Scottish Law Students at German Universities in the Nineteenth Century

In an important article published in 1994, Alan Rodger drew attention to the number of Scottish advocates – 55 by his count – who had studied at German universities in the 19th century, and sought to situate this finding by reference to a Faculty of Advocates in which ‘polite learning’ was a characteristic and valued attribute. Some of the more prominent of the advocates were named and their careers briefly examined. As to how they had been identified, Rodger said only this: ‘While I cannot claim to have researched the matter systematically, I have examined biographical notices and other material about advocates, keeping my eye open for references to periods spent at German universities.’