Queen Anne

(1665-1714), Queen of Great Britain 1702-1714

Through the good offices of Principal William Carstares, Queen Anne presented the first six volumes of Rymer's "Foedera" (London, 1704-1708) the classic and seminal collection of treaties and other documents of international law. The gift may have been connected with the establishment of the Professorship of Public Law and the Law of Nature and Nations by Royal decree in 1707, and the appointment to it of Charles Erskine, 1680-1763, Regent in philosophy in the College, also by Royal Commission. Similar gifts were made to other Scottish universities, and the subjects of the Chairs and the books, as well as the timing of the gifts, relate also to the Union of Parliaments in 1707.

All or some of the text on this page originally appeared in the Gallery of Benefactors