What do you think?
Rate this book
The Formation of English Common Law: Law and Society in England from the Norman Conquest to Magna Carta
During the Anglo-Norman period a concept of law developed, binding ruler and ruled alike and which was based on custom common throughout the country. This was Common Law and it was from this that subsequent law developed. John Hudson's text is an introductory survey of Common Law for students and other non-specialist readers. Certain aspects of medieval law such as its feuds, its ordeals and its outlaws are well known, this text shows how these aspects fitted in to the system as a whole, considers its Anglo-Saxon origins, the influence of the Norman invaders and later administrative reforms. The events and legal processes also throw light on the society, politics and thought of the times.
271 pages, Paperback
First published June 21, 1996
9 people are currently reading
61 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 19, 2019
It is quite clear that John Hudson knows the material. It is expertly researched and well footnoted. Hudson has a clear grasp of the English language and knows how to write fairly well.
Yet something is missing.
That would be clarity and context. Each chapter of the book reads like it is a three-hour long lecture from a visiting professor who just happened to forget to bring the notes from the first hour of his lecture. Everybody knows that the professor understands what he's talking about but has launched so deeply into the material that he forgets that nobody else in the room understands the context. Therefore, there is a lof of great material that is lost in translation because of the lack of context and clarity. This is one of those books.
It is an arduous struggle to read and understand. You will pick up a few things here and there, but you will find its lack of relatability difficult.
There are not that many books on the subject. The formation of the English Common Law is a difficult subject to write about because of the lack of written laws during the Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Norman periods, hence the need for the Angevin reforms of the 12th century and the Magna Carta a few decades later. Unfortunately, this book muddies the subject up more than offers clarity.
If you already understand the subject from having read other books, then perhaps this won't be so bad. On it's own merit, this one it tough.
Yet something is missing.
That would be clarity and context. Each chapter of the book reads like it is a three-hour long lecture from a visiting professor who just happened to forget to bring the notes from the first hour of his lecture. Everybody knows that the professor understands what he's talking about but has launched so deeply into the material that he forgets that nobody else in the room understands the context. Therefore, there is a lof of great material that is lost in translation because of the lack of context and clarity. This is one of those books.
It is an arduous struggle to read and understand. You will pick up a few things here and there, but you will find its lack of relatability difficult.
There are not that many books on the subject. The formation of the English Common Law is a difficult subject to write about because of the lack of written laws during the Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Norman periods, hence the need for the Angevin reforms of the 12th century and the Magna Carta a few decades later. Unfortunately, this book muddies the subject up more than offers clarity.
If you already understand the subject from having read other books, then perhaps this won't be so bad. On it's own merit, this one it tough.
April 2, 2019
Good introduction to the subject. The first edition started with the Normans (and hence had a different subtitle) but this one goes back to the Anglo-Saxons. Probably more interesting to English law students than to an American medievalist, especially the last chapter.
July 26, 2020
This book was definitely harder to get through a second time. I noticed numerous instances of repetition that I hadn’t previously noticed, and some grammatical errors. The history it contains is valuable and the sources extensive, but I’m disappointed that it is not as diverting as I remembered.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews