The Project Gutenberg EBook of Our Legal Heritage, by S. A. Reilly
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Title: Our Legal Heritage
Author: S. A. Reilly
Release Date: September 5, 2004 [EBook #13376]
Updated: July 4, 2008
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OUR LEGAL HERITAGE ***
Copyright (C) 2004 S. A. Reilly
OUR LEGAL HERITAGE
King AEthelbert - King George III, 1776
600 A.D. - 1776
By
S. A. Reilly, Attorney
175 E. Delaware Place
Chicago, Illinois 60611-7715
S.A.Reilly@att.net
Copyright (C) 2004
Preface
This was written to appreciate what laws have been in existence
for a long time and therefore have proven their success in
maintaining a stable society. Its purpose is also to see the
historical context in which our legal doctrines developed. It
includes the inception of the common law system, which was praised
because it made law which was not handed down by an absolutist
king; the origin of the jury system; the meaning of the Magna
Carta provisions in their historical context; and the emergence of
attorneys.
This book is a primer. One may read it without prior knowledge of
history or law, although it will be more meaningful to attorneys
than to others. It can serve as an introduction on which to base
further reading in English legal history. It defines terms unique
to English legal history. However, the meaning of some terms in
King Aethelbert's code in Chapter 1 are unknown or inexact.
In the Table of Contents, the title of each chapter denotes an
important legal development in the given time period for that
chapter. Each chapter is divided into three sections: The Times,
The Law, and Judicial Procedure.
The Times section sets a background and context in which to better
understand the law of that period. The usual subject matter of
history such as battles, wars, royal intrigues, periods of
corruption, and international relations are omitted as not helping
to understand the process of civilization and development of the
law.
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