British Legal History Resources

Here is a list of resources regarding British legal history on the Anglo Saxon law to 20th century law.  These will help you to understand the roots of British legality that lead to many of the cases that we experience in today’s culture.  We have a broad range of valuable resources relating to legal information that can help you in your law studies.

The legal practices of much of the western world have their beginnings in British law, philosophy, and legal history. Understanding the law as it exists and any understanding of where it might be going will come from understanding where the law has come from and how it has become what we experience today. This index of links is not definitive. It provides several links to legal historical information in many categories. Each of these sources of information could lead to other information or help form a line of research to be applied in more capable resources, like a university law library.

Recent History and Culture of Law

• National Archives – Provides access to all United Kingdom government documents
• The Labyrinth – Index of links for latin (the dead culture) cultural information
• History of the UK - Organizes primary historical documents of the United Kingdom into broad chronological eras
• Proni – Accesses the public records office of Northern Ireland
• Craft – Multi-college site with a wide range of historical topics organized in many ways (location, topic, methods)
• Law and Research – Contains links for law-related discussion groups including historical references
• WWW Virtual Library – Newsletter for the History, Archeology, and Art History program studying the U.K. and the U.S.
• Education and Research – Organizes map data of Great Britain for many different groups of users
• Institute of Historical Research – Allows access to historical study tools predominantly for research into the history of the United Kingdom
• Legal History - Index of links for historical legal material broken into several categories

Anglo Saxon Law

• Laws of Alfred and Ine – Presents the Parker Chronicle (an early version of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle) and Laws, preserved in Old English
• Anglo-Saxon Chronicle – Categorized links to the surviving manuscripts of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
• Online Medieval and Classical Library – Access to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, preserved in Old English, in a searchable database
• Omniglot – Provides an introduction to Old English writing and pronunciation
• Tribal Hidage – Provides early Old English manuscripts and literary descriptions of them
• British Museum -  presents a museum view of the Anglo-Saxons
• Britain Express – Contains history of England from the end of Roman rule in Britain to the Norman Invasion
• Regia Anglorum – Portal to an organization focused on the living history of Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, Norman, and British
• Labyrinth Library – Indexes links to a range of Old English texts and manuscripts, including the laws of Alfred and Ine
• Old English Pages - This website has many links on an eclectic mix of Old English topics: coins, kings and saints, invaders

 

5th to 15th Century Law

• The Labyrinth – This website is an index of resources on many topics of Medieval studies
• Medieval Sourcebook -  Source index of information (primary and secondary) for medieval studies, including legal history
• Renaissance Materials – Allows access to primary and secondary sources of historical documents from the United Kingdom, including the Medieval period
• 1066 Archive – Presents a series of links (some of which still work) relating to the battle of Hastings, including the laws of William the Conqueror
• Laws of William the Conqueror – Lists the laws of William the Conqueror created after taking England
• The Domesday Book – Brief extract from the Domesday Book, in this case an accounting of lands, and people and things on them
• Domesday Book Online – Information specific to the Domesday Book and the Domesday Survey, including what it is, what information it provides, and why it was made
• Domesday Book and Beyond – PDF of three essays that discuss the Domesday Book and some of its ramifications and value

 

Law of the Middle Medieval

• Charter of Liberties of Henry I – Text of the Charter of Liberties of Henry I and a brief explanation of their importance
• Constitutions of Clarendon – Presents the text of the Constitutions of Clarendon, 1164, which describes some laws or rules of the region
• Milestone Documents - Discusses the importance of Constitutions of Clarendon
• The Avalon Project – Text of the Assize of Clarendon, 1166, which lays out rules that even the king must follow
• Inquest of Sheriffs – Text of Inquest of Sheriffs, 1170, which details the responsibilities of a sheriff to a baron
• Communal Courts - Text of The Nature of Courts and the Law Before 1176 and some explanatory commentary
• Dialogue Concerning the Exchequer – Text of the The Dialogue concerning the Exchequer and some of discussion on the text
• The Dialogue Concerning the Exchequer – Links to a number of FAQs regarding the The Dialogue concerning the Exchequer
• Glanvill – Text of the legal document Glanvill and some discussion on the material
• On-line Edition of Bracton’s - Presents the text of Bracton’s De legibus et consuetudinibus Angliae in both Latin and English
• Discipline – Text of The Assize of Novel Disseisin and the Origins of Property with some description and discussion intermixed
• Text of the Write of Entry – Text of The Writs of Entry with some discussion and commentary
• Rules of Law – Text of Women and the Law; Rules of Law with some commentary and analysis
• Assize of Utrum Law and Legal Definition – Briefly defines and explains the law Assize of Utrum
• Legal Definition of Detinue - Defines and briefly explains the legal term Detinue

Feudalism and Law

• Feudal Terminology – List of feudal terms and their definitions
• Medieval Life – Introductory material and visuals explaining feudalism
• Instructions and Extract - Text of The Domesday Book 1086 – Instructions And Extract and a brief description and why it is important
• English Manorial Documents – Text of the primary document English Manorial Documents in modern English, with descriptions and discussions of its importance
• Alwalton Manor – Text of Alwalton Manor, 1279, a census of the manor at that time
• Manumission of Villein – Text of Manumission of a Villein, 1278 and the text’s usefulness
• Manors of Abbey of Bec - Condition of the Manors of the Abbey of Bec for the year 1246
• 1248 – Manors of the Abbey of Bec, A.D. 1248
• 1249 – Manors of the Abbey of Bec, A.D. 1249
• Pleas of the Manors of the Abbey of Bec – Text of the Pleas of the Manors of the Abbey of Bec in the Third and Fourth Years of Edward I
• 1280-1281 – Pleas of the Manors of the Abbey of Bec in the Ninth Year of King Edward
• Laxton Medieval Village Learning Resource - Information on Laxton in Nottinghamshire that instructs on the use of land from hundreds of years ago

Law of the Late Medieval

• Bio-Bibliographical Listing – Provides access to Canonical writings from 1140-1500 organized by name of the author
• Lincolnshire Eyre – Text of Lincolnshire Eyre, A.D. 1202, which are the legal appeals made that year
• Pleas at Northampton – Text of the Pleas at Northampton in the Fourth Year of the Reign of King John and other community events
• This webpage contains the text of the Pleas at Bedford in the Fourth Year of the Reign of King John, which also has deaths and other occurrences
• Pleas at Bedford - Text of Staffordshire Eyre, 1203, which has the legal claims and pronouncements for the area
• Pleas at Shresbury - Text of Shropshire Eyre, 1203, which includes the legal claims and pronouncements for the area
• Magna Carter – Text of the Magna Carta
• Featured Document – Discusses the Magna Carta and provides other resource links on the subject
• Confirmation of Charters – Text of the Confirmation of Charters, 1297
• Confirmation of the Charters – Provides some discussion on the Confirmation of Charters
• Statute of Mortmain -Text of Statute of Mortmain, 1279 with a brief explanation of its importance
• Avalon Project – Text of Statute of Mortmain, 1279 with a brief explanation of its importance
• Quia Emptores – Contains the text and much discussion and explanation of Quia Emptores (1290) and many other texts important in legal history
• Facts about De Donis Conditionalibus - Provides some explanation of De Donis Conditionalibus, 1285
• Ordinance of Laborers – Provides the text of Ordinance of Laborers, 1349 and a brief description of its place in history
• Statute of Laborers – Provides the text of The Statute of Laborers, 1351 and a short description of its importance to history

Church and Law

• John I – Text of John I: Concession Of England To The Pope, 1213
• King John -Description of John I concession to the Pope
• Guide to Early Church Documents – Provides links to text of early Christian writings and documents discussing those writings

17^th Century Law

• Sir Matthew Hale -Detail on the life of Matthew Hale
• Thomas Hobbes - Links to the works of Tomas Hobbes and several articles about him
• Two Treatises of Government – Text of John Locke’s Two Treatises Of Government
• Early Modern Texts -Links to three of John Locke’s famous works
• Right of Revolution – Provides the text to John Locke’s Right of Revolution
• Liberty VS Liberalism – PDF of Sean Gabb’s article Liberty versus Liberalism
• English Bill of Rights - Provides the text of the English Bill of Rights 1689
• Declaration of Right – Provides the text of The Declaration of Right (February, 1689)

 

18^th Century Law

• Introduction and Plan - Provides the text of Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations
• Adam Smith – Links to Adam Smith’s works as well as several articles discussing Adam Smith
• Making Sense of English Law Enforcement – Provides the text to Making Sense of English Law Enforcement in the 18th Century, about the unfamiliar nature of justice at the time and why it was used
• Corn Laws – Text of Observations on the Effects of the Corn Laws
• Thomas Robert Malthus – PDF of the text On the Nature and Progress of Rent
• British American Diplomacy – Contains the text to the Convention of 1818 between the United States and Great Britain
• Treaty of Ghent – Contains information, discussion, links, and art on the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the War of 1812
• South Sea Bubble – Provides some general information on the South Sea Bubble, the first major stock market crash (1720)
• British Abolition Movement – Information on the Abolitionist movement generally and the Somersett case of 1776 specifically
• Eighteenth Century Resources – Index of links to information on the eighteenth century
• Age of Enlightenment – General information on the eighteenth century and links to famous writers and their works of the time
• Growth of Democratic Tradition – Provides more political and legal focus on the Age of Enlightenment
• Eighteenth-Century Resources – Short set of broad categories providing links to general information on the eighteenth century
• History – Focused set of links to subjects within the frame of history of the eighteenth century
• Declaration of Independence – Provides full text of the United States Declaration of Independence and links to associated information and discussion
• Charters of Freedom - Description of the United States Declaration of Independence and the importance of the document and links to influential articles
• Canadian Legal History – Provides information and links on Canadian legal history
• Canadian Legal Events - Provides a timeline of historical Canadian legal events and a brief description of each with a link to further details

19^th Century Law

• Jeremy Bentham – Presents information and links on Jeremy Bentham, nineteenth century philosopher and political radical
• Utilitarian Foundations of Collectivism – Presents a discussion of The Utilitarian Foundations Of Collectivism
• These websites have information on and by 19^th Century Legal Historians, with links to other related materials:
• John Stuart Mill
• 19th Century Documents – Index of links to other resources of 19^th Century legal history

20^th Century Law

• Tort Law – Provides the legal details of the famous Donoghue v. Stevenson tort case
• Tort Cases – List of tort cases, from a law student, not necessarily famous but instructive