The Acts of Parliament in Scotland, Vol. II, 1424-1567, Printed by Command of His Majesty King George the Third, 1814
The Acts of Parliament in Scotland, Volume II (1424-1567) is part of the authoritative early nineteenth-century edition of Scotland’s statutory records, printed by command of George III. Covering the crucial period from the reign of James I through to the abdication of Mary, Queen of Scots, this large folio volume documents the development of Scottish law during a transformative era marked by the consolidation of royal authority, the Reformation, and profound social and political change. Compiled from original records and manuscripts, the work was intended to provide scholars, lawyers, and historians with a reliable foundation for the study of Scotland's constitutional and legal history, and it remains an indispensable reference for the medieval and early modern Scottish state.
The Acts of Parliament in Scotland, Vol. II, A.D. MCCCCXXIV. - A.D. MDLXVII. (1424-1567), Printed by Command of His Majesty King George the Third, In Pursuance of an Address of the House of Commons of Great Britain, MDCCCXIV. (1814).
This large folio hardback is very good indeed. Bound in more recent red cloth covers with black gilt morocco title label to spine. Some scuffs, markings and wear to boards. New ivory endpapers inside, and all soundly and securely bound.
The text pages are very good indeed - bright and clean throughout with the occasional usage mark. Some darkening to the uncut edges. There are also a series of rather splendid plates reproducing early manuscript documents. There is some mild foxing to the Plates, but not affecting legibility. The collation appears to be complete except for the final Plates XIX which would have been just before the Appendix at the rear.
As an interesting point of note - a previous owner has made a few pencil annotations which they have numbered to the endpaper (also in pencil). They are headed "Golf", and appear to show research into the history of the game referring to mentions of 'wapynschawings' in the Acts. In medieval and early modern Scotland, wapynschawings were legally mandated musters at which able-bodied men were required to appear before local officials and display the arms they were obliged to own, most importantly bows and arrows. These inspections were intended to ensure military readiness in a kingdom without a standing army, and they formed a central part of the legal framework governing defence and public order.
Because regular practice with the bow was essential to this system, Parliament repeatedly legislated against activities thought to distract men from archery training. Among the pastimes singled out were football and golf, both of which were explicitly banned in a series of fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Acts. As a result, references to wapynschawings frequently sit alongside, or help explain, the regulation of golf in the parliamentary record: the muster enforced the obligation to practise arms, while the bans on golf sought to prevent leisure pursuits from undermining that obligation. This close relationship explains why historians of the early game often trace its earliest documentary mentions through statutes concerned with wapynschawings and military discipline.
Text in English.
XX + 608pp + 54pp Index. + XVIII Plates (missing Plate XIX).
Dimensions: Large folio approximately 460mm high x 290mm wide x 60mm deep.
Weight: Approximately 5.1kg (unpacked).