Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The aim of the project was to transcribe and analyse the records of all cases of scandal (i.e. defamation) in the Edinburgh and Argyll Commissary Courts between 1750 and 1800. There has been a good deal of work done on this subject for early modern England (and some for early modern America), much of it stressing the gendered nature of insult. This material was gathered in order to investigate the extent to which the pattern of the phenomenon in Scotland conformed to the pattern in England.

Main Topics:

The data consist of transcriptions of the gist of all cases of scandal between 1750 and 1800 in the process papers and registers of decreets of the Edinburgh and Argyll Commissary Courts.

No sampling (total universe)

Transcription of existing materials

Compilation or synthesis of existing material