English Law Guide [9/18/08-DRAFT]
I. Case Law
II. Statutes
A. Collections of Statutes
Ancient Laws and Institutes of England (2003, reprint of the 1840 ed.) (Oversize KD530 .G74 2003) (Benjamin Thorpe, ed.), and The Laws of the Kings of England from Edmund to Henry I (2000, reprint of the 1925 ed.) (KD542. G73 2000) (A.J. Robertson, ed. & trans.), and The Laws of the Earliest English Kings (1922) (DA135.A88 ) (F. L. Attenborough, ed.) are collections of very early laws.
Statutes of the Realm: Printed by Command of His Majesty King George the Third...From Original Records and Authentic Manuscripts (1810-1828) (KD130 .S77). This 11 volume set covering the period from 1235 to 1713 also includes the Magna Carta and other important early documents.
The library has two editions of Statutes at Large (KD125 .S72 and .S73), covering the period from the Magna Carta until 1868.
Acts and Ordinances of the Interregnum, 1642-1660 (1972, reprint of the 1911 ed.) (KD130 .S75) contains statutes passed during the Interregnum (the rule of Oliver Cromwell).
Since 1831 Her Majesty's Stationery Office (H.M.S.O.) has published the official version of the statutes as Public General Acts and General Synod Measures (known as The Public General Statutes (1831-1870)) (KD124 .P83). The law library began receiving these in1952. These are the equivalent of our session laws. They are compiled every year; before that they are available in slip law form. Access is through the Index to the Statutes in Force. The Public General Statutes and The Public General Acts (KD124 .P82), published by the Incorporated Council of Law Reporting, contain acts passed between 1866 and 1951 (both sets are marked Law Reports: Statutes on the spine).
The official publication Statutes in Force (1972-) (KD132.S72 and Microforms Room) contains all acts from 1235 to the 1990's still in force in subject order along with their amendments. There is an index for each subject as well as a general index. It supersedes Statutes Revised, three editions of which were published between 1870 and 1950, containing statutes in force through 1948; the Library has the third edition of Statutes Revised (KD130 .S72).
Chitty’s Statutes of Practical Utility (also known as Chitty's Annual Statutes) (6th ed., 1911-1948) (KD129 .C44 1911) contains selected statutes from 1235 to 1948 for the use of the practicing lawyer; it includes a table of short and popular titles.
Butterworth's Twentieth Century Statutes [Annotated](1910-1957) (KD129 .C45), which absorbed Chitty's Annual Statutes, includes statutes from 1900-1956; until 1909 they are arranged by subject.
The Statutes: From the Twentieth Year of King Henry the Third to the Tenth Chapter of the Twelfth, Thirteenth, and Fourteenth Years of King George the Sixth A.D. 1235-1948 (Robert Drayton, ed., 3rd rev. ed., 1950) (KD30 .S72 1950) contains statutes in force from 1235 to 1948. Each volume has a table of statutes and an index.
Halsbury’s Statutes of England and Wales (4th ed., 1985-) (KD135 .H3 4th) contains amended texts of statutes in force with annotations. The earliest statute listed in the chronological table is the Statute of Marlborough (1267).
B.Indexes/Tables
Index to the Statutes (KD142.4.I52), which covered the period 1235-1990 (when publication ceased), and Chronological Table of the Statutes (KD142.3.C47), which covers the years 1235-to the present, are meant to be used with Public General Acts and General Synod Measures and Statutes in Force. The Chronological Table of the Statutes indicates repeals and amendments.
C. Guides to Statutes
Volume 16 of Chitty's Annual Statutes (6th ed., 1911-1948) (KD129 .C44 1911) includes a “Table of Short and Popular Titles.”
Appendix A of Craies on Statute Law (7th ed. by S. G. G. Edgar,1971) (KD691 .C73 1971) is a list of popular names of statutes.
Guide to Law Reports and Statutes (4th ed.,1962) (Ref. Desk KD54 .S98 1962) includes tables of regnal years, lists of law reports (alphabetical & chronological), abbreviations, etc.
Holborn, Guy, Butterworths Legal Research Guide (2d ed., 2001) (Ref. KD392 .H64 2001).
Manual of Law Librarianship: The Use and Organization of Legal Literature (Elizabeth M. Moys ed., 2d ed. 1987) (Ref. KD392 .M33 1987).
Winfield, Percy H., The Chief Sources of English Legal History (1925) (Ref. KD530 .W55 1925).
D. LexisNexis/Westlaw
The text of all public general Acts that are currently in force are available on LexisNexis (Short Name UK;STAT); statutes in force from1267 to the present are in Westlaw (UK-LIF and UK-ST).
III. Cases
A. The Earliest Cases
Bracton's Note Book: A Collection of Cases Decided in the King's Courts During the Reign of Henry the Third (F.W. Maitland, ed., 1983 reprint of 1887 ed.) (KD190 1217 .B72) includes about 2,000 cases from the years 1217-1240.
The Earliest English Law Reports. (Publications of the Selden Society; v. 111-112) (Paul A. Brand, ed., 1996) (KD456.S4 v.111,112) contains 142 Common Bench cases prior to 1290.
Placita Anglo-Normannica: Law Cases from William I to Richard I Preserved in Historical Records (Melville Madison Bigelow, ed.,1879) (KD270 1066 .B55 1879) contains cases from 1066 to 1195 in Latin with English notes.
B. Year Books
The Year Books contain reports of English cases from 1270 to1535. They are mostly in French; modern reprint sets include English translations along with the original text.
Older Editions
The “standard” (or “Vulgate” or “Maynard”) edition, printed by George Sawbridge, William Rawlins and Samuel Roycroft in1679-80, reprinted the medieval yearbooks in 11 tall folio volumes. Available in Early English Books Online <http://library.duke.edu/metasearch/db/id/DUK01055>.
Modern Collections
The Selden Society Year Books Series (KD456.S4) began in 1903 as volume 17 of Publications of the
Selden Society with Year Books of 1 and 2 Edward II (F.W. Maitland, ed.). The most recent volumes are Reports of Cases from the Time of King Henry VIII (J.H. Baker, ed., 2003) (Publications of the Selden Society; v. 120-122 /Year Books Series).
The Ames Foundation has been publishing Year Books since 1914 (KD194). The most recent is Year Books of Richard II: 6 Richard II, 1382-1383 (1996).
Roll Series (part of Rerum Britannicarum Medii Aevi Scriptores, Or, Chronicles and Memorials of Great Britain and Ireland During the Middle Ages) (1858-1911) (Perkins 942 C557) includes 20 volumes of Year Books from Edward I and Edward III published between 1863-1911.
Other collections of cases from the Year Books and early nominate reports include J.H. Baker & S.F.C. Milsom, Sources of English Legal History: Private Law to 1750 (1986) (KD720.S68 1986) and A.K.R. Kiralfy, A Source Book of English Law (1957) (KD532 .K47 1957).
Seipp, David J., Year Books: Medieval English Legal History (or Seipp’s Abridgement) <http://www.bu.edu/law/seipp>. This searchable database indexes and paraphrases year book reports from 1268 to1535 and includes helpful information such as lists of manuscript and printed editions and a bibliography of works about the yearbooks.
Statham, Nicholas, Statham's Abridgement of the Law (reprint of 1917 ed., translated by Margaret Center Klingelsmith ) (KD196 .S73 2007 ). First printed around 1490, this is the earliest abridgment of cases from manuscripts of the Yearbooks.
Early English Books Online <http://library.duke.edu/metasearch/db/id/DUK01055> and Early English Books, 1475-1640 (Perkins Microforms) include many printed Year Book editions before 1700 as well as Ashe’s Promptuarie (1614), an index to the Year Books and early nominate reports (Short-Title Catalogue numbers for early Year Books are 9551 through 9967, and for the Vulgate are R1088A through R1088F).
If a case from the Year Books has been re-published, you should provide a parallel cite to the modern reprint series if possible (Bluebook, T.2). Butterworths Legal Research Guide (Ref. KD392 .H64 2001) has a good explanation of citations toYear Book cases.
C. Nominate (or Nominative) Reports
The Law Library has a large collection of nominate reports (KD187 - KD247 and Great Britain Law Reports, pre-1865 (Microforms); Guide to Law Reports and Statutes (Ref. Desk KD54 .S98 1962) provides a complete list.
Among the series held by the Library are:
Edmund Plowden, Commentaries [Les commentaires, ou les reports de dyuers cases...] (KD200 .P56 1816) covers cases from 1550-1579. Also available in English Reports (KD270 1220 .E53 and HeinOnline) volume 75.
Cases from 1513-1582 (overlapping some of the later Year Books) are found in Dyer’s Report (also called Reports from the Lost Notebooks of Sir James Dyer)(KD200 1541.D94 A33 1994) (J.H. Baker, ed., 1994, 1st ed., 1585)(Publications of the Selden Society; v. 109-110 ) and Dyer's English King's Bench Reports (John Vaillant, ed., 1794) (KD200.D93 1794). The latter is available in English Reports (KD270 1220.E53 and HeinOnline) volume 73.
Sir Edward Coke published a series of reports between 1600 and 1615 (posthumous volumes came out in 1655 and 1658) which included cases from 1572-1616 (KD200.C64). Also available in English Reports (KD270 1220 .E53 and HeinOnline) volumes 76-77.
Sir James Burrow put out several series of reports; among the most important is Reports of Cases Argued and Adjudged in the Court of King's Bench: During the Time Lord Mansfield Presided in That Court; from Michaelmas Term, 30 Geo. II. 1756, to Easter Term, 12 Geo. III. 1772. Available in English Reports (KD270 1220 .E53 and HeinOnline) volumes 97-98.
Charles Durnford and Sir Edward Hyde East published Term Reports ofKing’s Bench cases for the period 1785-1800 (KD200.D87 1817).
To find other reports of cases in the online catalog, use the subject search law reports, digests, etc. --
great britain, or try keyword searches; for example, reports and cases and exchequer will find works such as Reports of Cases in the Court of Exchequer in the Time of King Charles I (1625 to 1648) (KD208 1625 .R47 A225).
D. Retrospective Sets
The English Reports [Full Reprint] (1900-1930) (KD270 1220 .E53 and and HeinOnline) reprints many of the nominate reports published between 1378 and 1865, and is considered the main source for early English cases. The Index will lead you to the case in the English Reports if you have a nominate report citation. The Index Chart Issued for the English Reports (KD270 1220 .E531) lists each nominate report reprinted in the English Reports and indicates the volume where it appears. A chart of abbreviations for the nominate reports is also available at <http://www.justis.com/support/jlinktext-english-reports.html>.
The Revised Reports (Frederick Pollock, ed., 1891-1917) (KD270 1785 .R45) covers 1785-1865. Rather than reprinting the best version of a case, Pollack sometimes combined versions and edited them to get what he thought was the true opinion. While generally duplicative of the English Reports, Revised Reports does includes some few additional cases. You should cite cases to English Reports or Revised Reports, with a parallel cite to the nominate reporter (Bluebook, T.2).
The All England Law Reports Reprints (1957-1968) (KD288 .A6) contains approximately 5,000 cases decided from 1558-1935, chosen for their importance. The set includes a table of cases and a subject index. This series is available in LexisNexis (Short Name ENGGEN;CASES).
HeinOnline's World Trial Collection <http://library.duke.edu/metasearch/db/id/DUK00693> includes trial transcripts and court documents (click on "World Trials" to see the list).
E. Law Reports
Law Reports (1865-) began with 11 series of reports (for a list see Learning the Law (11th ed., 1982) (KD442 .W54 1982)); currently there are four (Appeal Cases (KD275.4 .L38), Queen's Bench Division (KD277.7 .L38), Chancery Division (KD276.3 .L38) and Family Division (KD279.3 .L38)). If a case is included in the Law Reports, it should be cited there in preference to other sources (Bluebook, T.2). Citations to these series refer only to the series abbreviation, and do not indicate that they are part of the Law Reports (e.g., Harbottle v. Terry, 1882 Q.B.D. 131 is a citation to the Queen’s Bench Division series of the Law Reports). Law Reports are available in Lexis (Short name ENGGEN;ICLR) and Westlaw (ALL-RPTS).
Times Law Reports (1884-1952) (KD288 .A5).
Law Times Reports (1843-1947) (1843-1859: Level 4; 1860-1947: KD288 .A34).
Law Journal Reports (1822-1949; the 1822-1831 volumes are known as the Old Series (L.J.O.S.)) (KD288 .A22).
All England Law Reports (1936- ) incorporates the Law Journal Reports and the Law Times Reports (KD288 .A64).
F. State Trials
A Complete Collection of State Trials and Proceedings for High Treason and Other Crimes and Misdemeanors from the Earliest Period to the Year 1783 (Thomas Bayly Howell (vol. 1-21) & Thomas Jones Howell (vol. 22-33), eds.) (KD370.H69 2000, reprint of the 1816-1828 ed.) and HeinOnline . Also known as Howell's State Trials, this collection of important criminal and constitutional cases begins with an account of the treason proceedings against Thomas Becket in 1163. The son of the original editor continued the series through 1820.
State Trials of the Reign of Edward the First, 1289-1293 (T. F. Tout and Hilda Johnstone, eds., for the Royal Historical Society) (KD370 .T68).
State Trials: Or, A Collection of the Most Interesting Trials, Prior to the Revolution of 1688 (Samuel
March Phillipps, ed.) (KD370.P55 S7) covers the years 1554 to 1688.
Modern State Trials: Revised and Illustrated with Essays and Notes (William C. Townsend, ed.) (KD370.T69 1989, reprint of the 1850 ed.) and HeinOnline covers the years 1820-1850.
Reports of State Trials. New Series... 1820 to [1858]... Published under the Direction of the State Trials Committee (KD370.R46 and HeinOnline )
G. Indexes/Digests
British Trials 1660-1900: The Guide to the Microfiche Edition (Perkins q 016.34707 B862, 1990) indexes a microfiche set that republishes non-official accounts, the majority are verbatim transcripts, of civil and criminal trials (microfiche not held at Duke, but may be borrowed).
The Digest (1971-) (formerly called The English and Empire Digest, 1919-1970) (KD296 .E52 1971) provides access to cases from the Year Books to the present by name and subject.
Law Reports: Digests (KD284.D4 1952) contain summaries of cases in the Law Reports in a subject arrangement with lists of cases by name; the Law Library has volumes for the years1931-1950.
Fisher, Robert Alexander, A Digest of the Reported Cases Determined in the House of Lords & Privy Council and in the Courts of Common Law, Divorce, Probate, Admiralty & Bankruptcy, from Michaelmas Term, 1756, to Hilary Term, 1870: With References to the Statutes and Rules of Court, Founded on the Analytical Digest by Harrison, and Adapted to the Present Practice of the Law (KD296.F58 1870).
Williams, Glanville, Learning the Law (11th ed., 1982)(KD442 .W54 1982) includes a table of the Law Reports.
Mews, John, A Digest of the Reported Decisions of the Courts of Common Law, Bankruptcy, Probate, Admiralty, and Divorce: Together with a Selection from Those of the Court of Chancery and Irish Courts, from 1756 to 1883 Inclusive: Founded on Fisher's Digest (also known as Fisher’s Common Law Digest) (KD296.M44 1884) and Mews' Digest of English Case Law: Containing the Reported Decisions of the Superior Courts and a Selection from Those of the Scottish and Irish courts to the End of 1924 (2d ed., supplemented through 1969) (KD 296.M43).
H. Guides to Cases
Bolland, William C., A Manual of Year Book Studies (1925) (KD660 .B6 1925).
Guide to Law Reports and Statutes (4th ed., 1962) (Ref. Desk KD54 .S98 1962) includes tables of regnal years, lists of law reports (alphabetical & chronological), abbreviations, etc.
Holborn, Guy, Butterworths Legal Research Guide (2d ed., 2001) (Ref. KD392 .H64 2001).
Manual of Law Librarianship: The Use and Organization of Legal Literature (Elizabeth M. Moys ed., 2d ed. 1987) (Ref. KD392 .M33 1987).
Prince, Mary Miles, Bieber's Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations (5th ed., 2001) (Ref. KF 246 .B5 2001) lists virtually all of the nominate reporter abbreviations.
Wallace, John William, The Reporters: Arranged and Characterized with Incidental Remarks (4th ed., rev. and enl.) (KD392 .W35 1882).
Winfield, Percy H., The Chief Sources of English Legal History (1925) (Ref. KD530 .W55 1925).
I. LexisNexis/Westlaw
Cases from1558 to the present are available on LexisNexis (Short Name ENGGEN;CASES). Westlaw (UK-RPTS-ALL) contains cases from 1865-present.
IV. Legal History Treatises & Periodicals
Baker, J. H., An Introduction to English Legal History (4th ed., 2002) (KD532 .B34 2002).
— . The Common Law Tradition: Lawyers, Books and the Law (2000) (KD671.B35 2000).
Brand, Paul, The Making of the Common Law (1992) (KD671 .B7 1992).
Coquillette, Daniel R., The Anglo-American Legal Heritage: Introductory Materials (2d. ed, 2004) (KD532.C672 2004) reprints the texts of some primary sources and classic treatises.
Dawson, John P., The Oracles of the Law (KJ147 .D39 1968).
Holdsworth, William S., A History of English Law (7th ed., rev. under the general editorship of A. L. Goodhart and H. G. Hanbury; with an introductory essay and additions by S. B. Chrimes, 1956-66) (KD532 .H64).
Milsom, S.F.C., Historical Foundations of the Common Law (2d ed., 1981) (KD671 .M54 1981). Studies in the History of the Common Law (1985) (KD671.A75 M55 1985).
The Oxford History of the Laws of England (John Baker, ed.) (2003-) (KD532.O94).
Plucknett, T.F.T., A Concise History of the Common Law (5th ed., 1956) (KD671 .P58 1956).
Early English Legal Literature (1958) (KD532 .P58 1958).
Pollock, Frederick & Frederic W. Maitland, The History of English Law Before the Time of Edward I (2d ed., 1898) (KD608 .P6).
Simpson, A.W.B., Biographical Dictionary of the Common Law (1984) (Ref. KD606 .B56 1984).
Leading Cases in the Common Law (1995) (KD671.A7 S56 1995).
Walker, David M., The Oxford Companion to Law (1980) (Ref. K48 .W34).
Winfield, Percy H., The Chief Sources of English Legal History (1925) (KD530 .W55 1925).
The Journal of Legal History (Periodicals), a British publication, and Law and History Review (Periodicals), the journal of the American Society for Legal History, are two of the leading journals that publish articles on English legal history topics.
The 19th Century Masterfile <http://library.duke.edu/metasearch/db/id/DUK00613> includes the Index to Legal Periodical Literature (1786-1922) and Poole's Index to Periodical Literature, 1802-1907 which provide access to articles in Anglo-American periodicals.
V. Classic Treatises
Many classic legal treatises are now available in online databases such as Early English Books Online
<http://library.duke.edu/metasearch/db/id/DUK01055>, Eighteenth Century Collections Online
<http://library.duke.edu/metasearch/db/id/DUK00959> and HeinOnline
<http://library.duke.edu/metasearch/db/id/DUK00693> (click on "Legal Classics" to see the list).
Blackstone, William, Commentaries on the Laws of England (2002 facsimile of the 1st ed., 1765-1769) (KD353 .B5 2002). Blackstone was the first to lecture on English law at a university; the Commentaries are based on his lectures. An electronic version is available on the Avalon Project website <http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/avalon.htm> and HeinOnline's Legal Classics Library <http://library.duke.edu/metasearch/db/id/DUK00693>.
Bracton, Henry de, On the Laws and Customs of England (De legibus et consuetudinibus Angliae). Written about 1250, this description of English law followed the format of Justinian’s Institutes.The best modern edition is the translation by Samuel E. Thorne (KD600 .B72 1968 and KD600 .B72 1997 (1997 reprint)). A searchable version created by the Ames Foundation based on George Woodbine's edition of the original and Samuel Thorne’s translation is available at <http://hlsl5.law.harvard.edu/bracton/>.
Coke, Edward, Institutes of the Laws of England (1628-1641) is a four part treatise on the common law (KD600.C64 and .C643). The First Part of the Institutes (1628) (KD833.C63 S9 1986 (1986 reprint of 1836 ed.), Coke's commentary on Littleton, is also known as Coke on Littleton. Available in HeinOnline's Legal Classics Library <http://library.duke.edu/metasearch/db/id/DUK00693>.
Tractatus de legibus et consuetudinibus regni Anglie (Treatise of the Laws and Customs of England). This 12th century treatise on writs and the common law was traditionally attributed to Ranulf de Glanville (modern scholars suggest other authors such as Glanville’s nephew Hubert Walter). A good modern version is G.D.G. Hall’s translation, The Treatise of the Laws and Customs of the Realm of England Commonly Called Glanvill (1965) (KD660.G43 H3 1993).
Littleton’s Tenures (1481). This treatise on English land law is said to be the first printed English law book. Littleton's Tenures in English, edited by Eugene Wambaugh (Washington, D.C., J. Byrne, 1903) is a well known modern edition (KD833 .L57 1903).
HeinOnline <http://www.heinonline.org/HOL/Welcome> contains selected treatises including Blackstone’s Commentaries. Click on “Legal Classics” to see the list.
Making of Modern Law <http://www.law.duke.edu/lib/lresources.html> is a searchable collection of thousands of British (and American) legal treatises published between 1800 and 1926.
VI. Legal History on the Web
The Anglo-American Legal Tradition (AALT) <http://aalt.law.uh.edu> contains digitized images of thousands of court records from c.1272-1650.
The Avalon Project at the Yale Law School: Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy
< http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/avalon.htm > includes texts of classics such as Blackstone’s Commentaries.
British Legal History: Selected Links on the Web from Cambridge University provides links to legal history sources <http://www.law.cam.ac.uk/resources_history.php>.
The Constitution Society < http://www.constitution.org > (click on “Liberty Library of Constitutional Classics”) contains classic works including Bouvier’s Law Dictionary (1856 edition).
The Court of Chivalry <http://www.court-of-chivalry.bham.ac.uk/index.htm > contains records of cases from1634-1640 relating to social, political and cultural issues.
Early English Books Online < http://eebo.chadwyck.com/home> includes many titles listed in bibliographies such as the Short Title Catalogue (1475-1700).
Eighteenth Century Collections Online < http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/duke_perkins?db=ECCO> includes treatises, trial records, broadsides, and other legal writings.
English Short-Title Catalogue (ESTC) <http://estc.bl.uk> covers monographs printed between 1475 and 1800.
Guide to Legal History Resources on the Web < http://tarlton.law.utexas.edu/rare/legalhis.html> from the Jamail Center for Legal Research, Tarlton Law Library emphasizes archives and rare book collections.
H-LAW < http://www.h-net.msu.edu/~law/index.html >, a site sponsored by the American Society for Legal History, includes links to English legal history materials.
HeinOnline <http://www.heinonline.org/HOL/Welcome> includes reprints of classic treatises, case reporters and other documents in PDF format.
House of Commons Parliamentary Papers < http://parlipapers.chadwyck.com/search/initSearch.do> contains digital versions of the 19th century House of Commons Sessional Papers. British Parliamentary Papers and Other UK Government Publications <http://www.lib.duke.edu/reference/subjects/Parliam.html> provides detailed information about accessing UK government documents.
Legal History Blog <http://legalhistoryblog.blogspot.com/ > hosts discussions on a variety of topics, including English legal history.
Legal History on the Web <http://www.law.duke.edu/legal_history/portal/index.html> provides an annotated overview of online legal history resources.
Medieval Legal History < http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/sbook-law.html> is part of the Internet History Source Book Project < http://www.fordham.edu/halsall >.
Parliament Rolls of Medieval England <http://www.sd-editions.com/PROME/home.html>contains the texts (with English translation) of the rolls of parliament sessions from 1272-1509.
The Proceedings of the Old Bailey < http://www.oldbaileyonline.org > contains accounts of over 100,000 criminal trials held at London's central criminal court from 1674 to 1834.
Katherine Topulos
11/07
United Kingdom legal materials
See also: Students resources and careers information
Statutes (Public General Acts) from the Office for Public Sector Information a searchable website containing the full text of Acts from 1988 onwards and Local and Personal Acts from 1991 onwards. See also: paper version Public General Acts at KD 125
Statutory Instruments - Office for Public Sector Information a searchable website containing full-text Statutory instruments from 1987 onwards. See also paper version at KD 166
Statutes at BAILLI - British and Irish Legal Information Institute statutes from 1988 onwards - arranged alphabetically or by year
Statutory Instruments at BAILLI - British and Irish Legal Information Institute from 2002 onwards - arranged alphabetically or by year
UK Court Service Website a full text database of recent judgements from the Courts and tribunals. Also includes court guides and notices, practice directions etc.
House of Lords - judgement from the House of Lords from 1996 to the present
British and Irish Legal Information Institute - Includes cases and legislation from the UK and Ireland.
Lexis-Nexis student case updater - case updates and summaries available by topic. Be aware that Essex students can only access the free updates, you cannot 'login'. To get the full-text of cases see: LEXIS-NEXIS Professional or WESTLAW.
WLR Daily - daily case summaries from the the Incorporated Council of Law Reporting
See also list of databases below.
Legal abbreviations legal dictionary citation methods organisations and professional bodies
BBC Law basics guides - guides to the court system, various subject based guides, guide to the ECHR, Jargon buster, essential guides.
Albert Sloman Library: English law guide
Albert Sloman Library: European Documentation Centre guide
Albert Sloman Library Guide to human rights
View a subject listing of the Library's databases in law. See also the Library Databases menu for further information on access from home.
LEXIS-NEXIS Professional
Established in 1980 in the UK, LEXIS-NEXIS is an online legal research tool.It provides access to full-text online legal services - with over 2 billion documents gathered from 28,000 sources - including: UK reported and unreported cases; English legislation; Legal journals; UK current awareness library; EU law; Commonwealth law; World-wide legal sources; and International law.
WESTLAW
West Group's online source of legal & business information. Full text legislation, case law, law reviews, texts and newspapers from across the world. Includes Legal Journals Index (also on Current Legal Information), and selected full text Sweet and Maxwell Journals
LAWTEL
Daily updated index to wide range of unreported cases, with summaries back 20 years and links to other case law and legislation; index of articles from major UK legal publications; legislation and case citator; statute summaries and legislation tracking service (commencement and repeals, Bills and Command Papers) and jobs in law.
Office for Public Sector Information - numerical and alphabetical list of command papers covers from 2001 to the present and contains only selected full text but a useful guide to finding relevant command papers.
The Stationery Office - Official Documents is the official reference facility for Command and departmentally sponsored House of Commons Papers from 2004 to the present. See archive site for selected official documents from 1994. Mostly full text.
A to Z of central government - Lists central government departments, executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies.
Department for Constitutional Affairs (formerly the Lord Chancellors Department) - responsible for upholding justice, rights and democracy. Site contains procedure rules, information on the legal system and how it works, section on people's rights including human rights, data protection, freedom of information etc...
Law Commission - contains sections on the law under review, current consultations, closed consultations, A to Z of Projects, Law Commission reports from 1995 to the present and consultations from 1996 to the present. See also: full list of Law Commission Reports and Consultation Papers held by the Library.
UKOP is the official catalogue of UK official publications and catalogues the publishing output of over 2000 official bodies including: Parliament; Devolved administrations; Government departments; Quangos; Agencies; International bodies, including the United Nations and the World Health Organisation. Contains full text. COvers 1980 to the present
BOPCAS (British Official Publications Current Awareness Service) is based on the Ford Collection of British Official Publications at Southampton University. Covers UK Parliamentary or Departmental publications covers 1995 to the present.
UK Parliament website - includes bills, judicial work, full text parliamentary debates, publications etc
Portal to legal resources in the UK and Ireland. One of the major UK based legal portals, contains information for individuals, lawyers, companies, and students.
Lawlinks - An annotated list of websites compiled by Sarah Carter, Law Librarian at the University of Kent. Another excellent UK based portal.
INTUTE: Law (formerly SOSIG)- Provides access to global legal information resources and aims to identify and evaluate legal resource sites offering primary and secondary materials and other items of legal interest.
Infolaw - UK legal resources portal with some free and some subscription services (not accessible to Essex students). Law finder provides structured access to legal information including in the free section a very useful law resources list of law sites by subject.
Community Legal Service Direct - a service for residents in England and Wales providing free legal information.
LawPaths - LAWPATHS is a project to develop a resource bank of materials to support the learning and teaching of legal information research skills.
LawZone - is a collection of news and articles - drawing together the phenomenal knowledge of leading experts within the profession provided by the magazine 'The Lawyer'
Acts of Parliament and Statutory Instruments from the Office of Public Sector Information.
Law Society of Scotland - The Law Society of Scotland is the governing body for Scottish solicitors.
Scottish Parliament - information on the activities of the Scottish parliament established by the Scotland Act 1998. PLus guides to how the parliament works and its history.
Scottish executive - The Scottish Executive is the devolved government for Scotland.It is responsible for most of the issues of day-to-day concern to the people of Scotland, including health, education, justice, rural affairs, and transport.
Scottish law online - independent web portal for Scottish law resources.
Scottish Courts - official page for the Scottish Courts. This site provides a single access point for information relating to civil and criminal courts within Scotland, including the Court of Session, the High Court of Justiciary, the Sheriff Courts, the District Courts and a number of other courts, commissions and tribunals.
National Assembly for Wales - information on activities of the Wales Assembly.
Statutory Instruments made by the National Assembly for Wales 1995 onwards.
Northern Ireland Office - established in 1972 and has responsibility for Northern Ireland’s constitutional and security issues, in particular, law and order, political affairs, policing, criminal justice and victims.
Northern Ireland executive - Economic and social matters are the responsibility of locally elected Northern Ireland ministers when power is devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive. The Government suspended the Assembly and Executive in October 2002 and since then the NIO has assumed responsibility for these functions.
Acts of the Northern Ireland Assembly Statutory rules Index to updated statutes of Northern Ireland 1921-2003
Northern Ireland Assembly - The Northern Ireland Assembly was established as part of the Belfast Agreement and meets in Parliament Buildings. The Assembly is the prime source of authority for all devolved responsibilities and has full legislative and executive authority. The Assembly was suspended from midnight on 14 October 2002.
Irish law site - web portal for Irish law
Ireland Department of Foreign Affairs (contains information and documents on Anglo-Irish policy) including the Mitchell report, Good Friday Agreement, Bloody Sunday Inquiry etc...
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RAISTRICK, D. Index to legal citations and abbreviations. 2nd ed. 1993. and abbreviations. 2nd ed. 1993. Law Ref. K 51
Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations http://www.legalabbrevs.cardiff.ac.uk/
A list of common abbreviations is kept at the Enquiry Desk on Floor 1; ask the member of staff on duty for assistance.
2.3 Dictionaries, encyclopaedias, etc.
The nearest thing to a complete encyclopaedia of English law is:
HALSBURY’S LAWS OF ENGLAND. 4th ed. 56 vols. 1973- ( Kept up-to-date by supplements.) KD 310 / Online
Halsbury’s laws is arranged under broad subject headings. If you need a definition of a particular term or an explanation of a particular concept, it is easier to look in one of the law dictionaries shelved at Law Ref. KD 313. A few examples are listed below:
CURZON, L.B. Dictionary of law. 6th rev ed. 2001. Law Ref. KD 313
MARTIN, E. A Dictionary of Law. 6th ed. 2006 Law Ref. KD 313
WOODLEY, M. Osborn’s concise law dictionary. 10th edition, 2005 Law Ref. KD 313
* The law reference section is at the start of the law collection on Floor 4. Other reference works are in the Reference room on Floor 1.
3. FINDING CASES
Major series of law reports
The earliest law reports are known as Yearbooks: they cover the period from the late thirteenth to mid-sixteenth centuries. They are written in ‘law French’, and it is unlikely that you will ever need to refer to them. Some Yearbooks have been reprinted with translations and commentaries in the Publications of the Selden Society (K 1.S4) and there is a full photographic reprint of the edition published between 1678 and 1680 (the so-called Folio or Vulgate edition) available at KD 193.
If you do need to refer to the Yearbooks (or to any other text in law French), you will find the following work useful:
BAKER, John H. Manual of law French. 2nd ed. 1990. Law Ref. KD 313
Between the mid-sixteenth and mid-nineteenth centuries law reports were usually (though not invariably) known by the name of the reporter(s) or compiler(s) who produced them, e.g. Coke’s reports, Durnford and East’s reports. For this reason they are sometimes referred to as ‘nominate reports’. The best source for pre-1865 English law reports is a modern reprint:
ENGLISH REPORTS. 178 vols. KD 270.E6
This series contains the text of all the major series of nominate reports. A wall chart fixed nearby indicates in which volume a particular series may be found (this information can also be found in Raistrick, D. Index to legal citations and abbreviations. 1993. Law Ref. K 51). In addition, a two-volume index (vols. 177-178) lists cases in alphabetical order.
Original editions of many of the reports contained in the English reports are kept in Store A (classmarks KD 270.A4 and KD 270.Y6). To see volumes of these works apply at the Circulation Desk. Many of these early editions are in fragile condition, and it is preferable to use the English reports whenever possible. This is particularly important if you intend to make photocopies: by using the English reports not only will you save our older reports from damage, but you will save money – up to four pages of the original editions are reprinted on a single page of the English reports.
3.2.1 General series – the Incorporated Council of Law Reporting
Since 1865 the Incorporated Council of Law Reporting has produced a number of series of reports (known collectively as the Law reports) and, because of their semi-official origin, they are regarded as the most authoritative texts. The Library has three copies of most of these series. Recent unbound issues of these and other modern law reports are kept in open boxes at the end of the bound set.
The abbreviations shown in brackets after each title on the following list are those that will usually appear on your reading lists, though there are many variant forms, and not all can be included here.
3.2.2 Appellate series
ENGLISH AND IRISH APPEALS (L.R.H.L.) 1866-1875. KD 275
SCOTCH & DIVORCE APPEALS (L.R.Sc.& Div.) 1866-1875. KD 275.2
PRIVY COUNCIL APPEALS (L.R.P.C.) 1865-1875. KD 275.3
After 1875 these merge to form:
APPEAL CASES (App.Cas.) 1875-1890. KD 275.4
Continued as:
APPEAL CASES (A.C.) 1891- KD 275.4
3.2.3 Chancery and Equity series
CHANCERY APPEALS (L.R.Ch.App.) 1865-1875. KD 276.3
EQUITY CASES (L.R.Eq.) 1865-1875. KD 276.2
After 1875 these merge to form:
CHANCERY DIVISION (Ch.D.) 1875-1890. KD 276.3
Continued as:
CHANCERY DIVISION (Ch.) 1891- KD 276.3
3.2.4 Common law series
COMMON PLEAS CASES (L.R.C.P.) 1865-1875. KD 277.3
COMMON PLEAS DIVISION (C.P.D.) 1875-1880. KD 277.3
CROWN CASES RESERVED (L.R.C.C.R.) 1865-1875. KD 277.2
EXCHEQUER CASES (L.R.Exch.) 1865-1875. KD 277.5
EXCHEQUER DIVISION (Ex.D.) 1875-1880. KD 277.5
QUEEN'S BENCH CASES (L.R.Q.B.) 1865-1875. KD 277.7
QUEEN'S BENCH DIVISION (Q.B.D.) 1875-1890. KD 277.7
QUEEN'S [KING'S] BENCH DIVISION (Q.B.,K.B.) 1891- KD 277.7
3.2.5 Probate, divorce and Admiralty cases
ADMIRALTY AND ECCLESIASTICAL CASES (L.R.A.& E.) 1865-1875. KD 279.2
PROBATE AND DIVORCE CASES (L.R.P.& D.) 1865-1875. KD 279.3
After 1875 these merge to form:
PROBATE DIVISION (P.D.) 1876-1890. KD 279.3
Continued as:
PROBATE DIVISION (P.) 1891-1971. KD 279.3
This becomes:
FAMILY DIVISION (Fam.) 1972- KD 279.3
3.2.6 Industrial series
INDUSTRIAL COURT REPORTS (I.C.R.) 1972-1974.KD 279.4
INDUSTRIAL CASES REPORTS (I.C.R.) 1975- KD 279.4
3.2.7 General series
To provide a more up-to-date service, the Incorporated Council of Law Reporting also produces:
WEEKLY LAW REPORTS (W.L.R.) 1953- KD 282
Three volumes are issued each year; cases in volume one are not reprinted elsewhere in the Incorporated Council series, those in volumes two and three are reprinted (sometimes in revised form) in one of the other series noted above. Each weekly issue thus contains a section of reports for volume one, and a separate section of reports for either volume two or volume three.
3.2.8 General series - other
ALL ENGLAND LAW REPORTS (All E.R.) 1936- KD 288.A1
The Library has two copies from 1967 onwards. Consolidated tables and indexes are issued periodically. This series is produced in weekly parts, and (with the Weekly law reports) is the best source for full reports of recent cases.
LAW JOURNAL REPORTS (Law Jo. or L.J.) 1823-1949. KD 288.A22 & KD 288.A2
LAW TIMES REPORTS (L.T.R.) New series. Vols.1-155, 1859-1936. KD 288.A3
TIMES LAW REPORTS (T.L.R.) 1884-1952. KD 288.A5
After 1952 the Times law reports ceased to be published separately. For cases reported after this date, see the Times newspaper. Recent issues of this and microfilms of older issues are available on request - ask at the Current Periodicals Desk on Floor 1; the staff there will also explain how to use a microfilm reader.
3.2.9 Reports on particular topics
BRITISH TAX REPORTER (B.T.R.) 1984-1998. KD 5356.5
BUILDING LAW REPORTS (B.L.R.) 1976-1996. KD 288.B8
BUTTERWORTHS COMPANY LAW CASES (B.C.L.C.) 1985- KD 288.B9
COMMERCIAL LAW REPORTS (Com.L.R.) 1981-1983. KD 288.C55
CONSTRUCTION LAW REPORTS. Vol. 1, 1985 - KD 288.C56
COX'S CRIMINAL LAW CASES (Cox C.C.) Vols.1-31, 1846-1941. KD 288.C6
CRIMINAL APPEAL REPORTS (Cr.App.R.) Vol.1, 1908- KD 288.C7
CRIMINAL APPEAL REPORTS (SENTENCING) (Cr.App.R.(S)) Vol.1, 1979- KD 288.C71
ESTATES GAZETTE LAW REPORTS (E.G.L.R.) 1985- KD 288.E7
FAMILY LAW REPORTS (F.L.R.) Vol.1, 1980- KD 288.F2
HOUSING LAW REPORTS (H.L.R.) Vol.1, 1981- KD 288.H6
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS LAW REPORTS (I.R.L.R.) Vol.1, 1972- KD 288.I6
Some early issues are missing; for details, see the catalogue record.
JUSTICE OF THE PEACE [AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT REVIEW] REPORTS (J.P.) 1910-1981. The Library has two copies of vols. 75-120, 1911-1956. KD 288.J8
LEGAL DECISIONS AFFECTING BANKERS. 1879-1966. KD 288.L4
LLOYD'S LAW REPORTS (Lloyd's Rep., LL.L.R., or LL.R.) 1919- From 1919 to 1967 entitled Lloyd's list law reports. KD 288.L6
LOCAL GOVERNMENT REPORTS [also known as Knight's local government reports] (L.G.R. or K.L.G.R.) 1903-1988
Also includes relevant statutes and statutory instruments.
Continued as:
BUTTERWORTHS LOCAL GOVERNMENT REPORTS 2000- KD 288.L63
PROPERTY, PLANNING AND COMPENSATION REPORTS (P.& C.R. or P.P.& C.R.) Vol.1, 1949-
Vols. 1-18 entitled Planning and compensation reports, vols.19-50 entitled Property and compensation reports. KD 288.P7
REPORTS OF COMMERCIAL CASES (Com.Cas.) Vols.1-46, 1895-1941. KD 288.C5
REPORTS OF PATENT CASES (R.P.C.) Vol. 1, 1884- KD 288.R3
REPORTS OF TAX CASES (R.T.C. or T.C.) Vol.1, 1875- KD 288.R4
ROAD TRAFFIC REPORTS (R.T.R.) 1970- KD 288.R6
3.3 Finding reports of cases when the full reference is not known.
Many cases are reported in more than one series of reports; if you have a reading-list reference to, for example, the Weekly law reports but are unable to find the volume you require, you can often find other sources which will provide an identical report. There are two points to watch out for:
(a) Not all reports of cases give the full text of the judgement: those in, for example, the Times, the Solicitors’ journal or the New law journal are merely summaries.
(b) If a case has been heard in more than one court, say in the High Court and then in the Court of Appeal, the various stages of the action may be reported in different series of reports, or in different volumes of the same series. Make sure that you have found the one that you really want.
3.3.1 Cases reported from 1865 onwards
Information on these databases is divided by publication type i.e. case-law, legislation and journals. Before you start your search you must consider which type of material you are searching for and then choose and search the appropriate file. Both databases contain a vast amount of legal material and is it not possible to search everything at once.
Both databases (and guides to the databases) can be accessed from the Library Database Menu at http://libwww.essex.ac.uk/databases.htm
Westlaw UK
Full text legislation, case law, law reviews, texts and newspapers from across the world. The database includes the Legal Journals Index and selected full text Sweet and Maxwell Journals as well as an international directory of US and foreign law cases, legislation and full text journals.
The Welcome screen of Westlaw is divided into three: Case-law; Legislation; Journals.
The case-law section is at the top and allows searching via Search by Party name(s); Find by citation; or search by term(s) (i.e. subject).
Choose which ever field you have the information for and search i.e. if you know the parties involved, search by party name(s) e.g. Anns v Merton LBC, if you know the citation search by citation e.g. [1978] AC 728, if you only know the subject area search by subject e.g. liability for misfeasance, here use connectors to show the relation between terms, i.e. combine terms using the connector AND e.g. liability AND misfeasance, or search for a phrase using speech marks e.g. “liability for misfeasance”
You can also use the Quick searches links located on the Shortcuts navigation bar, click on Case Locators or Cases (full text). These will allow you to search via party names, citation and subject all at once, using terms in the manner illustrated above.
LEXIS-NEXIS Butterworths
Established in 1980 in the UK, LEXIS-NEXIS is an online legal research tool. It provides access to full-text online legal services - with over 2 billion documents gathered from 28,000 sources - including: UK reported and unreported cases; English legislation; Legal journals; UK current awareness library; EU law; Commonwealth law; World-wide legal sources; and International law.
The default search screen (home page) is divided into two sections:
a. Get a specific document – this section is set to Find cases as a default and searches for case name and citation. Delete the text Case Name & Citation and enter your search terms in the search box e.g. Carlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Co or [1893] 1 QB 256
b. General search – in this search box you can search for cases using keywords. Use connectors to show the relation between terms, i.e. combine terms using the connector AND e.g. Carbolic AND smoke, or search for a phrase using speech marks e.g. “Carbolic Smoke Ball” (click on the view connectors link for more information). When you have entered your terms, click the search button located at the top right of the search screen.
Alternatively, click on the Cases link at the top of the screen, the case search screen allows searching by terms, case name, citation, judgment date, judge, court and counsel. Fill in as many details as you have for the quickest and most accurate search. For the majority you will mainly have the case name i.e. Smith v Jones or the citation i.e. [1996] WLR 245
THE DIGEST [formerly ENGLISH AND EMPIRE DIGEST] Law Ref KD 296.E5
Look in the consolidated table of cases. This will refer you to a particular volume and subject heading (for example, 22 Evid. = volume 22 ‘Evidence’). Find the volume referred to and look up the case again in the table of cases at the start of the volume: this will give you either a page number (in older volumes) or a case number. By checking this you will find the full references for all reports of the case. The Digest can also be used to trace cases reported after 1947 or before 1865, though the sources referred to in the preceding and following paragraphs are generally more convenient for this.
Look in the two-volume index (volumes 177-178) to the English reports (KD 270.E6). This will give you the original citation and also the reference to the volume and page number of the reprint in the English reports. If you cannot find a pre-1865 case in the English reports there is no reliable method of tracing it, though the consolidated table of cases in the Digest (see previous paragraph) can sometimes help.
3.4 Finding cases on a particular topic
Both databases can be accessed from the Library Database Menu at http://libwww.essex.ac.uk/databases.htm
Westlaw UK
The Welcome screen of Westlaw is divided into three: Case-law; Legislation; Journals.
The case-law section is at the top and allows searching via Search by Party name(s), Find by citation or search by term(s) (i.e. subject). Choose search by term(s) and enter your search terms or keywords. Use connectors to show the relation between terms, i.e. combine terms using the connector AND e.g. Child AND abuse, or search for a phrase using speech marks e.g. “child abuse”
You can also use the Quick searches links located on the Shortcut navigation bar click on either Case Locators or Cases (full text). These will allow you to search subject, using terms in the manner illustrated above.
LEXIS-NEXIS Butterworths
The default search screen (home page) is divided into two sections. Use the bottom section, General search, to find cases on a particular topic using keywords. Use connectors to show the relation between terms, i.e. combine terms using the connector AND e.g. Directors AND duties, or search for a phrase using speech marks e.g. “directors duties” (click on the view connectors link for more information). When you have entered your terms, click the search button located at the top right of the search screen.
Alternatively, click on the Cases link at the top of the screen and enter your topic in the search terms box. You can search for a phrase using speech marks e.g. “directors duties” or combine two terms using the connecter AND e.g. Directors AND duties (click on the view connectors link for more information). When you have entered your terms, click the search button located at the top right of the search screen
You can also look under the appropriate subject heading in:
THE DIGEST [formerly ENGLISH AND EMPIRE DIGEST] Law Ref. KD 296.E5
This is arranged under broad subject headings. Volumes are regularly updated, but you will need to check the continuation volumes and cumulative supplement to be sure of full coverage.
It may also be worthwhile to consult the appropriate volume of Halsbury's laws (KD 310), which is kept up-to-date by cumulative supplements and a loose-leaf updating service.
3.5 Other useful sources for case law
COURT SERVICE WEBSITE http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/
A full-text database of recent judgements from UK courts and tribunals. Also includes court guides and notices, practice directions, etc.
THE INCORPORATED COUNCIL OF LAW REPORTING FOR ENGLAND AND WALES http://www.lawreports.co.uk/
Lists recent judgements published in the Law reports and provides the WLR Daily Law Notes Service, a 24-hour service providing updates from the House of Lords, the Privy Council, the Court of Appeal and all divisions of the High Court.
BRITISH AND IRISH LEGAL INFORMATION INSTITUTE http://www.bailii.org/databases.html
The BAILII website includes cases and legislation from the UK and Ireland.
LAWTEL [online]
Lawtel offers a daily updated index to a wide range of unreported cases, with summaries going back 20 years and links to other case law and legislation; an index of articles from major UK legal publications; a legislation and case citator; statute summaries; a legislation tracking service (commencement and repeals, Bills and Command Papers); and jobs in law. It is available from the Library databases Menu at http://libwww.essex.ac.uk/databases.htm.
4. FINDING STATUTES AND STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS
4.1 Statutes
Editions arranged chronologically:
PUBLIC GENERAL ACTS. 1741/2; 1757/8-1760/1; 1798- KD 125
STATUTES AT LARGE [and] STATUTES OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. 105 vols.
Includes statutes from the Magna Carta (1225 text) to 1865. KD 129
Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts.htm
Allows searching and browsing by year and it contains the full text of acts from 1988 onwards
BRITISH AND IRISH LEGAL INFORMATION INSTITUTE http://www.bailii.org/uk/legis/num_act/
Allows searching and browsing by A-Z or year and contains the full text of acts form 1988 onwards.
Editions arranged by subject:
HALSBURY’S STATUTES OF ENGLAND. 4th ed. KD 135.H3
Kept up-to-date by loose-leaf supplements which contain the texts of recent acts.
Other sources:
Westlaw UK
The Welcome screen of Westlaw is divided into three i.e. case-law, legislation, and journals. The legislation section is located in the middle of this screen and allows you to search by statute name and/or provision no. (section etc.) e.g. Human Rights Act 1998.
You can also use the searches available on the Shortcut navigation bar, these searches allow you to search by name and/or terms. Under Quick searches, click on UK Legislation or UK Legislation Locators and enter your search terms in the relevant fields.
Or also on the left—hand navigation bar under Table of Contents click Statutes, this gives access to an alphabetical list of all statutes.
LEXIS-NEXIS Butterworths
The default search screen (home page) is divided into two sections use the first section to Get a specific document. This section is set to Find cases as a default, change this using the pull-down menu to Find legislation and delete the text Searches Title, Year & Series No. and enter your search terms in the search box e.g. Human Rights Act 1998
Alternatively, at the bottom of the screen in the Quick links section, under Legislation, you can choose UK Parliament Acts [Browse], this will take you to another search screen but if you click on the grey tab Browse and an alphabetical menu will appear.
You can also, click on the Legislation (from the home page) at the top of the screen, enter the name of the act in the Legislation Title field and change the Type by using the drop-down menu and choosing statute and then click the search button located at the top right of the search screen.
STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS. 1949-1974, 1977- KD 166
HALSBURY’S STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS KD 173.H3
Arranged by subject, covers instruments and orders still in force. Recent texts are contained in loose-leaf binders at the end of the set.
Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) http://www.opsi.gov.uk/stat.htm
Allows searching and browsing by year and it contains the full text of acts from 1988 onwards
BRITISH AND IRISH LEGAL INFORMATION INSTITUTE http://www.bailii.org/uk/legis/num_reg/
Allows searching and browsing by A-Z or year and contains the full text of acts form 1988 onwards.
Westlaw UK
The Welcome screen of Westlaw is divided into three: Case-law; Legislation; Journals.
The legislation section is located in the middle of this screen and allows you to search by statutory Instrument name e.g. The Fostering Services Regulations 2002, or series no. e.g. SI 2002/57
You can also use the Shortcut navigation bar on the left-hand of the screen. Under Quick searches choose either UK Legislation or UK Legislation Locators, and enter your search terms in the relevant fields.
Or also on the left—hand navigation bar under Table of Contents, click Statutory Instruments, this gives access to an alphabetical list of all statutory instruments.
LEXIS-NEXIS Butterworths
The default search screen (home page) is divided into two sections use the first section to Get a specific document. This section is set to Find cases as a default, change this using the pull-down menu to Find legislation. Delete the text Searches Title, Year & Series No. and enter your search terms in the search box e.g. by title The Food Hygiene England Regulations 2006 or by series no. SI 2006/14
Alternatively, at the bottom of the screen in the Quick links section, under Legislation, you can choose UK Parliament SIs 1950-1979[Browse] or UK Parliament SIs 1980-1989 [Browse], this will take you to another search screen but if you click on the grey tab, Browse and an alphabetical menu of Statutory Instruments will appear.
You can also click on the Legislation link at the top of the screen, enter the name of the act in the Legislation Title field and change the Type by using the drop-down menu and choosing Statutory Instruments and then click the search button located at the top right of the search screen.
4.3 Finding legislation on a particular topic
Westlaw UK
The Welcome screen of Westlaw is divided into three: case-law; legislation; and journals.
To find legislation on a particular subject use the link on the navigation bar on the left-hand of the screen: UK Legislation Locators and Search by terms(s). Enter your search term using connectors to show the relation between terms, i.e. combine terms using the connector AND e.g. human AND rights, or search for a phrase using speech marks e.g. “human rights”.
LEXIS-NEXIS Butterworths
The default search screen (home page) is divided into two sections. Use the bottom section, General search to find legislation on a particular topic using keywords. Use connectors to show the relation between terms, i.e. combine terms using the connector AND e.g. human AND rights, or search for a phrase using speech marks e.g. “human rights” (click on the view connectors link for more information). When you have entered your terms, click the search button located at the top right of the search screen.
Alternatively, click on the Legislation link at the top of the screen, enter your topic terms in the search terms box. You can search for a phrase using speech marks e.g. “human rights” or combine two terms using the connecter AND e.g. Human AND Rights (click on the view connectors link for more information). When you have entered your terms, click the search button located at the top right of the search screen.
Both databases can be accessed from the Library Database Menu at http://libwww.essex.ac.uk/databases.htm
Useful printed indexes include:
HALSBURY’S STATUTES OF ENGLAND. 4th ed. KD 135.H3 and Online
Kept up-to-date by loose-leaf supplements which contain the texts of recent acts.
INDEX TO THE STATUTES Covers all legislation from 1235 to 1996. ZKD 142.4
4.4 Checking statute and statutory instrument references and finding out whether a statute is in force
An annual supplement to Halsbury’s statutes called Is it in force? enables you to establish whether an act (or section of an act) has come into force. Is it in force? is shelved at the end of Halsbury’s statutes at KD 135.H3. It covers all acts of general application in England and Wales (and all General Synod measures) passed in the last 25 years. It is also available online on Lexis-Nexis Butterworths (see below)
LEXIS-NEXIS Butterworths
From the default home page, click on more sources located in the Quick links section of the screen, then click on the commentary link, and choose Halsbury’s Is It In Force? by checking the box next to the title, and click Ok-Continue. You will then be returned to the home page and can enter your search terms in the search box.
Westlaw UK
Click on the Directory link at the top, middle of the Welcome screen and click Legislation located under United Kingdom, then choose the United Kingdom Law in Force file and search for the Statute you wish to check.
Both databases can be accessed from the Library Database Menu at http://libwww.essex.ac.uk/databases.htm
5. FINDING PERIODICAL ARTICLES
5.1 General
Bound volumes of most journals are shelved at the start of the law collection on Floor 4 (classmarks beginning K 1). The recent unbound issues of journals (though not of law reports) are kept on the display shelves in the Current Periodicals area on Floor 1, although some issues are kept at the Current Periodicals Desk and these must be asked for there.
5.2 Finding articles on a particular topic
The following databases are useful for finding English legal periodical articles:
Westlaw UK
Includes Legal journals Index, which is an index of legal periodicals covering the period 1986 onwards and selected full-text Sweet and Maxwell Journals.
The Welcome screen of Westlaw is divided into three, case-law, Legislation, and journals. To search for journals on a particular topic use the journal search at the bottom of the screen, Search by term(s), enter your keywords and click Go.
A more structured search can be found by clicking on the link Legal Journals Index on the Shortcut navigation bar, under the heading Quick searches entering your search terms. Use connectors to show the relation between terms, i.e. combine terms using the connector AND e.g. child AND abuse, or search for a phrase using speech marks e.g. “child abuse”. When you have entered your search terms click the button Go.
You can also choose to search a particular journal by accessing the Directory which is linked at the top, middle of the screen. Choose Directory, then under United Kingdom choose Journals and then choose then folder Individual Journals and Law Reviews, next choose the title of the journal you wish to search and you will be taken to the search screen. Enter your search terms using connectors as above in the search box.
LEXIS-NEXIS Butterworths
Lexis includes a limited number of full text journals UK journals plus the Legal Resource Index and Legal Periodicals Index which are excellent indexes of journals from the UK, EU and around the world.
The default search screen (home page) is divided into two sections:
a. Get a specific document – this section is set to Find cases as a default change this using the pull-down menu to Find a Journal Article, delete the text Searches Title and Citation and enter your search terms in the search box, this allows you to search by article title e.g. Whither infanticide? or by citation e.g. 156 NLJ 664
b. General search – in this search box you can search for articles using keywords. Use connectors to show the relation between terms, i.e. combine terms using the connector AND e.g. child AND abuse, or search for a phrase using speech marks e.g. “child abuse” (click on the view connectors link for more information). When you have entered your terms, click the search button located at the top right of the search screen.
Alternatively, click on the journals tab at the top of the screen, and enter your topic in the search terms box. You can search for a phrase using speech marks e.g. “human rights” or combine two terms using the connecter AND e.g. Human AND Rights (click on the view connectors link for more information). When you have entered your terms, click the search button located at the top right of the search screen. Or if you are looking for a particular journal article, try and enter as many details as you can by using the Article title, article citation e.g, 154 NLJ 1042, specify date, and article author fields. When you have entered your terms, click the search button located at the top right of the search screen.
Lawtel
Includes a daily updated index to a wide range of unreported cases, with summaries going back 20 years and links to other case law and legislation; an index of articles from major UK legal publications; a legislation and case citator; statute summaries; a legislation tracking service (commencement and repeals, Bills and Command Papers); and jobs in law. It covers 50 academic legal journals.
Metafind
Metafind enables you to perform searches across multiple selected information resources available in the Albert Sloman Library. It functions as a meta-search engine by simultaneously searching various resources from a single interface. These resources include licensed full-text and citation databases, websites and library or union catalogues
Ingenta
A database of periodical articles in all subjects published since 1988. It indexes a number of major English legal journals and is a useful source for bibliographical references. It is also possible to pay by credit card to have a copy of a relevant article faxed to you.
ZETOC
The database contains details of approximately 20,000 current journals and 16,000 conference proceedings published per year. Covers science, technology, medicine, engineering, business, law, finance and the humanities. The database covers the years from 1993 to date and is updated daily.
All the above databases are available from the Library Database Menu at: http://libwww.essex.ac.uk/databases.htm
6. SOME FREQUENTLY USED ENGLISH LAW JOURNALS
BUSINESS LAW REVIEW (Bus.L.R. or B.L.R.) Vol.1, 1980- K 1.B8
CAMBRIDGE LAW JOURNAL (Camb.L.J. or C.L.J.) Vol.1, 1921- K 1.C15
COMPANY LAWYER (Co.Law. or C.L.) Vol.1, 1980- K 1.C55
CONVEYANCER (Conv.) Vol. 1, 1915- K 1.C6
CRIMINAL LAW REVIEW (Crim.L.R. or C.L.R.) 1954- (2 copies of some years) K 1.C7
CURRENT LEGAL PROBLEMS (C.L.P.) Vol. 1, 1948- K 1.C8
ESTATES GAZETTE (E.G.) Vol.139, 1942- K 1.E7
FAMILY LAW (Fam.L. or F.L.) Vol.1, 1971- K 1.F2
INDUSTRIAL LAW JOURNAL (I.L.J.) Vol.1, 1972- K 1.I6
JOURNAL OF BUSINESS LAW (J.B.L.) 1957- K 1.J6
JOURNAL OF LEGAL HISTORY (J.L.H.) Vol.1, 1980- K 1.J62
JOURNAL OF PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT LAW. 1948-
(formerly Journal of planning law, then Journal of planning and property law) (J.P.L.or J.P.E.L.) K 1.J65
JOURNAL OF SOCIAL WELFARE LAW (J.S.W.L.) 1978- K 1.J67
LAW QUARTERLY REVIEW (L.Q.R.) Vol.1, 1885- K 1.L3
LEGAL STUDIES (L.S. or Leg.Stud.) Vol.1, 1981- K 1.L46
LLOYD'S MARITIME AND COMMERCIAL LAW QUARTERLY (L.M.C.L.Q.) 1977- K 1.L6
MODERN LAW REVIEW (M.L.R.) Vol.1, 1937- K 1.M6
NEW LAW JOURNAL (N.L.J.) Vol.116, 1965- K 1.N4
OXFORD JOURNAL OF LEGAL STUDIES (O.J.L.S.) Vol.1, 1981- K 1.O9
PUBLIC LAW (P.L.) 1956- K 1.P8
SOLICITORS' JOURNAL (Sol.Jo. or S.J.) Vol.109, 1965- K 1.S6
To find textbooks in the Library, consult the Library catalogue. When looking for a specific book for which the reference is known, search by author or title; if looking for books on a particular subject, use the keyword or subject search facility.
Law Commission reports are generally issued as parliamentary papers and, as such, are received by the Library in hard copy as part of its subscription to this service. Those issued as part of the Law Commission’s programmes of reform appear as House of Commons papers; others - typically those on topics referred to the Law Commission by the Lord Chancellor – appear as Command papers. Parliamentary papers are not generally catalogued individually and so do not appear in the Library catalogue. A few early reports were not issued as parliamentary papers; these are catalogued individually – search in the Library catalogue under title.
The Law Commission’s web site http://www.lawcom.gov.uk/ is also a useful resource when looking for reports, consultation papers and aspects of law that are under review.
A full list of Law Commission reports and consultation papers plus information on where to find them in the Library is available at: http://libwww.essex.ac.uk/LAW/law_commission.htm
Books
Most books may be found at JX (International Law) and K-KW (Law). There are many books and periodicals in other parts of the Templeman Library which are relevant to the study of law, so it is always best to use the library catalogue to locate them.
Law reports and periodicals
The Library subscribes to a large number of legal periodicals both print and online. Current issues of the print subscriptions are located in the Quiet Group Discussion Room in Level 3 Centre. The print collection is shelved in alphabetical order by title at K 1. International law periodicals are at JX 1. Many titles are only available online and may be accessed from Online Journals
Most law report series are available in print and online (via the Electronic Law Library)
Material not held in the Templeman Library may be borrowed from other libraries. The Document Delivery Service is available to staff and postgraduate research students.
Information guides
There are a number of guides available from the Researching the Law pages. Books giving more detailed information on legal research skills may be found at the classmark KL155
Online services
The Law Library is committed to providing the best online services for Law and subscribes to the major legal datasets. They may be accessed from the Electronic Law Library .
The internet
The internet is a major source for law and provides good access to the law of non-UK jurisdictions as well as many UK resources. A good starting point for accessing legal information is the Law Library's Lawlinks website. Lawlinks is a structured guide to legal materials on the internet and can be used to link into resources worldwide. The Law Librarian provides subject-based tutorials in law on the internet linked to specific courses
Looking for laws and have only a date and title of law.
Researching the law - How to find case law
If you know the name of the case
Every reported case has a title which is usually the name of the parties involved in the action. The title is then supplemented by a citation. The citation helps to locate the case and indicates where the report may be found. Citations normally consist of a year plus abbreviations which lead to a page within a volume of a series of law reports. The name of the series is usually abbreviated. Decode the abbreviations by using the Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations.
If you use the major online datasets to find a case, you can search by using words from the names of the parties. If you want to find a printed version then you will have to decode the citation in order to look up the law report series in the library catalogue to find its location.
Older reports
Many reports published before 1865 can be found in the English Reports, a collection of various series of reports (also known as nominate reports). The easiest way to access the text of the English Reports is to use Justis or Hein Online (accessible from the Electronic Law Library). The Templeman Library has a print set of the English Reports. Look up the name of the case in the Case Index (the last two volumes of the series).
Searching by subject
If you are searching for all cases on a topic, you will be best advised to start off by using an up to date text where significant cases will be cited. You can then update your search by using one of the major online datasets and searching using the case name to look for more recent cases that have considered the case.
Citations
The 4 parts to most citations are:
- A date or year
- A volume number
- An abbreviation – for the title of the law report series
- A page number
Citations are most meaningful when you are looking at rows of volumes. Some cases will have multiple citations which will signify that they have been reported in a number of different law report series. This is a throwback to the time when law reports were only available in printed series and those seeking them were able to find the law report in a series to which they had access.
Unreported cases
Some cases are never formally reported. Transcripts may be available and a fee is often payable to the transcriber for this service. A guide to what is available has been prepared by the Inner Temple Library
Researching the law - How to find legislation
By title
The Templeman Library still retains printed sources of statutes, but most searches will be for legislation as it is in force at any particular time. The major commercial online datasets excel in making legislation easy to find and present it so that it is easy to see the legislative status of any provision. Each service has online tutorials to assist users.
Queen’s Printers copies of statutes or statutes as originally enacted can be found online in Justis and more recent material (from 1988-) is freely available on the OPSI website.
By subject
Since English law is a common law system, finding out what the current law is not necessarily a matter of looking at statutes or Acts of Parliament. The starting point to finding out what the current law is will be by looking at a major text or encyclopedia. Halsbury’s Laws is the pre-eminent publication and can be found online on LNB or in print in the Templeman Library. Every statement in Halsbury's Laws is backed by case or statutory authority. It is therefore a very good place to commence research.
Subsidiary legislation
Subsidiary legislation can also be found very easily from the major online datasets. Each has links through from the primary legislation to any connected subsidiary legislation.
Sometimes subsidiary legislation takes the form of codes of practice. The best place to look for these is in a printed text on the subject or a responsible government department’s website.
Primary sources for England include historical and current statutes and case law. These can be found on the 5th floor with call numbers beginning with KD and include the following:
Collections of Statutes of England:
Historical Statutes: Halsbury's statutes of England vol. 1(1968)-vol. 54(2)(1984). (5th stacks - KD135 .H3 1968).
Very early laws
Ancient Laws and Institutes of England (Rare Book Collection - KD530 .G74 1840r)
Laws of the kings of England from Edmund to Henry I. Edited and translated by A. J. Robertson. Cambridge, University Press, 1925 (5th stacks - KD542 .R6 1974).
The Laws of the Earliest English Kings (5th stacks - KD543 .A9 1974).
Statutes of the Realm are available online through HeinOnline and in microform (4th Floor - Micrographics - KD130 1101 .G7 1990).
You may come across these three terms in reference to a set of British statutes:
- Public General Acts (and General Synod Measures)
- Public General Statutes
- Law Reports: Statutes.
These terms all refer to an official set of statutes published by the Incorporated Council of Law Reporting and containing acts passed between 1866 and 1951. The UC Hastings Law Library Catalog refers to the set as Public General Acts. It was last updated in 1993. Law Reports: Statutes is written on the spine. (5th stacks - KD135 .L3). The index to this set is entitled ...
Index to the Statutes in Force. The Public General Statutes and The Public General Acts (KD124 .P82), (both sets are marked Law Reports: Statutes on the spine).
Statutes:
Title: Official or unofficial: Dates Covered
.
Statutes in Force: Official Revised Edition (H.M.S.O.) 1972-1981
Current statutes: Halsbury's statutes of England and Wales (updated regularly, contains annotated amended text of statutes in force) (5th stacks - KD135 .H3 1985).
The earliest law reports are known as Yearbooks: they cover the period from the late thirteenth to mid-sixteenth centuries. They are written in ‘law French’, and it is unlikely that you will ever need to refer to them. Some Yearbooks have been reprinted with translations and commentaries in the Publications of the Selden Society (K 1.S4) and there is a full photographic reprint of the edition published between 1678 and 1680 (the so-called Folio or Vulgate edition) available at KD 193.
4. FINDING STATUTES AND STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS
4.1 Statutes
Editions arranged chronologically:
PUBLIC GENERAL ACTS. 1741/2; 1757/8-1760/1; 1798- KD 125
STATUTES AT LARGE [and] STATUTES OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. 105 vols.
Includes statutes from the Magna Carta (1225 text) to 1865. KD 129
Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts.htm
Allows searching and browsing by year and it contains the full text of acts from 1988 onwards
BRITISH AND IRISH LEGAL INFORMATION INSTITUTE http://www.bailii.org/uk/legis/num_act/
Allows searching and browsing by A-Z or year and contains the full text of acts form 1988 onwards.
Editions arranged by subject:
HALSBURY’S STATUTES OF ENGLAND. 4th ed. KD 135.H3
Kept up-to-date by loose-leaf supplements which contain the texts of recent acts.
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LEGISLATION
ACTS (chronological)
are availablethrough onlineand in(- microform - ).
| Title | Notes on language | dates covered and dates available through UC Hastings | Further description of set | location, format, call number :in print, microform, online |
| Statutes of the Realm |
|
published: 1810-22 Covers: 1225-1713 All dates available |
|
|
| The statutes at large, from Magna charta, to the [forty-first] year of King George the Third. to which is prefixed, a table of the titles of all the public and private statutes during that time ... | 1225-approx. 1869 Lib. has [rare] vol. 1-vol. 18. |
|
Rare Book Collection - KD129 1763 | |
| Acts and Ordinances of the Interregnum (H.M.S.O.) |
|
Reprint of the 1911 ed. published by H.M.S.O. 1642-1660 |
|
5th Stacks - KD130 1642 |
|
title varies
|
1866– 1951. |
|
5th stacks - KD135 .L3 s |
Statutes in Force is an official publication, contains all acts, and their amendments, still in force from 1235 to the 1990's. The statutes are arranged by subject. There is a general index and an index for each subject. It supersedes Statutes Revised
| Statutes in Force: Official Revised Edition (H.M.S.O.) | 1972-1981 | official publication contains all acts, and their amendments, still in force from 1235 to the 1990's.
It supersedes Statutes Reviseds |
4th Floor - Micrographics - KD132 1972 | |
| Halsbury's Statutes of England, 2nd | 1948-67 | vol. 1(1948)-vol. 48(1968). | 5th Stacks - KD135 .H3 1948 | |
| Halsbury's statutes of England 3rd | 1968-1984 | vol. 1(1968)-vol. 54(2)(1984). - arranged by subject with notes inc.: history, definitions, cross-references, delegated legislation |
5th stacks - KD135 .H3 1968 | |
| Halsbury's Statutes of England and Wales, 4th ed. (Butterworths) | 1985+ | - fully comprehensive - annotated including information about earlier legislation, definitions and cross references - includes information about delegated legislation relating to the statutes - arrangement: - Main work - Index - Alphabetical list of statutes - Annual cumulative supplement volume with the noter-up service - current statutes service with noter-up service |
5th stacks - KD135 .H3 1985 |
LOCAL & PERSONAL ACTS
Local & Personal Acts are acts passed by Parliament whose application is limited to certain localities or individuals
and which arises by petition from the promoters (local authorities, industry, etc.). Acts having local application but
proposed by the government become Public General Acts. Local & Private Acts are printed by the promoters and thus not widely available.
There are various indexes, including the list in the Public General Acts and Measures and Chronological Table of the Statutes.
STATUTE CITATORS [or How do you update a statute??]
Halsbury's Statutes of England & Wales 3rd and 4th UK 002 G64 1968
UK 002 G64 1985
- use latest cumulative supplement volume and Noter-up section in Current Statutes Service volume
- depending on the date of an amendment or repeal, find text of changes in either the cumulative
supplement or the Current Statutes Service volume
Index to the Statutes in Force (H.M.S.O. annual) 1235+ UK 003.3 G7
UB Law Library holdings: 1235-1973
- lists all Public General Acts from 1235 section by section
- indicates which sections have been repealed and by what authority
- indicates which sections have been amended by subsequent legislaton
- Acts totally or partially in force have their titles printed in heavy type
- Acts totally repealed have their titles printed in italic type
- From 1974, includes chronological table of Local and Personal Acts
Is It In Force; a guide to the commencement of statutes passed since... 1991+ UK 002 G642
- indicates the exact commencement dates of Public General Acts passed in the last twenty-five years
- includes information on repeals, amendments and substitutions
INDEXES TO STATUTES
Index to the Statutes in Force (H.M.S.O.) 1235+ UK 003.3 G7
- annual UB Law Library owns 1235-1973
- arranged by subject
- indexes the laws in force at the end of a given year
LEXIS
- full text of statutes in force from 1267 - Based on Halsbury’s Statutes of England
- most comprehensive and current collection of statutes in force
- does not include references to related provisions or annotations of judicial decisions
DELEGATED LEGISLATION: ADMINISTRATIVE LAW
STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS
Citation Form: S.I. 1977/1426 By year and running number
LEXIS
- all general Statutory Instruments currently in force, updated weekly
- Library: ENGGEN File: SI (Also combined with Statutes in the STATIS file)
WESTLAW
- Statutory Instruments, current and historic (also listed separately by subject, current and historic)
Statutory instruments other than those of a local, personal or temporary character (H.M.S.O.) (5th stacks - KD168 .A4 ) Lib. has [5thst] 1948-1977.
Alt title Statutory rules and orders
Statutory instruments other than those of a local, personal or temporary character(H.M.S.O.) (5th stacks - KD168 .A38) Lib. has [5thst] 1904-1947.
- each Statutory Instrument published individually and then cumulated into annual bound volume
- all general statutory instruments and some local ones
- includes Orders of Council, Royal Proclamations and Letters Patent (executive documents)
- numbered serially in given year
- pre-1962 published in subject order
1962+ published in chronological order with subject index
- tables: chronological list of Statutory Instruments
effect of new Statutory Instruments on Parliament Acts
effect of Acts on Statutory Instruments (Citator)
Halsbury's Statutory Instruments (Butterworths) (5th Stacks - KD173 .H3) Lib. has [5thst] vol. 1-vol. 24.
- full text of selected Statutory Instruments, summaries of others
- arranged by subject with Index
- annotated
- Service Binder: includes updated chronological list of Statutory Instruments in force, new Statutory Instruments, annual Cumulative Supplement, Monthly Survey, summaries, key and index
Index to Government Orders in Force (H.M.S.O.) Not owned by UC Hastings Law Library
- subject index gives Statutory Instruments and authorizing statute
- chronological table of statutes lists all orders issued and repealed under each statute (Citator)
- biennial cumulation
Table of Government Orders (H.M.S.O.) 1671 Not owned by UC Hastings Law Library
- chronological and numerical lists of all general Statutory Rules and Orders and Statutory Instruments
since 1671
- indicates whether or not in force and any amendments or repeals that have occurred since 1948
- if all or part of the instrument still in force, the title of instrument is in bold type
- if instrument totally revoked, the title of instrument is in italics
The statutory rules & orders and statutory instruments revised to December 31, 1948 (H.M.S.O.) ( 5th Stacks - KD168 .A43)
- all Statutory Instruments in force in 1948
- subject arrangement
These terms all refer to an official set of statutes published by the Incorporated Council of Law Reporting and containing acts passed between 1866 and 1951. The UC Hastings Law Library Catalog refers to the set as. It was last updated in 1993. Law Reports: Statutes is written on the spine. (). The index to this set is entitled ...
Public General Act
{Note: Acts of the Interregnum (1642-1660) period not included in this set}
Statutes at Large 1225-approx. 1869 UK 002 G61
- various editions, each somewhat different
Law Reports: Statutes (Incorporated Council of Law Reporting) 1865+ UK 002 G63
UB Law Library Holdings: 1866-1964
- part of Law Reports series
- reprint of the Public General Acts and Measures with same tables and indexes
- still published but no longer received by UB Law Library
Some of the “Law Reports: Statutes” volumes are missing and are replaced with:
Public General Acts and Measures (H.M.S.O.) 1831+ UK 002 G63
- annual cumulation of slip laws UB Law Library Holdings: 1832, 1847-8, 1966-1971
- Church Assembly Measures
- Local and Personal Acts since 1962
- alphabetical and chronological lists in each volume
- tables showing effect of the year's legislation and, since 1967,
derivations of Consolidation Acts for the year
- index
The Statutes: Second Rev. ed. (H.M.S.O. published 1888-1929) 1235-1920 UK 002 G6 1888
- all statutes in force through 1920
- chronological order
- includes a volume of Church Assembly Measures
Current Law Statutes Annotated 1948+ Not owned by UB Law Library
- includes Public General Acts & Church Assembly Measures by chapter number in chronological order
- more important acts are annotated
- annotations contain detailed account of the background to the Act, a summary of the contents and
definitions and explanations of individual sections of the Act
- current year's Acts issued in looseleaf format to be filed in service file
- cumulative citator and subject index
Butterworth's Annotated Legislation Service 1939+ Not owned by UB Law Library
- extensive commentaries on selected acts
- practitioner oriented
- cumulative index published every two years
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Cases:
Cases are heard in courts. When you are trying to find a case, you will want to know what court the case was heard in.
You may be able to figure out what court the case was heard in if you know when the case was heard and in what jurisdiction or by whom.
Historical cases:Bracton's note book : a collection of cases decided in the King's Courts during the Reign of Henry the Third (5th stacks - KD190 1217r). includes about 2,000 cases from the years 1217-1240. Title: Official or unofficial: Dates Covered
The Earliest English Law Reports. (Publications of the Selden Society; v. 111 - 112) (Paul A. Brand, ed., 1996) (5th stacks - KD456.S4 v.111,112) contains 142 Common Bench cases prior to 1290.
Placita Anglo-Normannica: Law Cases from William I to Richard I Preserved in Historical Records (5th stacks - KD566 .B54 1881 ) contains cases from 1066 to 1195 in Latin with English notes. This is available in print, online, or in microform.
Curia regis rolls of the reigns of Richard I and John [-Henry III] : preserved in the Public Record Office, printed under the superintendence of the Deputy Keeper of the Records vol. 1(1196/1201)-vol. 20(1250)- (Covers period 1196-1272: v. 1-7. Curia regis rolls of the reign of Richard I and John-- v. 8-<17>. Curia regis rolls of the reign of Henry III) Curia Regis refers to the King's court. This definition of the Curia Regis explains what is recorded in this set of documents. This table compiled by Peter Freeman at the University of Leeds, shows who decided the cases contained in these volumes and when they were decided.
year books
The Year Books cases from 1272-1535
- very subjective, in Law French
- various editions:
Black letter editions pub. 16-17 C.
(UB Law Library owns edition published 1679-1680 in Rare Book Collection)
Rolls Series UK 006 G215 & UK 006 G243 pub. late 19 C.
Selden Society UK 006 G265 pub. 20th C.
Ames Foundation UK 006 G245 pub. 20th C.
- unbroken sequence of reports from Edward I (1272) to Richard III (1485) and
intermittent reporting to 27 Henry VIII (1535)
- contemporary reports
English Reports (E.R.) 178 v. 1220-1865 (published:1900-1932) UK 006 A1 G51and HeinOnline
- reprint of early nominate reporters
- includes over 100,000 cases from 265 separate series of reports
- arranged by court
- table of cases in last two volumes - includes citations to original reporter and to location
in English Reports
- spines indicate original reporters and citations
- includes notes to Mews' Digest of English Case Law
- editorial notes indicate those decisions affected by subsequent legislation
Title: Official or unofficial: Dates Covered
For an overview of where to find cases, organized by year, see the Duke Law Library English Legal Research Guide.
Our Library carries the following sets. Pay attention to what years each set covers.
.
DUKE TEMPLATE http://www.law.duke.edu/lib/researchguides/englishlegal.html
u of buffalo template http://law.lib.buffalo.edu/departments/info-services/research/bibliographies/foreign/English.pdf
Secondary Sources of English law include the following:
Guides to Statutes and Cases:
Volume 16 of Chitty's Annual Statutes (6th ed., 1911-1948) (KD129 .C44 1911) includes a “Table of Short and Popular Titles.”
Appendix A of Craies on Statute Law (7th ed. by S. G. G. Edgar,1971) (KD691 .C73 1971) is a list of popular names of statutes.
Bolland, William C., A Manual of Year Book Studies (1925) (4th Floor - Micrographics - KF352.A1 L2 no.17).
Guide to Law Reports and Statutes (Reference Desk - KD411 .S8 1959) includes tables of regnal years, lists of law reports (alphabetical & chronological), abbreviations, etc.
Commentaries on Cases:
V. Classic Treatises
Many classic legal treatises are now available in online databases such as HeinOnline (click on "Legal Classics" to see the list).
Blackstone, William, Commentaries on the Laws of England (2002 facsimile of the 1st ed., 1765-1769) (KD353 .B5 2002). Blackstone was the first to lecture on English law at a university; the Commentaries are based on his lectures. Electronic versions are available on the Avalon Project website and HeinOnline's Legal Classics Library.
Bracton, Henry de, On the Laws and Customs of England (De legibus et consuetudinibus Angliae). Available through HeinOnline. Written about 1250, this description of English law followed the format of Justinian’s Institutes.The best modern edition is the translation by Samuel E. Thorne (KD600 .B72 1968 and KD600 .B72 1997 (1997 reprint)). A searchable version created by the Ames Foundation based on George Woodbine's edition of the original and Samuel Thorne’s translation is available at <http://hlsl5.law.harvard.edu/bracton/>. (5th Stacks - KD600 .B75 1968 , 5th Stacks - KD600 .B73 1990 )
Coke, Edward, Institutes of the Laws of England (1628-1641) is a four part treatise on the common law (KD600.C64 and .C643). The First Part of the Institutes (1628) (KD833.C63 S9 1986 (1986 reprint of 1836 ed.), Coke's commentary on Littleton, is also known as Coke on Littleton. Available in HeinOnline's Legal Classics Library <http://library.duke.edu/metasearch/db/id/DUK00693>.
UC Hastings has all four parts available both online and in print.
Are these print versions where they say they are?
The first part of the Institutes of the laws of England, or A commentary upon Littleton. : Not the name of the author only, but of the law itself (5th stacks - KD600 .C64 pt.1 1985).
The second part of the Institutes of the laws of England : containing the exposition of many ancient and other statutes (5th stacks - KD600 .C64 pt.2 1986).
The third part of the Institutes of the laws of England : concerning high treason, and other pleas of the crown, and criminal causes ; The fourth part of the Institutes of the laws of England : concerning the jurisdiction of courts ( Rare Book Collection - KD600 .C64 pt.3-4 1985).
The fourth part of the institutes of the laws of England : concerning the jurisdiction of courts (5th stacks - KD600 .C64 pt.4 1817r ).
Tractatus de legibus et consuetudinibus regni Anglie (Treatise of the Laws and Customs of England). This 12th century treatise on writs and the common law was traditionally attributed to Ranulf de Glanville (modern scholars suggest other authors such as Glanville’s nephew Hubert Walter). A good modern version is G.D.G. Hall’s translation, The Treatise of the Laws and Customs of the Realm of England Commonly Called Glanvill (5th stacks - KD600 .G45 1993).
Littleton’s Tenures (1481). This treatise on English land law is said to be the first printed English law book. Littleton's Tenures in English, edited by Eugene Wambaugh (Washington, D.C., J. Byrne, 1903) is a well known modern edition (KD833 .L57 1903).
HeinOnline <http://www.heinonline.org/HOL/Welcome> contains selected treatises including Blackstone’s Commentaries. Click on “Legal Classics” to see the list.
Making of Modern Law <http://www.law.duke.edu/lib/lresources.html> is a searchable collection of thousands of British (and American) legal treatises published between 1800 and 1926.
Commentaries on Statutes:
Secondary sources by subject:
Research guides for English law:
Glanville Williams : learning the law (5th stacks - KD432 .W67 2002).
Dane & Thomas : how to use a law library : an introduction to legal skills (4th floor Reading Room - KD392 .D36 2001).
ENCYCLOPEDIAS
Halsbury's Laws of England, 4th ed. (Butterworths) 1973 (5th stacks - KD310.H3 H354).
- Encyclopedia of English law
- Arranged by subject with references to statutes, statutory instruments and cases
- Annual Cumulative Supplement is arranged by subject and paragraph number and
contains tables of statutes and cases
- Current Service - looseleaf contains Monthly Review, Noter-Up and key from 3rd
and 4th editions to Current Service information
- includes European Communities law
- each volume has tables of cases and statutes and subject index
- Consolidated Table of Cases, Consolidated Index
- Consolidated Tables of Statutes, statutory instruments, European communities
- N. Ireland and Scotland included
- Annual Abridgement - survey of the year's case and statutory law, references to law journal articles
Citation help:
How to Cite Legal Authorities (5th stacks - KD400 .F73 1996).
The Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations
Time line of courts
Diagram of court structure - historical and current
Time line of government organization
Diagram of government organization - historical and current
Primary and secondary legislation.
Click on the diagram below for a list of online databases that contain decisions for the particular court. Some databases are freely accessible, but some must be accessed through the UC Hastings Library.