Author Archives: John Cairns

This Blog is delighted to note that Dr Ulrike Roth of this University will be giving the Tony Thomas Seminar in the newly refurbished Bentham House on 30 November, 2018. Her title is “Third time lucky? The ‘history’ of a … Continue reading →

Your blogger has been reading Jesse Norman’s excellent new biography of Adam Smith, entitled Adam Smith: What He Thought and Why it Matters (London: Allen Lane, 2018). The author manages to convey Smith’s thought with admirable clarity and elegance. It is … Continue reading →

With the approach of the Inaugural Lecture of our own Professor of Roman Law, Paul du Plessis, it is worth reminding readers of this blog that Francesco Gigli of Surrey, will be giving a lecture on 5 October entitled “The … Continue reading →

This is to remind readers of this blog that Professor Paul du Plessis will give his inaugural lecture on 10 October. The poster is below.  

Palaeography is an important skill for legal historians, and indeed all historical researchers in records. The National Records of Scotland have just advertised their new palaeography course, starting 25 September. See Reading Scotland’s Records

One of the most successful books of the nineteenth century was Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, first published in 1852. It is not a subtle work, and to modern tastes its sentimentality makes it rather unreadable. I suspect it is read nowadays … Continue reading →

The Centre for Legal History is delighted to announce that the University of Edinburgh has appointed two of the United Kingdom’s leading legal historians as Honorary Professors in the School of Law with effect from 1 September, 2018. These are … Continue reading →

Dogs are proverbially loyal. Many traditional stories emphasise this. Odysseus’ dog Argos recognised his master after all his years away, after waiting for him to return to Ithaca. In Edinburgh, major tourist attractions are the statue and grave of Greyfriars … Continue reading →

It is interesting to see that today, 10 May 2018, The Scotsman (p. 3) has an astonishing scoop: James V was not the father of Mary Queen of Scots, but instead it was Murdo Mackenzie! Ilona Amos has written that … Continue reading →

Today, 8 May, is VE Day, which seems to be being generally ignored in the British media. Of course the war against Japan continued. There is a major commemoration in Paris.