19060307.2.51 ↩

  27. St Clair and Craik p76 ↩

  28. St Clair and Craik p76 ↩

  29. St Clair and Craik p76 ↩

  30. St Clair and Craik p76 ↩

  31. St Clair and Craik p76 ↩

  32. St Clair and Craik p76 ↩

  33. St Clair and Craik p76 ↩

  34. St Clair and Craik p76 ↩

  35. St Clair and Craik p76 ↩

  36. "Obituary: Stephen O'Rourke, Principal Crown Counsel and Keeper of the Advocates Library". The Scotsman. https://www.scotsman.com/news/people/obituary-stephen-orourke-principal-crown-counsel-and-keeper-of-the-advocates-library-3642169 ↩