A Court in Decline? Examining the Regality Court Records of Melrose, Roxburghshire, 1657–84

McIntyre, in his seminal work on Scottish franchise courts, argues that these courts were in decline in this period, and of little relevance to their local population. 1 But was that really the case? This paper explores that question, using a particularly rich set of local court records. By analysing the functions and significance of one particular court it assesses the role of this one court within its local area, and considers whether it really was in decline at this time, or if it continued to perform a vital role in its local community. The period studied is the mid to late seventeenth century, a period of considerable upheaval in Scottish life, that has attracted considerable attention from scholars, though often less on the experiences of local communities and people

Franchise · Period (music · Political science · Population · Relevance (law · Sociology · Demography · Historical Economic and Social Studies · Historical Studies of British Isles · History · Law · Scottish History and National Identity