JKR's influences (was What is JKR's religious beliefs?)

[David <dfrankiswork@netscape.net>]

Barb wrote:

> Historically, the democracy inherent in the governance of the Kirk 
> (elders or presbyters elected by the congregations leading the 
Kirk) 
> is credited with leading to the Scottish Enlightenment and to many 
> other political developments in the Old and New Worlds.  This 
seems 
> quite in line with JKR's characterization of Hermione, with her 
> fight for elf rights.  JKR also seems to be using another old 
> Scottish practice, that of the Lord Advocate (one person who is 
> judge and prosecutor) as the inspiration for her wizarding justice 
> system (the LA ceased to be Scottish law in the early 18th 
century, 
> but we know how slow wizards are to change).

I'm sure that really I ought to know the answer to questions such as 
this, but, is there any evidence of Scottish influence on JKR other 
than that she has lived there for the last few years?

I note that there is a tendency for people to think JKR is in some 
sense Scottish, but I understand she is essentially an English 
immigrant.  Of course she may be absorbing specifically Scottish 
ideas and putting them into the books, but IIRC the HP series was 
initially conceived before she moved there.

I suspect that non-English legal concepts in the series could come 
either from her study of French at university or, IMO the most 
likely in view of the general context of the Pensieve scenes, from 
her work for Amnesty International.

David, whose class at school included Clive Gardner, David Wacksman, 
and Simon Rose, all Jewish.