CARACTERIZACIÓN DEL PROCESO

Most of t h e b u s in e s s so f a r considere d r e l a t e d f a i r l y c l e a r l y e i t h e r to t h e church o r t o those a re a s o f human a f f a i r s in which th e church had a p a r t i c u l a r i n t e r e s t . So f a r as th e church i t s e l f was concerned i t would seem t h a t i t s p re o c c u p a tio n s were l a r g e l y m a t e r i a l and t h a t t h e o f f i c i a l s ' c o u rts were w i l l i n g t o o l s in th e o rd e rin g of i t s a f f a i r s . I t comes as something of a s u r p r i s e , t h e r e f o r e , to f i n d t h a t a g r e a t p a r t o f th e c o u r t s ' la bours had v ery l i t t l e to do with the d i r e c t i n t e r e s t s of th e church. We have

a l r e a d y seen how th e moral importance a t ta c h e d to oaths gave th e | church a p o t e n t i a l i n t e r e s t in almost every agreement or c o n t r a c t '

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I

undertaken with a sworn p le d g e , and i t was t h i s i n t e r e s t which lay behind a g r e a t p a r t o f th e c o u r t s ' d a i l y b u s in e s s .

S tr a i g h tf o r w a r d a c t i o n s fo r debt or f o r th e recovery of goods account f o r s i x t y - o n e o f th e f i r s t in s ta n c e se n te n c e s in th e 1. See above, 72.

p r i n c i p a l ' s Book (or s l i g h t l y under s i x t e e n p e r cent) and f o r 105 sentences in th e Lothian Sentence Book (about tw en ty -n in e p e r c e n t ) . In a d d i t i o n t o th e s e a number of sentenc es r e l a t e to the t r a n s f e r of c o n t r a c t s or o f o t h e r w r i t t e n agreements, u s u a l l y made in favour o f an e x e c u to r, and t o a c t i o n s to e n fo rce f u l f i l m e n t of th e terms o f a c o n t r a c t . Such sentenc es amounted to a t o t a l of t h i r t y - s i x i n t h e p r i n c i p a l ' s c o u r t (or nin e p e r cent) and to f o r t y (te n and a h a l f p e r cent) i n th e Lothian c o u r t . When th e two s e t s of f i g u r e s are taken t o g e t h e r , and when i t i s remembered t h a t a l a r g e p r o p o r t i o n of 'e x e c u t r y ' cases were l i t t l e more than a c t i o n s f o r th e re c o v e ry o f goods or debts where death had o v e r­ taken a p a r t y under some o b l i g a t i o n , i t w i l l be a p p r e c i a t e d how im portant a r o l e t h e s e c o u rts p la y ed in th e r e g u l a t i o n of th e commercial a f f a i r s o f t h e community.^

The m a j o r i t y o f a c t i o n s which f a l l i n t o t h i s categ o ry have l e f t only th e b r i e f e s t re c o r d and show l i t t l e v a r i a t i o n ; th e e n t r y seldom goes beyond th e names o f th e p a r t i e s involved and the sum or

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goods a t s ta k e . In the case o f goods a monetary e q u i v a le n t i s 1. Woodcock found a s i m i l a r preponderance o f small debt cases

in th e Canterbury c o u r t s : 'w ith o u t i n v e s t i g a t i o n of contem­ p o ra ry e c c l e s i a s t i c a l co u rt re c o rd s from o th e r d io c e se s i t i s im possible to d ecide whether th e Canterbury evidence of th e amount o f p e r j u r y b u s in e s s in m a tte rs of debt i s o f more than l o c a l s i g n i f i c a n c e , but i t w i l l p robably be found t h a t e c c l e ­ s i a s t i c a l c o u rts throughout th e kingdom were s i m i l a r l y employed'

(C a n te rb u ry , p . 90). I t may be noted t h a t s t u d i e s of th e church c o u rt r e c o r d s of f i f t e e n t h - c e n t u r y Lincoln produced a f i g u r e o f tw e n t y -e ig h t p e r cent fo r cases of breach of f a i t h (Morris,

'C o n s i s t o r y C o u r t ', 157, n. 4).

2. E.g. Sent. St A., fo. 13v; Sent. Laud., fo. 315r.

o f t e n give n, such as ' t h e p r i c e o f s i x t e e n b o l l s o f b a r l e y a t th e r a t e of e ig h te e n s h i l l i n g s a b o l l ' . ^ The v a r i e t y of goods under d i s p u t e was c o n s id e r a b le and while th e a l l e g e d s a l e of a grey h o rse f o r f i v e merks might seem a l e g i t i m a t e s u b j e c t f o r a l e g a l a c t i o n , ^ th e s u i t which ran to some twenty d i e t s f o r th e re c o v e ry o f ' a green k i r t l e , a p a i r of f r e n c h - g r e y hose and a p a i r o f s h o r t , w hite hose' seems s tr a n g e f a r e f o r an e c c l e s i a s t i c a l

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The p r a c t i c e of r e g i s t e r i n g c o n t r a c t s and agreements in th e books o f th e o f f i c i a l s ' c o u r ts led to f r e q u e n t a c t i o n s w ith r e g a rd to t h e i r f u l f i l m e n t . The o f f i c i a l s were c a l l e d upon to

se n te n c e c o n t r a c t i n g p a r t i e s t o complete t h e i r s id e s o f the o b l i g a t i o n o r agreement^ and t o impose excommunication where n e c e s s a r y .^ They might a l s o be c a l l e d upon to confirm t h a t one or o t h e r of the p a r t i e s had indeed f u l f i l l e d h i s s id e of t h e c o n t r a c t - a c o n firm atio n which could open t h e way to a subsequent a c t i o n f o r n o n - f u l f i l m e n t

a g a i n s t t h e o th e r p a r t y . ^ I t was a l s o w ith in th e power of th e % o f f i c i a l to t e rm in a t e a c o n t r a c t . An agreement could be d e l e t e d

from th e r e g i s t e r s e i t h e r in whole or in p a r t fo llo w in g p ro o f t h a t 7

i t s terms had been s a t i s f i e d , or i t could be d e c l a r e d n u l l on th e 1. Sent. St A., fo. 78r.

2. Acta I, fo. 16v, Blackadder v S i n c l a i r . 3. I b i d . , fo. 32r, Cov/per v T r a i l l .

4. E.g. Sent. St A., fo s. 174r, 248v; Sent. Laud., fo. 320v. 5. E.g. Sent. Laud,, fo. 316r.

6. E.g. Sent. St A., fo. 266v. 7. E.g. i b i d . , fo. 71r.

grounds t h a t one of th e p a r t i e s had been induced to give h is

consent through f e a r . ^ Most f r e q u e n t o f a l l were a c t i o n s brought in o rd e r t o have a c o n t r a c t t r a n s f e r r e d from a deceased p a r t y to h i s h e i r , ex ec u to rs or k in . The procedure was e s s e n t i a l l y s t r a i g h t ­ forward; t h e s u r v iv in g p a r t y appeared b e fo re th e judge, produced a copy o f th e o r i g i n a l c o n t r a c t and asked t h a t i t s terras should be t r a n s f e r r e d to a s p e c i f i e d t h i r d p a r t y . In th e absence of any

c o n t ra r y p l e a by t h a t t h i r d p a r t y t h e terms of th e c o n t r a c t would be d e c l a r e d t r a n s f e r r e d and l e t t e r s m o n i t o r i a l would be is s u e d to

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e n fo rc e compliance w ith t h e d e c re e . O c c a s io n a lly , however, th e p e t i t i o n f o r t r a n s f e r r e n c e was opposed, and formal l i t i g a t i o n

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followed; such cases seem r a r e l y to have come to se n te n c e .

( i i ) Uncontested Business

In th e m a j o r i t y of a c t i o n s fo r t r a n s f e r of a c o n t r a c t th e pro cee d in g s seem to have been l i t t l e more tha n a f o r m a l i t y , w ith no

o b je c tio n s lodged and a l l th e n e c e s s a r y b u s in e s s concluded a t a s i n g l e h e a r i n g .^ This was th e p a t t e r n f o r much of th e o f f i c i a l s ' work. His c o u rt was a convenient p la c e f o r th e t r a n s a c t i o n o f a l l kinds o f b u s in e s s t h a t r e q u i r e d a p r o p e r l e g a l venue or s a n c ti o n ; 1. E.g. i b i d . , fo . 254v. I t should be added, however, t h a t in

Hay's opinion f e a r d id n o t excuse p e r j u r y nor compulsion i n v a l i d a t e an oath (Hay's L e c t u r e s , p . 351).

2. E.g. Acta I , fo s, 15r, 19v, K a d is lie v Cuke.

3. Acta I , f o s . 13v, Ker v Henrison; 15r, B i s s a r t v L isto n . 4. I b i d . , fo. 29 r, Spens v D ischington.

oaths were taken to observe th e terms of c o n t r a c t s and o b l i g a t i o n s , ^

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new c h a r t e r s could be r a t i f i e d and o ld ones produced f o r a formal 3

acknowledgement by one of th e p a r t i e s . The r e v o c a tio n o f land claims could a l s o be made b e f o r e t h e o f f i c i a l or h i s commissary.^ This a d m i n i s t r a t i v e f u n c t i o n o f th e o f f i c i a l s ' c o u r ts i s found a l l over Sco tlan d (although Edinburgh and Glasgow were p ro b ab ly th e b u s i e s t in t h e f i e l d ) , ^ and i t was p a r t i c u l a r l y a c t i v e in th e p ro v ­