35-802: William Forbes Skene WS FRSE FSA(Scot) DCL LLD (7 June 1809 – 29 August 1892), was a Scottish lawyer, historian and antiquary . He co-founded the Scottish legal firm Skene Edwards which was prominent throughout the 20th century but disappeared in 2008 when it merged with Morton Fraser. He was born in Inverey , the second son of Sir Walter Scott 's friend, James Skene (1775–1864), of Rubislaw , near Aberdeen , and his wife, Jane Forbes, daughter of Sir William Forbes, 6th Baronet of Pitsligo . The family moved to Edinburgh in 1817, originally living with his uncle, Andrew Skene then from 1820 living at 126 Princes Street facing Edinburgh Castle . He
70-594: A hero in Gaelic mythology. Wetherill suggests that one of the motivations for writing the Vita was to offer Columba as a model for the monks, and thereby improve Adomnán's standing as abbot. The biography is by far the most important surviving work written in early-medieval Scotland, and is a vital source for our knowledge of the Picts, as well as a great insight into the life of Iona and the early-medieval Gaelic monk. However,
105-669: A member of the Northern Uí Néill lineage Cenél Conaill . He was the son of Rónán mac Tinne by Ronat, a woman from another Northern Uí Néill lineage known as the Cenél nÉnda. Adomnán's birthplace was probably in or near Raphoe , a town in what later became Tír Chonaill (now mainly County Donegal ), in Ulster in the north of Ireland . Some of Adomnán's childhood anecdotes seem to confirm at least an upbringing in this fertile eastern part of present-day County Donegal, not far from
140-792: Is joint patron of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Raphoe , which encompasses the bulk of County Donegal in the north-west of Ireland . The Cathedral of St Eunan and St Columba (popularly known as St. Eunan's Cathedral), the Catholic cathedral in that diocese, is in Letterkenny . In 727 the relics of Adomnán were brought to Ireland to renew the Cáin Adomnáin and they were returned to Iona in 730. In his native Donegal, Adomnán has given his name to several institutions and buildings including: In County Sligo , just to
175-530: Is not accepted by all scholars, it remains a strong possibility. In 679, Adomnán became the ninth abbot of Iona after Columba. Abbot Adomnán enjoyed a friendship with King Aldfrith of Northumbria . In 684, Aldfrith had been staying with Adomnán in Iona. In 686, after the death of Aldfrith's brother King Ecgfrith of Northumbria and Aldfrith's succession to the kingship, Adomnán was in the Kingdom of Northumbria on
210-733: Is now a purely ceremonial one, as the Keeper of the Signet grants a commission to the Principal Clerk of Session to allow the Signet to be used. The Keeper of the Signet is the senior officer of the Society of Writers to the Signet and issues commissions to new members. Although the society is a private body, the Register of Commissions forms part of the records of the Court of Session, held by
245-676: The Four Ancient Books of Wales (Edinburgh, 1868); of the Chronicles of the Picts and Scots (Edinburgh, 1867); and of Adomnán 's Vita S. Columbae (Edinburgh, 1874); an Essay on the Coronation Stone of Scone (Edinburgh, 1869); and Memorials of the Family of Skene of Skene (Aberdeen, 1887), Celtic Scotland (1880) One of Skene's harshest critics was the Scottish philologist Alexander Macbain . Writer to
280-610: The Moray Estate and lived at 27 Inverleith Row. He died unmarried and childless in Edinburgh on 29 August 1892. He is buried with his family in St Johns Episcopal Churchyard on Princes Street . The graves lie in the south-east chapel and are marked by a bronze plaque. The most important of Skene's other works are: editions of John of Fordun 's Chronica gentis Scotorum (Edinburgh, 1871–1872); of
315-613: The National Archives of Scotland . The Keeper does not exercise administrative functions over the society, these being delegated to the Deputy Keeper. The present Deputy Keeper is Amanda Laurie WS. Jurists, advocates and foreign lawyers may be granted associate membership of the society. Associate members are entitled to use the designation: " Associate Writer to the Signet " with the postnominal letters, AWS . Prominent associate members include Harvey McGregor KC and
350-709: The Professional Competence Course (PCC) and courses in continuing professional development (CPD). The Keeper of the Signet is one of the Great Officers of State of Scotland, and is one of the offices held by the Lord Clerk Register under the Public Offices (Scotland) Act 1817 ( 57 Geo. 3 . c. 64), s 5. The current Keeper of the Signet is Lady Elish Angiolini , former Lord Advocate of Scotland. The office
385-516: The Treasury . In 1859 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh his proposer being Cosmo Innes . He served as the society's vice president from 1869 to 1871. His chief work, however, is his Celtic Scotland, a History of Ancient Alban (3 vols., Edinburgh, 1876–1880), perhaps the most important contribution to Scottish history written during the 19th century. In 1879 he
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#1732793424642420-507: The Vita was not his only work. Adomnán also wrote the treatise De Locis Sanctis (i.e. "On Holy Places"), an account of the great Christian holy places and centres of pilgrimage. Adomnán got much of his information from a Frankish bishop called Arculf , who had personally visited the Egypt , Rome , Constantinople and the Holy Land , and visited Iona afterwards. Adomnán gave a copy to
455-646: The Category A listed Signet Library , part of the Parliament House complex in Edinburgh , and members of the society are entitled to the postnominal letters WS . Solicitors in Scotland were previously known as "writers"; Writers to the Signet were the solicitors entitled to supervise use of the King's Signet , the private seal of the early Kings of Scots . Records of that use date back to 1369. In 1532,
490-596: The Scottish Episcopal Church's General Synod of 1863 had established the English Book of Common Prayer as the primary authority for the Church's worship and the Scottish Episcopal Church had adopted the Church of England's Thirty Nine Articles as a doctrinal yardstick, for St Vincent's to remain outside that church could no longer be justified. In his final years he had offices at 5 Albyn Place on
525-551: The Signet The Society of Writers to His Majesty's Signet is a private society of Scottish solicitors , dating back to 1594 and part of the College of Justice . Writers to the Signet originally had special privileges in relation to the drawing up of documents required to be signeted, but these have since disappeared and the society is now an independent, non-regulatory association of solicitors. The society maintains
560-556: The Signet Office, the administration of which was one of the society's responsibilities. In 1976 the Signet Office was merged into the General Department of the Court of Session and the society was relieved of any responsibility for it. Nevertheless, the requirement of "passing the Signet" survives. The Signet Library was designed by Robert Reid with interiors by William Stark . It was finished in 1822 in time for
595-481: The Society of Writers be merged into a single organisation, but the writers were against it. Such an idea was again proposed in 1633, but the Writers again opposed it. In civil actions in the Court of Session a pursuer is required to have his writ stamped with the Signet to give him authority from the monarch to serve the writ on the defender. That conferral, called "passing the Signet," was previously carried out by
630-517: The Writers to the Signet were included as members in the newly established College of Justice , along with the Faculty of Advocates and the clerks of the Court of Session . The society was established in 1594, when the King's Secretary, as Keeper of the Signet, gave commissions to a Deputy Keeper and 18 other writers. Writers to the Signet began as clerks to the Keeper of the Signet, and were afforded
665-678: The bill department of the Court of Session , which he held until 1865. His early interest in the history and antiquities of the Scottish Highlands bore its first fruit in 1837, when he published The Highlanders of Scotland, their Origin, History and Antiquities . In 1847, during the Highland Potato Famine , he was appointed Secretary to the Central Board for Highland Relief. In this position he worked closely with Sir Charles Trevelyan , Assistant Secretary to
700-604: The influence of Abbot Ceolfrith , that Adomnán decided to adopt the Roman dating of Easter that had been agreed some years before at the Synod of Whitby . Bede implies that this led to a schism at Iona, whereby Adomnán became alienated from the Iona brethren and went to Ireland to convince the Irish of the Roman dating. Jeffrey Wetherill sees Adomnán's long absences from Iona as having led to something of an undermining of his authority; he
735-579: The king and scolded him soundly for yielding the rights of the Uí Néill. It is generally believed that in 697, Adomnán promulgated the Cáin Adomnáin , meaning literally the "Canons" or "Law of Adomnán". The Cáin Adomnáin was promulgated amongst a gathering of Irish , Dál Riatan and Pictish notables at the Synod of Birr in 697. It is a set of laws designed, among other things, to guarantee
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#1732793424642770-418: The late former President of Poland, Lech Kaczyński . Adomn%C3%A1n Adomnán or Adamnán of Iona ( Old Irish: [ˈaðəṽˌnaːn] ; Latin : Adamnanus , Adomnanus ; c. 624 – 704), also known as Eunan ( / ˈ j uː n ə n / YOO -nən ; from Naomh Adhamhnán ), was an abbot of Iona Abbey ( r. 679–704), hagiographer , statesman, canon jurist, and saint . He
805-555: The modern city of Derry . It is thought that Adomnán may have begun his monastic career at a Columban monastery called Druim Tuamma, but any Columban foundation in northern Ireland or Dál Riata is a possibility, although Durrow is a stronger possibility than most. He probably joined the Columban familia (i.e. the federation of monasteries under the leadership of Iona Abbey ) around the year 640. Some modern commentators believe that he could not have come to Iona until sometime after
840-582: The privileges of freedom from taxation by the Burgh of Edinburgh , exemption from military duty , and rights of audience before the bar of the College of Justice. Writers were involved in drawing up summonses to the Court of Session. Writers were, however, de jure prohibited from acting as procurators but de facto this was often ignored. In 1599 it was proposed that the Faculty of Advocates and
875-479: The request of King Fínsnechta Fledach of Brega in order to gain the freedom of sixty Gaels who had been captured in a Northumbrian raid two years before. Adomnán, in keeping with Ionan tradition, made several more trips to the lands of the English during his abbacy, including one the following year. It is sometimes thought, after the account given by Bede , that it was during his visits to Northumbria, under
910-741: The safety and immunity of various types of non-combatants in warfare. For this reason it is also known as the Lex Innocentium (Law of Innocents). Adomnán's most important work, and the one for which he is best known, is the Vita Columbae ("Life of Columba"), a hagiography of Iona 's founder, Columba , probably written between 697 and 700. The format borrows to some extent from Sulpicius Severus ' Life of Saint Martin of Tours . Adomnán adapted traditional forms of Christian biography to group stories about Columba thematically rather than chronologically, and present Columba as comparable to
945-674: The scholar-king Aldfrith of Northumbria (685–704). Also attributed to him is a good deal of Gaelic poetry, including a celebration of the Pictish King Bridei 's (671–93) victory over the Northumbrians at the Battle of Dun Nechtain (685). Adomnán died in 704, and became a saint in Scottish and Irish tradition, as well as one of the most important figures in either Scottish or Irish history. His death and feast day are commemorated on 23 September. Along with Columba , he
980-400: The treatise De Locis Sanctis ('On Holy Places'), an account of the great Christian holy places and centres of pilgrimage. Adomnán got much of his information from a Frankish bishop called Arculf , who had personally visited Egypt , Rome , Constantinople and the Holy Land , and visited Iona afterwards. Adomnán was born about 624, a relative on his father's side of Columba. He was
1015-409: The visit to Edinburgh of George IV . William Henry Playfair and William Burn were also involved in working on the building. The building is a classical masterpiece and is a category A listed building. The society has become an independent professional body of solicitors. Its stated purpose is "promoting the highest standards in legal services" through the provision of education services including
1050-468: The year 669, the year of the accession of Fáilbe mac Pípáin , the first abbot of whom Adomnán gives any information. However, Richard Sharpe argues that he probably came to Iona during the abbacy of Ségéne (d. 652). Whenever or wherever Adomnán received his education, Adomnán attained a level of learning rare in early-medieval Northern Europe. It has been suggested by Alfred Smyth that Adomnán spent some years teaching and studying at Durrow, and while this
1085-583: Was educated at the High School in Edinburgh . He was then apprenticed as a lawyer first to Francis Wilson WS at Parliament Square then to Henry Jardine WS also at Parliament Square. He then studied law at the University of St Andrews and Edinburgh University , also taking a special interest in the study of Celtic philology and literature . In 1832, he became a Writer to the Signet (WS), and shortly afterwards obtained an official appointment in
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1120-539: Was made a Doctor of Civil Law (DCL) of the University of Oxford , and in 1881 Historiographer Royal for Scotland. William Forbes Skene was a leading member of the congregation of St Vincent's Scottish Episcopal Church in St Vincent Street in Stockbridge in north Edinburgh. He is commemorated there by a prominent memorial on the south wall of the nave. An avowed Evangelical, he had argued that, since
1155-463: Was prepared to go to war over the payment, but first sent a delegation led by Saint Moling to ask for its remittance. Fínsnechta Fledach agreed to remit payment "for a day and a night". Moling argued that "All time is day and night; thou canst never reimpose this tax." Although this was not the king's intention, Moling held him to his word, promising him heaven if he kept it, and the reverse if he did not. When Adomnán learned of this he left Iona to see
1190-596: Was the author of the Life of Columba ( Latin : Vita Columbae ), probably written between 697 and 700. This biography is by far the most important surviving work written in early-medieval Scotland, and is a vital source for our knowledge of the Picts , and an insight into the life of Iona and the early-medieval Gaelic monk. Adomnán promulgated the Law of Adomnán or "Law of Innocents" ( Latin : Lex Innocentium ). He also wrote
1225-510: Was thus unable to persuade the monks to adopt the Roman dating of Easter, let alone the tonsure. It is clear that Adomnán did adopt that Roman dating and, moreover, probably did argue the case for it in Ireland. For many years, the people of Leinster made a triennial tribute payment, called the Borumha , to the Uí Néill. The payment was made largely in cattle. Around 692, the King of Leinster
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