01 Identity
Scottish charity record
- OSCR charity number
- SC015283
- Status
- Active
- Regulatory type
- Standard
- Designated religious body
- No
- Geographical spread
- Operations cover all or most of Scotland
- Volunteers
- 0 volunteers
- Staff
- 0
- Postcode
- EH8 9YL
02 Purpose and work
What the charity exists to do
We aim to encourage the study and increase knowledge of the history of Scots law. We do this principally by publishing critical editions of key historical texts, or commentaries on aspects of the history of the development of Scots law from earliest times to date. Our publications are highly regarded as important contributions to the study and teaching of the history of Scots law. We supplement this activity by holding an annual public lecture on an aspect of legal history by a prominent academic or practitioner, and in 2025 we also arranged a legal moot for students on a legal question rooted in a mid Victorian legal locus.
Charitable purposes
- the advancement of education
Beneficiaries
- No specific group, or for the benefit of the community
Activities
- It carries out activities or services itself
Constitutional objectives
The object of the Society shall be to encourage the study and advance the knowledge of the history of Scots Law especially by the publication of original documents in both printed and electronic formats, by the republishing and editing in both printed and electronic formats of works of sufficient rarity or importance and by the grant of scholarships and other awards.
03 Annual returns
Income and expenditure history
| Year end | Total income | Donations | Charitable activities income | Trading income | Investment income | Other income | Total expenditure | Raising funds | Charitable activities spending | Other spending | Staff | Return received |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 March 2025 | £29,917 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £55,685 | £0 | £0 | £0 | 0 | 16 December 2025 |
| 31 March 2024 | £26,699 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £38,555 | £0 | £0 | £0 | 0 | 9 December 2024 |
| 31 March 2023 | £28,127 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £48,441 | £0 | £0 | £0 | 0 | 18 December 2023 |
| 31 March 2022 | £25,394 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £27,124 | £0 | £0 | £0 | 0 | 14 December 2022 |
| 31 March 2021 | £24,152 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £33,823 | £0 | £0 | £0 | 0 | 24 November 2021 |
Figures are those reported by the charity and supplied in the OSCR bulk download. Blank facts remain distinct from zero.
04 Contact record
Principal office or trustees address
- Address supplied to OSCR
- Edinburgh Law School, Old College, South Bridge, Edinburgh
- Website supplied to OSCR
- www.stairsociety.org
- Parent charity
- Not supplied
No direct external links on this profile. The official OSCR record and source documentation are available through BritDB’s dedicated source page.
05 Provenance
Source for this profile
© Crown Copyright and database right 2026. Contains information from the Scottish Charity Register supplied by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. BritDB is an independent service and does not claim to be the Scottish Charity Register.