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The Formation of the English Common Law: Law and Society in England from King Alfred to Magna Carta
The Formation of English Common Law provides a comprehensive overview of the development of early English law, one of the classic subjects of medieval history. This much expanded second edition spans the centuries from King Alfred to Magna Carta, abandoning the traditional but restrictive break at the Norman Conquest. Within a strong interpretative framework, it also integrates legal developments with wider changes in the thought, society, and politics of the time.
Rather than simply tracing elements of the common law back to their Anglo-Saxon, Norman or other origins, John Hudson examines and analyses the emergence of the common law from the interaction of various elements that developed over time, such as the powerful royal government inherited from Anglo-Saxon England and land holding customs arising from the Norman Conquest.
Containing a new chapter charting the Anglo-Saxon period, as well as a fully revised Further Reading section, this new edition is an authoritative yet highly accessible introduction to the formation of the English common law and is ideal for students of history and law.
254 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 21, 1996
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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