Clerk's Press records

The records contained in the Clerk's Press are many of the oldest records of the University and include items on the early history of the foundation before the Nova Erectio of 1577, minutes of meetings of the Senate, Faculty, Comitia and Faculty of Arts, general registers of the University, 17th century household accounts, Factor's accounts, writs, statutes, legal documents and case papers, lists of office-bearers, registers of students, records of visitations of the University, bursary records, Library records and records relating to the University's estates. At different times, the University was involved in the administration of properties as far afield as those of the bishopric of Galloway, for which there is a 17th century chartulary, and even properties in Hertfordshire and Essex, owned for a time as part of the funds of various bursaries.

The name 'Clerk's Press' derives from the item of furniture, dated 1634, which had contained about 180 volumes and over 600 bundles of the University's oldest papers. The Press itself is now in the custody of the Hunterian Museum.

Each of the compartments and drawers of the Clerk's Press was numbered and the records are numbered according to which drawer or compartment they were stored in.

The records are arranged by their original Clerk's Press number.

There are related records throughout the whole of the rest of the records of the University.

The material is original

Much of the earliest material in the Clerk's Press was published in Cosmo Innes' Munimenta Alme Universitatis Glasguensis , (Maitland Club, 1846). Page references to this publication are included wherever possible in the description of each record.

Subfonds level description compiled by Victoria Peters, GASHE project manager, 23 October 2002  .