The Place in Legal History of Sir William Shareshull: Chief Justice of the King's Bench 1350–1361

by Bertha Haven Putnam

Originally published in 1950, this book is the only in-depth examination of the life and career of Sir William Shareshull, a dynamic and sometimes shadowy force in the government of Edward III. Putnam uses many contemporary documents to uncover Shareshull's roots and to analyze whether or not his reputation for sinister and underhanded dealings is deserved. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in medieval English legal history.

348 pages, Paperback

First published September 26, 2013

Reviews

[Taylor K · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book. While its publication date of 1950 means it is unfortunately dated in many ways - much of what we know and how we interpret the reign of Edward III has changed drastically over the last seventy-five years - Putnam performed a great amount of initial research into the life of Sir William Shareshull. The appendices alone are a major research effort. Hopefully, as Putnam repeatedly stressed in the book, future workers will come forward to add further work to Shareshull’s career and the development of English law and administration during the long and productive reign of Edward III.