Contract Before the Enlightenment

The Ideas of James Dalrymple, Viscount Stair, 1619-1695

In this episode, Lasse Andersen speaks with Dr Stephen Bogle about his recently published book Contract Before the Enlightenment: The Ideas of James Dalrymple, Viscount Stair, 1619-1695 (OUP, 2023). The discussion covers many of the topics of Stephen’s book, including the life of Viscount Stair, the state of contract law before Stair, the central innovations in Stair’s Institutions of the Law of Scotland (1681), and the reception of Stair’s ideas in the 18th century. We also discuss the centrality of calvinism to Stair’s understanding of law and contract.

Stephen Bogle is Senior Lecturer in Private Law, University of Glasgow.