Synopses & Reviews
Written from Marxist and liberal perspectives, this study examines how eighteenth-century English law was defined and administered. It introduces current debates about British society in the era in which England became the world's leading nation. Contributions from leading international historians consider eighteenth-century legal institutions in relation to contemporary concepts of corruption, oppression and institutional efficiency. The result is an original account of the legal basis of eighteenth-century society.
Review
"...of great interest..." John V. Orth, University of North Carolina, School of Law, Albion"These essays are uniformly good--well written and substantively significant." Journal of Social History"...solidly grounded in primary research and present[s] fresh evidence about important issues..." History"This wide-ranging, stimulating, and meticulously edited volume should be of profound interest to scholars of English criminal justice administration, social relations, and governance will surely spark further scholarship and debate." Law and History Review"This is a fine collection. Each contribution is original and deeply researched. But certainly, for those already acquainted with the work of John Beattie and those he has inspired, it offers an important contribution to ongoing debate." Canadian Journal of Jistory, John Sainsbury, Brock University
Synopsis
"John M. Beattie's publications": p. 256-257.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Synopsis
This book examines how eighteenth-century law was made, defined, administered, and used. Leading historians introduce current debates about the nature of eighteenth-century law and society and reflect on contemporary concepts of corruption, oppression, and institutional efficiency. The result is an invaluable account of the legal bases of eighteenth-century society.
Synopsis
This book is an invaluable account of crime, law, and society in eighteenth-century England.
About the Author
Norma Landau is Professor of History at the University of California at Davis and the author of The Justices of the Peace, 1679-1760 , published by the University of California Press in 1984.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction Norma Landau; Part I. Law: 2. Dread of the Crown Office: the magistracy and King's Bench 1740-1800 Douglas Hay; 3. The trading justice's trade Norma Landau; 4. Impressment and the law in eighteenth-century Britain Nicholas Rogers; Part II. Crime: 5. 'Press gangs are better magistrates than the Middlesex justices.' Young offenders, press gangs and prosecution strategies in eighteenth and early nineteenth-century England Peter King; 6. Making the 'bloody code'? Forgery legislation in eighteenth-century England Randall McGowen; 7. Mapping the criminal law: Blackstone and the categories of English jurisprudence David Lieberman; Part III. Society: After Somerset: Mansfield, slavery and the law in England, 1772-1830 Ruth Paley; 9. Religion and the law: evidence, proof and 'matter of fact' 1660-1700 Barbara Shapiro; 10. The press and public apologies in eighteenth-century London Donna Andrew; 11. Origins of the factory acts: the Health and Morals of Apprentices Act 1802 Joanna Innes.