The Law and the Poor

by Edward Abbott Parry

Parry, Edward Abbott. The Law and the Poor. Smith, Elder & Co., 1914. xxi, 316 pp. Reprint available 2003 by The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. ISBN 1-58477-354-5. Cloth $70. Reprint of first edition. Parry [1863-1953] was an English municipal judge for over twenty years. His book, a guide for "the man in the street," which began as a series of newspaper articles, outlines the laws concerning insolvency, debt and poverty. It is distinguished by its emphasis on cultural attitudes toward the poor, and its readability and humanity. Parry's was among the strong voices to speak in sympathy to the poor in response to the Poor Law Amendment Act which had been enacted in 1834. "Judge Parry is particularly gifted with that rare imagination which enables him to see mortal men and women where others see cases, litigants, and parties before the courts. Hence his volume is a rare document, especially useful as a corrective to the tendency to lose sight of actual living conditions in the logical pursuit of abstract legal doctrines." Cohen, Law and Social Order cited in Marke, A Catalogue of the Law Collection at New York University (1953) 810.

315 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1980

About the author

Edward Abbott Parry (1863–1943) was an English judge and dramatist.

Parry was born in London, the second son of John Humffreys Parry, a barrister. Parry himself studied at the Middle Temple and was called to the Bar in 1885. He was Judge of Manchester County Court 1894-1911 and became Judge of Lambeth County Court in 1911. He wrote several plays and books for children. He was appointed to sit on a Pensions Appeal Tribunal in the summer of 1917, which dealt with appeals against governmental decisions on military pensions. He later published a book on War Pensions: Past and Present, co-authored with Sir Alfred Codrington, another member of the Tribunal.