Publications of the Scottish History Society, Volume 36 Journals of Sir John Lauder Lord Fountainhall with His Observations on Public Affairs and Other Memoranda — Key Ideas to Explore

A Scots Law Student in France

The journal records Lauder's arrival in Calais on a Saturday morning, his stay until Monday, and his journey to Paris with a messenger for 40 livres. He changed a carolus at Paris to pay Mr. Strachan and Mr. Hamilton, who had covered his expenses on the road. His total outlay from Edinburgh to Paris came to £10 sterling, a sum he carefully calculated. At Orleans, he paid 55 livres for a month's pension to Mr. Ogilvy, 6 livres for language instruction, and 40 sous for two washings of his linen. He also recorded spending 10 sous to see a comedy. These entries reveal the texture of daily life—the cost of board, tuition, laundry, and entertainment—all rendered in the mixed currency of pounds sterling, livres, sous, and crowns that circulated in seventeenth-century France.

The Editor's Framework

The volume is introduced by Donald Crawford, Sheriff of Aberdeen, who describes the manuscripts: a journal of Lauder's French travels, a second manuscript containing visits to London and Oxford, observations on public affairs (1669-70), and a chronicle of the Court of Session (1668-1676). A third manuscript is a commonplace book with notes on travel in Fife, the Lothians, and the Merse, plus a list of books bought over many years. The editor notes that the journal was not written day by day but compiled later. This editorial apparatus frames Lauder's raw entries within the broader context of Scottish legal history, though the excerpts themselves remain firmly anchored in personal expense and observation.

Catalog Subjects vs. Actual Content

The catalog lists subjects such as 'France -- Description and travel' and 'Great Britain -- Description and travel,' but the excerpts contain no scenic descriptions of landscapes or cities. Instead, they focus on financial transactions: the cost of a pair of clasps (4 livres 10 sous), the weight of his valise (39 pounds), and the carriage fee (2 sous per pound). The subject 'Judges -- Great Britain -- Diaries' is more apt, as Lauder later became a judge, but the excerpts from 1665-1667 show a student, not a jurist. The 'Observations on Public Affairs' section is not excerpted here, so the political content remains absent. Readers expecting travelogue or legal commentary will instead find a detailed personal account book.

Readers should approach this volume as a primary source for the material culture of a seventeenth-century Scottish student abroad. The financial records, book lists, and incidental details of daily life—such as the price of a comedy or the cost of washing linen—offer a concrete counterpoint to the more formal historical narratives of the period. The editor's notes and the inclusion of multiple manuscript portions make this a valuable resource for scholars of Scottish history and legal education.