Education Act 1496

Education Act 1496

Act of Parliament
Parliament of Scotland
Citation	1496 c. 87
Territorial extent	Kingdom of Scotland
Dates
Royal assent	13 June 1496

TheEducation Act 1496was an act of theParliament of Scotland(1496 c. 87) that required landowners to send their eldest sons to school to studyLatin,artsandlaw.This madeschooling compulsoryfor the first time in the world.

Thehumanistintent was to ensure thatlocal governmentlay in competent hands and to improve the administration of justice nationwide by making thelegal systemmore responsive at the local level. The act states:

• allbaronsandsubstantial freeholdersshall put their eldest sons and heirs into school from the age of 8 or 9.
• these shall remain ingrammar schoolsunder competent instruction until they have perfectLatin.
• They shall next spend three years at the schools of art and law.
• the purpose of this education is:
  • that they have knowledge and understanding of the laws, for the benefit of justice throughout the realm.
  • that those who become sheriffs or judges will have the knowledge to do justice.
  • to eliminate the need of the poor to seek redress from the king's principal auditors for each small injury (seeScottish Poor Laws).
• anyone who fails to do so without a lawful excuse shall pay the king the sum of£20 Scots.

The act was passed by theParliamentatEdinburghon 13 June 1496 in the reign ofJames IV;in the 19th century, it remained in effect as one of the principal Statutes for the management of schools underScots law.

This act is sometimes referred to as theEducation Act 1494;this is due to an error in some editions of theActs of Parliament,where it is listed as 1494 James IV, c. 54.