The Advocates Library, founded in 1682, is the law library of the Faculty of Advocates, in Edinburgh, Scotland. It served as the national deposit library of Scotland until 1925, at which time through an act of Parliament, the National Library of Scotland Act 1925 (15 & 16 Geo. 5. c. 73), the National Library of Scotland was created. All the non-legal collections were transferred to the National Library. Today, it alone of the Scottish libraries still holds the privilege of receiving a copy of every law book entered at Stationers' Hall.

The library forms part of the complex that includes Parliament House, located on the Royal Mile.

History The library was formally opened in 1689. It was an initiative of George Mackenzie.

The present library building was designed by William Henry Playfair in 1830, and is a category A listed building.

Librarian Samuel Halkett began an ambitious catalogue, based on the rules of John Winter Jones for the British Museum catalogue of 1839, but with extensive biographical information on authors. It was published in six volumes, from 1858 to 1878. Halkett's successor, Thomas Hill Jamieson, had to deal with a fire that damaged some thousands of books on 9 March 1875.

By 1923 the library held around 725,000 books and pamphlets.

Keepers 1684–1693 James Nasmith (NB in place before official opening.) 1693–1702 James Stevenson 1702–1728 John Spottiswoode of that ilk 1703–1718 (joint keeper) Adam Colt or Coult 1705–1719 (joint keeper) William Forbes 1730–1752 Thomas Ruddiman 1735–1766 (assistant keeper) Walter Goodall 1752–1757 David Hume 1757–1758 Adam Ferguson 1758–1765 William Wallace 1766–1794 Alexander Brown 1794–1818 Alexander Manners 1820–1848 David Irving 1849–1871 Samuel Halkett 1871–1876 Thomas Hill Jamieson 1877–1906 James Toshach Clark 1906–1925 William Kirk Dickson 1925–1928 James Stevenson Leadbetter 1928–1948 Robert Candlish Henderson 1948–1949 Henry Wallace Guthrie 1949–1956 Thomas Pringle McDonald 1956–1970 Margaret Henderson Kidd 1970–1972 Alexander John Mackenzie Stuart 1972–1977 Charles Kemp Davidson 1977–1987 John Taylor Cameron 1987–1994 Brian Gill 1994–2002 Angus Stewart 2002–2004 Edgar Prais 2004–2008 Stephen Woolman 2008–2021 Mungo Bovey QC 2021 Stephen O'Rourke QC 2022–present Neil Mackenzie KC

See also Edinburgh City Chambers

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