Essential first reading
English Legal History quick start
Print resources
On the main Reading Room floor is the collection of year-books, Selden Society publications, textbooks and monographs dealing with the history of the common law, or the Anglo-American legal tradition as it sometimes called. The shelf mark begins Legal Hist.
The LawBod has a very good (yet not complete) collection of Legislation (bills & acts: public, local, private and personal) shelved between Cw UK 3 to Cw UK 30. (Some of the earliest material is closed access - ask a member of staff for assistance.)
Indexes to, and digests of, legislation are at Cw UK 70 - Cw UK 80.
Reports are shelved from Cw UK 100 to Cw UK 130. (The English Reports are at Cw UK 120 E50)
Law Library: Reserve Collection
When you search SOLO for texts you may find - especially if the text is recommended on an undergrad reading list - that the location is shown as "Law Library Reserve Collection." Armed with your University Card/Reader's Ticket and desk number, please ask for these books at the Reserve Collection desk in the Reading Room and they will be issued to you for use in the Library.
Electronic resources
Legal history is well served: the links below are a sample
- Oxford International Encyclopedia of Legal History OU members only. Entries cover the legal history of all jurisdictions and legal systems. Printed copy available at Ref 103.
- Statutes of the Realm in Making of the Modern World OU members only. Best source for texts (as promulgated) of acts 1236-1713. Search for Gale Document Number U3607812238 in Advanced Search screen box for v.1 - the Related Links option takes you to the other volumes.
Contents v.1: temp unknown, Hen1 to Edw3. v.2: Ric2 to Hen7; v.3: Hen8; v.4: Edw6 to Jas1; v.5: Chas 1 & 2; v.6: Jas 2, W & M; v.7 Wm3; v.8: Anne regnal years 1-6; v.9 Anne regnal years 7-13; v.10 Chronological Index; v.11 Alphabetical Inde - Acts and ordinances of the Interregnum OU members only. Part of British History Online.
- Ruffhead's Statutes at Large available via Justis UK OU members only. If on the OU network, click on the Continue to Justis button. Although Ruffhead has acts from 1235 on, only use Ruffhead to find texts of acts 1714-1866. For earlier acts Statutes of the Realm (above) is the more authoritative text.
- English Reports are available via Westlaw UK For OU members only. We also have access via to ER via HeinOnline. For non-members, ER is freely available via CommonLII at http://www.commonlii.org/uk/cases/EngR/
- Howell's State Trials available via Justis UK OU members only.(If within thee OU network, click on the Continue to Justis button.) Has Howell’s/Cobbett’s State Trials (1163–1822) and the New Series (Macdonell’s) (1822–1858), as well as additional material sourced from National Collections and the English Reports.
- Selden Society Publications and the History of Early English Law in HeinOnline OU members only. Links to Ames and Selden Society Publications are obvious. (Remember HeinOnline will never have the most recent SS publication-you'll have to come to the LawBod for these.)
- ORB: Internet History Source Book: Medieval English LawFree resource. Editor Paul Halsall of Fordham University.The Internet History Sourcebooks Project is a collection of public domain and copy-permitted historical texts presented cleanly (without advertising or excessive layout) for educational use.
Other libraries
The nature of legal history studies may lead you into the world of the "ordinary" historian. The History Faculty Library is about 10 minutes stroll from the LawBod direction Broad St (or the King's Arms). About 4 minutes from there is the Radcliffe Camera (its Upper room is the main reading room for undergraduate historians) and the Old Bod (its Upper Reading Room is the principal room for medieval and modern history researchers).
For an introduction to this world see the links below.
Bodleian Law Library |
 Bodleian Law Library   Contact Info Main Enquiries, Bodleian Law Library Telephone: +44 (0) 1865 271462 Fax: +44 (0) 1865 271475 Post: Bodleian Law Library, St. Cross Building, Manor Rd Oxford OX1 3UR Send Email |
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