Faculty of Advocates Library

Faculty of Advocates Library
Name	Faculty of Advocates Library
Caption	Entrance to the Advocates Library, Parliament Square, Edinburgh
Country	Scotland
Established	1682
Location	Edinburgh

Faculty of Advocates Library is the historic law library situated in Parliament Square, Edinburgh, associated with the independent body of Scottish advocates known as the Faculty of Advocates. Founded in the 17th century, the library developed alongside institutions such as the Court of Session, the Scottish Bar, and Edinburgh University, accumulating collections that reflect Scottish, English, and European legal history. The library has close connections with major Scottish cultural and legal institutions including the National Library of Scotland, the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, and the Advocates’ chambers.

History

The library originated in the aftermath of the Restoration period with patronage from figures linked to the Scottish judiciary and Parliament of Scotland; its formation parallels events like the Glorious Revolution and the Treaty of Union. Early benefactors included judges and advocates active during the reigns of Charles II and William of Orange, while later development intersected with the Scottish Enlightenment and patrons associated with Edinburgh institutions such as the University of Edinburgh, the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and the Signet Library. The 18th and 19th centuries saw expansion influenced by legal luminaries and statesmen connected to the Acts of Union, the Jacobite risings, and reforms debated in the Houses of Commons and Lords. During the Victorian era the library’s growth tracked with contemporaries like the British Museum, the Bodleian Library, and the Inner Temple Library. Twentieth-century events including the two World Wars affected acquisitions and conservation; post-war decades brought collaboration with the National Library of Scotland and legislative changes shaping heritage policy.

Architecture and Collections

The library’s building in Parliament Square forms part of Edinburgh’s Old Town urban ensemble alongside the Royal Mile, St Giles’ Cathedral, and the Parliament House complex. Architectural interventions reflect periods from Georgian through Victorian and modern conservation practices seen in structures associated with William Henry Playfair, Robert Adam-era precedents, and later 19th-century extensions comparable to designs at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery and the National Galleries of Scotland. The collections encompass printed law reports, digests, statutes, and treatises by authors including Sir William Blackstone, Sir James Dalrymple, Lord Advocate contributors, and continental jurists tied to Roman law traditions evident in collections about the Napoleonic Code and Corpus Iuris Civilis. Holdings include private papers and correspondence connected to figures like Sir Walter Scott, Adam Smith, David Hume, John Playfair, and legal scholars parallel to those found in repositories such as the Advocates’ own manuscript collections and other European institutional libraries.

Services and Access

Access policies reflect professional requirements for members of the Scottish Bar and extend to researchers, students, and solicitors with reference arrangements similar to those at the National Library of Scotland, the Bodleian, and the Inner Temple. Services historically provided reading rooms, cataloguing, inter-library loan collaborations with institutions like the British Library and libraries within the University of Edinburgh system, and specialist assistance for work on cases in the Court of Session and High Court of Justiciary. Outreach includes seminars, exhibitions, and digitisation projects comparable to initiatives at the National Records of Scotland and the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and community engagement linking to cultural festivals such as the Edinburgh International Book Festival.

Governance and Administration

Governance rests with the Faculty body of advocates, whose officeholders include depute and senior positions analogous to roles found in other professional bodies like the Law Society of Scotland and the Inns of Court. Administrative oversight involves librarianship standards that correspond with national frameworks employed by organizations such as Historic Environment Scotland and the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals. Funding and policy decisions have intersected with Scottish Government departments dealing with heritage and legal affairs, as well as partnerships with academic institutions including the University of Glasgow, University of Aberdeen, and Scottish universities that contribute to training and scholarship.

Notable Holdings and Manuscripts

The library preserves rare editions, legal manuscripts, private papers, and annotated volumes connecting to jurists and authors of note such as Lord Kames, Lord Stair, Sir Walter Scott, David Hume, Adam Smith, and figures associated with Enlightenment-era correspondence. Manuscript bundles and counsel briefs document litigation before the Court of Session, comparable in significance to collections held at the National Records of Scotland and university archives like those at the University of Edinburgh and the University of St Andrews. The library’s legal reports, quartos, and folios include works by influential common law and civil law writers whose names resonate with holdings in the Bodleian, the British Library, and continental legal libraries.

Role in Scottish Legal Education and Practice

The library has long served as a professional resource for advocates preparing for appearances before the Court of Session, High Court of Justiciary, and tribunals, complementing educational programmes at the University of Edinburgh and other Scottish law schools. It supports continuing professional development requirements overseen by regulatory bodies such as the Law Society of Scotland and provides primary sources cited in landmark cases and statutory interpretation debates that have shaped Scottish jurisprudence alongside decisions from the UK Supreme Court and historic precedents from English courts and European courts.

Category:Libraries in Edinburgh Category:Legal research libraries