The family of Burnett of Leys, with collateral - Electric Scotland

PREFACE. xiii.
presence there ; but, like many other men, he trusted to his own
ability, memory and power of research to guide him through
each day's work, and did not leave on record so many memoranda
as he might have done for the use of his successors in office.
Not only in the Lyon Office, but in all public offices, it is of
unspeakable importance to have recorded precedent to fall back
on in time of need. But busy men have little time for such
considerations, and Burnett was a busy man. Amid all his
strictly professional work work of an engrossing and arduous
nature he yet found time to undertake a task which, in itself,
would have been no light one. Shortly before his death, in
1877, Dr. John Stuart had undertaken to edit the series of the
Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, which were to be published by the
Treasury in the Lord Clerk Register's series of Chronicles and
Memorials. On Dr. Stuart's death Burnett was asked to under-
take the task. In 1878 the first volume was published, prefaced
by an introduction of 184 pages from his pen,
and such was his
industry and enthusiasm in the work that, at the time of his
death, twelve years after, he had produced a like number of
these very interesting volumes. It is not too much to say that,
on the long period which they cover, 1264 to 1507, his introduc-
tions throw a light which has illumined the dark places of history
in a way which has enabled subsequent writers to treat of the
incidents which occurred as could not possibly have been done
before. If it were for nothing else, Burnett has placed all
students of Scottish history under a profound debt of gratitude
to him for these prefaces.
"
Holding as he did the appointment of Lyon for so long a
period, it was not to be expected that Burnett would not make
some contribution towards the literature of that department of
which he was the head in Scotland. The bent of his mind was
more towards Genealogy than Heraldry, pure and simple, but of
the latter he possessed more than a mere competent knowledge.