Protocol books are notebooks which lawyers in Scotland, known as Notaries Public, were required to keep as a record of their work. These are very few in number, and most have been poorly completed, but the better examples have been published, either by the Scottish Record Society or by local heritage-type societies. The surviving books date from the late 1400s up to the 17th century.
Before using protocol books learn something about the medieval legal structure of Scotland. Most burghs (local councils) employed notaries to record all their legal transactions.