In early February 1776, Scottish advocate James Boswell listened as fellow lawyers argued a case concerning day laborer wages before the Court of Session. Scotland’s supreme civil court resided then as it does now in Parliament House, part of the Parliament Square complex in Edinburgh, just a short walk down from the Castle along what is today known as the Royal Mile.

Buried deep in the stacks of Edinburgh libraries lie court records that tell stories about early America.

This is a PSA for students interested in private ordering and “how neighbors settle disputes.” If extralegal systems such as cattle-trespass norms, industry-based arbitration services, and organized crime are up your alley, then the case of Aitken, and Others v. Wilson and Bannatyne—from the Law Library’s collection of Scottish Court of Session Records—might provide some grist for your next paper.