The History of English Law Before the Time of Edward I

Book excerpt: "One of the Truly Great Pieces of Historical Literature of all Time" --Norman F. Cantor, Inventing the Middle Ages 66. Originally published: Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1898. 2 vols. xxxviii, 688; xiv, 691 pp. Reprint of the second and best edition. The History of English Law was the first systematic history based on modern historical methods. It addresses the period before the Norman Conquest in 1066, but deals primarily with the creation and establishment of the common law, a process initiated in the reign of Henry II (1154-1189) and concluded in the reign of Edward I (1272-1307). The first volume traces this history. The second volume treats the doctrines of the common law, including tenure, the law of personal condition, status and estate, and the jurisdiction and communities of the land. Gracefully written and enriched with countless references this is an essential book. First published in 1895, it remains a primary text for students of legal history and the social history of medieval England.