Glasgow Dean of Guild Court
- Reference:GB 243 B4
- Dates of Creation:1605 - 1981
- Name of Creator:
- Language of Material:English
- Physical Description:415.70 Linear Metres
Scope and Content
Includes:
B4/1. Act books, 1605 - 1681, 1699 - 1707, 1712 - 1974
B4/2. Receipt books for processes, 1811 - 1865
B4/11. Registers of lining plans and processes, 1885 - 1987
B4/12. Lining plans, 1879, 1885 - 1981
Also includes folders of papers relating to warrants, 1959 - 1982; Miscellaneous volumes, 1811 - 1885; Minor warrant registers, 1927 - 1966; Registers of applications, 1971 - 1975; Minor records, 1861 - 1975.
Administrative / Biographical History
Glasgow Dean of Guild Court was created in 1605 by the Letter of Guildry. It consisted of the Dean of Guild, who still presides over the Merchants House of the city, and eight 'lyners', four of them chosen by the Merchants House and four by the Trades House. It was thus in theory, and largely in fact, independent of the town council.
Originally its jurisdiction lay in four areas: disputes about 'neighbourhood', a concept which included disputes between neighbours over encroachments and public nuisances; civil actions, mainly of a commercial nature; weights and measures; and infringements of the monopoly trading privileges of the burgesses and guild brethren. The commercial jurisdiction died out around 1750; the weights and measures jurisdiction passed to the police courts in the early 19th century; and the commercial privileges of burgesses and guild brethren were abolished by statute in 1846 (9 & 10 Vict., c.17).
During the 19th century, however, the court became a building control authority in the modern sense, with a requirement on those wishing to erect, alter or demolish buildings to apply for permission to the court, and to submit plans of the proposed works. Formally this requirement dated from 1790 in Glasgow, but enforcement seems to have been a gradual process. There is no evidence of the systematic retention of plans until 1860 and apart from a few strays the surviving series begins in 1885. The court was abolished on local government reorganisation in 1975. Thereafter the building control function was exercised by the Building Control Department of Glasgow District Council, whose records include the plans and registers after 1975.
Access Information
Access restrictions may apply. Please contact the Archives for further information
Other Finding Aids
Descriptive lists, including plot sheets and databases of building control plans, available at Glasgow City Archives.
Conditions Governing Use
Application for reproduction should be made to the Archivist
Bibliography
'Glasgow Dean of Guild Court: A History', Andrew Jackson (1983) 'Scottish Architects Papers: A Source Book', Rebecca M. Bailey (Rutland Press, 1996) 'Dean of Guild Court Records: a unique source for Scottish urban history' by Iain Gray in Scottish Archives (Vol. 5, 1999), pp41-48Corporate Names