Ancient Laws and Institutes of England

by Benjamin Thorpe (Editor)

[Thorpe, B(enjamin), Editor]. Ancient Laws and Institutes of England; Comprising Laws Enacted under the Anglo-Saxon Kings from Athelbirtht to Cnut, With an English Translation of the Saxon; The Laws called Edward the Confessor's; The Laws of William the Conqueror, and those Ascribef to Henry the Also, Monumenta Ecclesiastica Anglicana, From the Seventh to the Tenth Century; and the Ancient Latin Version of the Anglo-Saxon Laws. With a Compendious Glossary, &c. [ Printed by George E. Eyre and Andrew Spottiswoode, Printers to the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, 1840]. x, [iv], 548, [79] pp. (10" X 14"). Reprinted 2004 by The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. A critical edition of laws issued before 1066 based on original manuscript sources, with most in their original languages. With thorough notes, extensive commentary, a concordance of sources, an index to the Anglo-Saxon laws and an index to the Monumenta Ecclesiastica. Benjamin Thorpe [1782-1870] was a well-known Anglo-Saxon scholar and translator who published a number of principal works in this field, including the important Analecta Anglo-Saxonica. This edition remains a standard source for scholars of this period. Dictionary of National Biography 795-796.

Genres: History

548 pages, Hardcover

First published September 30, 2004

Reviews

[Phillip · Rating 5 out of 5]

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. Comprising laws enacted under the Anglo-Saxon kings from Aethelbirht to Cnut. Highly Recommended!

[Demetra · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's an old translation and I think modern Anglo-Saxon scholars would want something new. The good Mr. Thorpe was a scholar in the 19th century and ideas in history tend to be cyclical.

But it's such a great work, no you're not going to sit down and read the laws of England as they were in the 900s but it's a wonderful thing to open it up, read the translation AND have a copy of the original document.

So, if you can find a copy I'd have one. This is one of the reasons I don't much like electronic books I'm not even sure how you'd lay this one out on a computer screen but it is perfectly suited to it's current oversized publication.

If nothing else it's rather enjoyable to go through the laws and see how they progress from Alfred to Henry II, to whom we owe so much of our legal progress over the centuries.