We've a long Scottish tradition of litigious women.Thread: Chrystal MacMillan 1st female science grad @ Ed Uni & the 1st woman to plead a case in the Lords when the Uni refused to let women vote on its Council. She was known as the 'Scottish Portia'. Gaun yersel' #girlyswots /1

Next, Glasgow shop girl, May Donohue, who found a dead snail in her drink. Her case was taken pro bono by a local solicitor & resulted in a landmark Lords ruling establishing manufacturers' duty of care. She was forced to declare herself a pauper to complete it. Chin chin. /2

Ragnhild Simunsdatter stood up to power in a medieval land dispute on Papa Stour in 1299. Backbone of steel, she prompted an enquiry into the duke's land representative. It's cos of her historians understand medieval land use, rents etc Gotta love an island quine. Well done! /3

Madge Easton Anderson qualified as a solicitor in Scotland in 1920 after she went to court using the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act of 1919. Her win made her the 1st woman to practice law professionally in both Scotland and England. Lady Hale owes you, Madge. We all do. /4

The Tumbling Lassie was a nameless girl who went to Court in Edinburgh in 1687. She had been sold by her mother as an acrobat to a travelling show. She ran away. The court ruled 'but we have no slaves in Scotland, and mothers cannot sell their bairns.' Quite. Right. '5

Our brilliant legal eagles are standing on the shoulders of sheroes. Giantesses. One day there will be statues to @thatginamiller, Lady Hale & @joannaccherry. The truth is we need to memorialise more women (there is a statue to May) to let our our kids know .... /6

that medieval women stood up for their rights. Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian women too. Yep - I wrote a book about these & more than 1000 jaw dropping female Scots. Get inspired here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Where-are-Women-Imagined-Scotland/dp/1849172730/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=where+are+the+women&qid=1569359912&sr=8-1 If anyone wd like to post a review, that would be swell, thanks /7

BONUS: female Jacobites incited the1st call for female MPs. After Culloden they *paid their own fines* cos under Scots Law they had property rights. Result: English women demanded female reps at Westminster cos they wanted rights too. 172 years later Lady Astor became the 1st /8

We come from amazing. We need to remember that & harness its power. I find stories all the time in my reading - forgotten women, only some remembered. I'm keeping a list - turns out an 80000 word book can't contain all our fabulous foremothers! We have truly great grannies. /9

Tx for coming to my TED talk about Scotland's formidable female Legal Eagles. I keep thinking I'll run out of threads to write but it turns out women's history is endlessly amazing & despite all efforts, consistently under-told. Tx for the shares & likes etc - much appreciated. S