ANNOTATED BY A FACTOR IN FIFE
SPOTISWOOD, John.
An Introduction to the Knowledge of the Stile of Writs, Simple and Compound, made Use of in Scotland ... The Third Edition, with Additions ...
Edinburgh: William Brown and John Mosman, and sold by William Brown, 1727.
8vo, pp. [24], 413, [3] (blank), [32] (index and advertisements); slightly dusty but a very good copy, with 11 pages of manuscript additions bound in; ownership inscriptions to front endpaper and title of Andrew Jamison, bought 1733, later given to Niel Ballingall, the annotations probably in the latter’s hand; bound in contemporary calf, rubbed, spine chipped at head, rear joint cracked.
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An Introduction to the Knowledge of the Stile of Writs, Simple and Compound, made Use of in Scotland ... The Third Edition, with Additions ...
Third edition, annotated by Neil Ballingall (1750–1843), factor to the Balfour family at Balbirnie, Fife.
Provenance: bought by Andrew Jamison for 5s on 13 August 1733. Given later ‘By J J’ (presumably a later Jamison) to Neil Ballingall (1750–1843), factor of Balbirnie. Michael Tracy, in The Ballingall Factors of Balbirnie, records that Niel Ballingall was born of humble parents and after growing up in Kennoway Parish, Fife, seems to have been apprenticed to ‘Mr. Jamieson, writer at Brymers Newton west of Kennoway where he had the benefit of his library, of which he made the most diligent use’. He would continuously serve the Balfour family whose residence was Balbirnie House until 1843, being succeeded by both his son and grandson who finally retired in 1916. Here Ballingall’s notes deal with the conflicts between Scottish and English statutes relating to land tenure, in particular drawing attention to the problems caused by the absence of a Scottish Parliament, observing: ‘Bonds of this kind [cautionary for keeping the peace] since the taking away of our Parliament are now gone into Disuetude, Because Obligations of this kind are now since the Union done by Enactments in the Sherriff or other Judges Court Books’ (opposite p. 46).
