Title

Constitutional Law: 1899-1900 Second Year

Authors

Donald Frank Matheson, Dalhousie School of Law

Files

Description

This notebook was used by D. Frank Matheson, an alumnus of Dalhousie Law School, Class of 1901, in his second year Constitutional Law class.

The Matheson Notebooks are a collection of seven bound notebooks used by Frank Matheson during his time at Dalhousie School of Law between 1898 and 1901. In 2018, they were found in the basement of a Lunenburg law firm and donated to Schulich School of Law. There are two or three notebooks from each year of Matheson’s studies, ranging slightly in size and style. The notebooks have pages made from linen rags, are bound with paper covers, and marbled with ink along the edges. The books are written in using ink pen or pencil, and contain ink blotches, fingerprints, and smudges that Matheson left behind.

Physical Description

The artifact itself is a black composition notebook with a red spine, a paper label, and new rolled linen pages. The front and back covers are glued over with black paper with a mottled, almost bark like pattern. The spine is covered in red leather or a faux leather material. There are six slightly raised bands along the spine, though it is unclear whether this is an intentional design choice or just a manufacturing by-product. The front cover is partially torn down the top, with rust-coloured staining next to the spine that could be an indication of water damage.

Transcription and accessibility measures are in progress.

Thanks to Piotr Luczak (Burke, Macdonald & Luczak, Barristers and Solicitors, in Lunenburg, NS) and Ilana Luther (Law Reform Commission of Nova Scotia and Schulich School of Law) for their discovery and donation of these notebooks to the Sir James Dunn Law Library and the Schulich School of Law.

Publication Date

1899

City

Halifax

Keywords

Constitutional Law, Dalhousie School of Law, Matheson Notebooks, historical artifact, law school experience

Disciplines

Constitutional Law | Law | Legal Education | Legal History

Recommended Citation

Constitutional Law; D Frank Matheson, 1899-1900 Second Year (1898-1899), Halifax, Thompson Rare Book Room, Schulich School of Law (Matheson 2L Constitutional Law Notebook).