Publications of the Scottish History Society, Volume 36: Journals of Sir John Lauder Lord Fountainhall with His Observations on Public Affairs and Other Memoranda 1665-1676

In Short

This volume collects the personal journals and memoranda of Sir John Lauder, Lord Fountainhall, spanning the decade from 1665 to 1676. Originally compiled as a young man studying in France and returning to build a legal career in Edinburgh, the text functions as part travelogue, part ledger, and part commentary on the volatile political climate of the Restoration. Lauder captures both the mundane details of his daily expenses—from the cost of a book to the price of a pint of wine—and the grand, often cynical maneuverings of the Scottish nobility. It remains a vital primary source for its rare, unfiltered glimpse into the intellectual habits of a rising Scottish legal professional.

The Story

The narrative begins with a young Lauder sent abroad by his father to pursue legal studies in France, specifically at Orleans and Poictiers. This early section is marked by a youthful, inquisitive energy. Lauder records his impressions of French life, Catholicism, and local customs with a blend of curiosity and ingrained Protestant skepticism. He describes the strange rituals of Capuchin monks, the theatrical performances of traveling players, and his own attempts to navigate the French language. He is a keen observer of the "misery" of the peasantry compared to the comforts of the elite, and he frequently notes the practical differences between French and Scottish society, particularly regarding laws of inheritance and the treatment of servants.

As the journal transitions to his return to Scotland, the tone shifts from the wide-eyed observation of a student to the disciplined recording of an ambitious practitioner of the law. He notes his visits to London and Oxford, but the core of the later entries concerns the rigid, often treacherous environment of the Scottish Court of Session. The story arc here is one of professional integration. He documents the death of monarchs, the rotation of high offices, and the jockeying for influence under figures like the Duke of Lauderdale.

Lauder does not merely report events; he observes the moral and political character of the men surrounding him. He is fascinated by the machinery of governance and the shifting loyalties that define the era. He tracks the purchase of his library, detailing the specific texts that formed his intellectual foundation, and he keeps an exhaustive account of his domestic finances. The journals conclude with a reflection on his life as a man of law and a member of the Edinburgh establishment. He remains throughout an active participant in his own life, constantly evaluating the worth of his books, the integrity of his colleagues, and the state of his country. By the final entries, the reader sees a man who has fully settled into the gravity of his station, though his sharp eye for the quirks and hypocrisies of his peers never dulls. The ending is not a dramatic resolution but a culmination of a decade spent building a life, leaving the reader with a portrait of a man defined by his relentless industry and his commitment to recording the truth as he understood it.

How It Unfolds

The voyage begins Lauder arrives in France, sent by his father to study the law and broaden his horizons. He immerses himself in the academic environment of Orleans, where he balances his studies with observations on local religious practices and social habits.

Learning the language He struggles with the nuances of the French tongue, finding humor in his own mistakes and in the linguistic misunderstandings that arise during his interactions. He notes the customs of the people, from their culinary preferences to their dramatic traditions, often comparing them unfavorably to the ways of his home.

The scholar’s eye Throughout his time abroad, Lauder builds an extensive library, documenting each purchase with precise cost and commentary. He engages in theological disputes with local clergy, showing a stubborn, argumentative streak and a deep-seated Protestant identity.

The return home Upon leaving France, he travels through London and Oxford, observing the political and cultural life of England. He finally returns to Scotland, shifting his focus toward the legal profession and the complexities of the Court of Session.

Public affairs and private accounts The narrative becomes a chronicle of the Scottish legal and political landscape, tracking the deaths of prominent figures and the shifting power dynamics of the era. Simultaneously, he meticulously logs his personal expenditures, providing a granular look at the cost of living and the domestic life of an Edinburgh lawyer.

The People

Sir John Lauder stands at the center of his own records, a man of intense discipline who views the world through a lens of legalistic inquiry and personal moral rigor. He is driven by a desire for intellectual refinement and professional success, often measuring his own progress by the growth of his library and the quality of his network.

His father, Sir John Lauder, serves as the initial architect of his son’s career, providing the financial means for his foreign education and setting high expectations for his life in the law. Sir Andrew Ramsay, the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, is a more complex figure in Lauder’s life; he is a benefactor who facilitates Lauder’s early professional appointments, yet Lauder does not shy away from documenting the man’s reputation for tyranny and corruption. The tension between his respect for Ramsay’s power and his clear-eyed recognition of the man’s moral failings provides some of the most compelling character studies in the text.

Other figures, such as the Duke of Lauderdale, appear as distant, powerful forces whose maneuvers shape the environment in which Lauder operates. Lauder’s colleagues, fellow advocates, and the various civil servants mentioned in his accounts appear as part of a competitive, often cynical collective. They are defined by their greed, their adherence to form, and their often-fragile social standing. Lauder’s relationship with his wife, Janet Ramsay, is framed primarily through his financial support and his domestic responsibilities, revealing a partnership that is as much about managing a household and navigating social obligations as it is about personal affection.

In Its Own Voice

Lauder recounts his frustration with the stubbornness of a French priest he debated while abroad:

"We was in dispute above a hower and all in Latin: in the tyme gathered about us neir the half of the parish, gazing on me as a fool and mad man that durst undertake to controlle their curé."

He reflects on the transient and often arbitrary nature of political power in the seventeenth century:

"The old nobility cannot but repute them selfes slighted when they sie thesse great offices of State conferred upon muschroomes upstarts; but this is a part of the absolute power of kings to raise men from the dunghill and make them their oune companions."

What It's Really About

At its core, this book investigates the relationship between the individual and the state during a time of profound political volatility. Lauder is concerned with the nature of authority—both the divine right of kings and the practical, often messy reality of how power is exercised in the courtroom and the council chamber. He asks what constitutes a "virtuous" life in a society where public advancement often requires moral compromise.

The journals also explore the tension between tradition and innovation. Lauder documents the movement of ideas, the arrival of new books, and the slow, grinding evolution of laws. He is deeply interested in the stability of institutions, yet he recognizes their inherent fragility. The text acts as a meditation on the preservation of knowledge and the importance of an accurate record; for Lauder, keeping a journal is not merely a hobby, but an act of stewardship over his own history and, by extension, the history of his nation.

Why Read It Today

Readers with an interest in the granular reality of the seventeenth century will find this volume deeply rewarding. It does not offer the sweeping, romanticized narratives of historical fiction; instead, it provides the texture of real life. You will encounter the sensory details of a French market, the frustration of a student learning a language, and the dry, precise anxiety of a lawyer balancing his ledgers.

The primary difficulty for the modern reader is the language—a Scots-inflected English that requires patience to decode. The spelling is idiosyncratic, and the sentence structures often reflect the formal, yet conversational habits of the time. Furthermore, Lauder’s perspective is undeniably that of his era, marked by a staunch, often exclusionary Protestantism and a class-conscious view of the world that can be jarring to modern sensibilities.

However, those who persist will be rewarded with a rare kind of intimacy. There is a quiet, persistent joy in reading a man who is so fully engaged in the act of observation. You are not just reading about the past; you are seeing it through the eyes of a man who cared enough to write it all down. What stays with you is not a single dramatic event, but the cumulative effect of a life lived with careful attention. It is a book for those who want to understand how a mind is built, how a career is forged, and how history is felt by those who are busy living through it.