The history of the Society of Writers to HM Signet found its first official form in the magisterial 1890 History which in addition to the core narrative text included substantial extracts from the Society’s Sederunt Book from its first entries of 1594 and an attempt at a complete biographical register of the membership extending from the earliest recorded exercise of the Signet itself. This page brings together extracts from the 1890 History with additional material from the 1936 updated edition and the 1983 Register along with a select bibliography of other material including G.H. Ballantyne’s 1979 History of the Signet Library and its Librarians 1722-1972.

Historical introduction to the 1890 History

Historical introduction to the 1936 history

introduction to the 1983 register of the society

Extracts From The Sederunt Book Of The WS Society 1594 To 1887

Extracts From The Sederunt Books Of The WS Society 1888 To 1935

select bibliography of WS society and Signet Library History

Law, Thomas Graves et al, History of the Society of Writers to His Majesty’s Signet (Edinburgh: T. & A. Constable, 1890)

Johnston, Sir William Campbell et al, History of the Society of Writers to His Majesty’s Signet (Edinburgh: T. & A. Constable, 1936)

Dickson, William Kirk, “The Signet Library, Edinburgh” Book-lover’s magazine (Books and Bookplates)” vol. VI Part I. 1905

Hannay, R.K, The Early History of the Scottish Signet (Edinburgh: T.& A. Constable, 1936). Hannay’s text is also incorporated into the 1936 History.

Haldane, A.R.B. “The Society of Writers to Her Majesty’s Signet” The Journal of the Law Society of Scotland 1970 p.35

Ballantyne, G.H. The Signet Library Edinburgh (Edinburgh: William Blackwood, 1977). Substantially an offprint of Ballantyne’s article published in The Law Librarian volume 2 no. 1, April-July 1971

Ballantyne, G.H. The Signet Library and its Librarians 1722-1972 (Glasgow: Scottish Library Association, 1979). Scottish Library Studies no. 6

Burns, David et al, Register of the Society of Writers to Her Majesty’s Signet (Edinburgh: Clark Constable, 1983)

Brown, Iain Gordon, Building for Books: the architectural evolution of the Advocates’ Library 1689-1925 (Aberdeen : Aberdeen University Press in association with the National Library of Scotland, 1989)

Bird, Elaine “The Signet Library in the 21st Century” Legal Information Management 2009, 9(1), 41-45

Hamilton, James “The Archive of the Society of Writers to the Signet at the Signet Library, Edinburgh” Scottish Archives Vol 21 (2015)

Hamilton, James “Building the Palace of Bokes: Robert Reid, William Stark and the Signet Library” The Book of the Old Edinburgh Club New Series Vol. 16, 2020

Hamilton, James “The Signet Library” Legal Information Management 21 (3-4) December 2021 166-170