not be supported in this country to any extent: That, therefore, the defender had no right to the Negro's service for any space of time, nor to send him out of the country against his consent: That the Negro was likewise protected under the act 1701, c.6. from being sent out of the country against his consent. In effect, slavery was not recognised by Scots law. Fugitive slaves (or 'perpetual servants') could be protected by the courts, if they wished to leave domestic service or were resisting attempts to return them to slavery in the colonies. Later life Knight was recognised as a free man. His wife had been in Wedderburn's service as a servant, but had been sacked by him following their marriage. At this point Knight and his family disappear from the record; nothing further is known of their lives or deaths. Legacy In December 2022, Sir Geoff Palmer and the Lord President of the Court of Session, Lord Carloway, unveiled a plaque commemorating the 1778 case, which ruled that slavery was incompatible with Scots law. In popular culture Joseph Knight is a 2003 novel based on the freedman and his trial, written by James Robertson and published by Fourth Estate Ltd. The Trial of Joseph Knight, a radio play written by May Sumbwanyambe, was broadcast by BBC Radio 4 on 12 July 2018, starring Nana Amoo-Gottfried as Knight and Ron Donachie as Wedderburn. See also Colliers and Salters (Scotland) Act 1775 Dunlop Street List of slaves References External links "Slavery, freedom or perpetual servitude? - the Joseph Knight case", National Archives of Scotland website feature Knight v Wedderburn, 1778 M 14,545 The opinions of the judges in the Court of Session, as recorded by Lord Hailes 18th century in Scotland Scottish slaves 18th-century Scottish people Year of death unknown Court of Session cases 1777 in British law Jamaican slaves Year of birth unknown 18th-century slaves