Education Act 1496

{{Short description|Scottish legislation}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}} {{Use Scottish English|date=July 2014}} {{Infobox UK legislation | short_title = Education Act 1496 | type = Act | parliament = Parliament of Scotland | long_title = That all barronis and frehaldaris of substance put thair eldest sonis and airis to the sculis. | year = 1496 | citation = 1496 c. 87{{br}}[12mo ed: c. 54] | introduced_commons = | introduced_lords = | territorial_extent = [[Kingdom of Scotland]] | royal_assent = 13 June 1496 | commencement = | expiry_date = | repeal_date = | amends = | replaces = | amendments = | repealing_legislation = {{ubli|[[Statute Law Revision (Scotland) Act 1906]]}} | related_legislation = | status = repealed | legislation_history = | theyworkforyou = | millbankhansard = | original_text = | revised_text = | use_new_UK-LEG = | UK-LEG_title = | collapsed = }}

The '''Education Act 1496''' (c. 87) was an act of the [[Parliament of Scotland]] that required landowners to send their eldest sons to school to study [[Latin]], [[the arts|arts]] and [[Scots law|law]]. This made [[compulsory education|schooling compulsory]] for the first time in the world.

The [[humanistic education|humanist]] intent was to ensure that [[local government in Scotland|local government]] lay in competent hands and to improve the administration of justice nationwide by making the [[civil law (legal system)|legal system]] more responsive at the local level. The act states:<ref>{{cite web |title=The Records of the Parliaments of Scotland to 1707 |publisher=K.M. Brown et al. eds (St Andrews, 2007), 1605/6/39 |url=http://www.rps.ac.uk/ |accessdate=15 February 2008}}</ref> * all [[barons in Scotland|baron]]s and [[freehold (Scots law)|substantial freeholder]]s shall put their eldest sons and heirs into school from the age of 8 or 9. * these shall remain in [[grammar school#Origins|grammar school]]s under competent instruction until they have perfect [[Latin]]. * 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 (see [[Scottish Poor Laws]]). * anyone who fails to do so without a lawful excuse shall pay the king the sum of [[Pound Scots|£20 Scots]]. The act was passed by the [[Parliament of Scotland|Parliament]] at [[Edinburgh]] on 13 June 1496 in the reign of [[James IV of Scotland|James IV]]; in the 19th century, it remained in effect as one of the principal statutes for the management of schools under [[Scots law]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Barclay |first=Hugh |title=A Digest of the Law of Scotland |url=https://archive.org/details/adigestlawscotl00scotgoog |edition=2nd |publisher=T. & T. Clark |date=1855 |location=Edinburgh |pages=[https://archive.org/details/adigestlawscotl00scotgoog/page/n915 907]}}</ref>

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

==References== {{Reflist}}

[[Category:1490s in law]] [[Category:1496 in Scotland]] [[Category:Acts of the Parliament of Scotland]] [[Category:School Establishment Acts]] [[Category:Medieval Scots law]] [[Category:History of education in Scotland]] [[Category:Compulsory education]] [[Category:United Kingdom education law]] [[Category:15th century in education]] [[Category:Scottish society in the Middle Ages]]