The English Judiciary in the Age of Glanvill and Bracton c.1176-1239

by Ralph V. Turner

Overview

This book presents a study of the evolution of a professional judiciary in medieval England through the careers of forty-nine royal justices from the last decade of Henry II until 1239. Those years were crucial for the growth of the common law, producing the two legal treatises Glanvill and Bracton. The period also represents a critical phase in the growth of a professional civil service for England. Professor Turner's study plots the shifts from unspecialized multipurpose royal servants to corps of specialists, concentrating on one sphere. By using the method known as prosopography, the author succeeds in bringing vague outlines of the early royal justices into sharper focus. Although they played a major role in the shaping of English common law, little biographical material has been available. This study, by looking at the judges collectively, succeeds in overcoming the scarcity of sources on individuals and presents a composite picture.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521072427
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	08/14/2008
Series:	Cambridge Studies in English Legal History
Pages:	340
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.00(d)

Table of Contents

1. The reputation of the Royal Justices; 2. Glanvill and his colleagues c. 1176–89; 3. the origins of a professional judiciary in the reign of Richard I; 4. King John's corps of justices; 5. Pattishall, Raleigh and their colleagues; 6. the work of the justices.