Online Medieval Sources Bibliography

An Annotated Bibliography of Printed and Online Primary Sources for the Middle Ages

Source Details

Maitland, F. W., ed.; Tuner, G.J., ed.; Bolland, W. C., ed.; Vernon Harcourt, L. W., ed.; Vinogradoff, Paul, ed.; Ehrlich, L., ed; Legge, M. Dominica, ed.; Holdsworth, William S., ed.; Colas, John P., ed; Plucknett, T. F. T., ed.; Cam, H. M.,ed.; et al., Year Books for the Reign of Edward II (London: Quaritich. Selden Society, vols. 17, 19-20, 22, 24, 26-27, 29, 31, 33-34, 36-39, 41-43, 45, 52, 54, 61, 63, 65, 70, 81, 85-86, 104.) Read this source online

Text name(s): Year Books for the Reign of Edward II

Number of pages of primary source text: 0

Author(s): 

Dates: 1307 - 1341

Archival Reference: 

Original Language(s): 

  • Anglo-Norman
  • Latin

Translation: 

  • Translated into English.
  • Original language included.

Translation Comments: facing-page text and translation

Geopolitical Region(s): 

  • England

County/Region: 

Record Types: 

  • Court Roll

Subject Headings: 

  • Economy - Trade
  • Family / Children
  • Government
  • Law - Crime
  • Law - Secular
  • Towns / Cities

Apparatus: 

  • Introduction

Comments: 

The Year Books contain notes on cases heard before the Court of Common Bench (and, on occasion, the Eyre Courts) from about 1268 to 1535. Written in dialogue form and highly abbreviated, they were composed to provide instruction to lawyers by showing different arguments and legal points. After c. 1363, the court arguments were more often conducted in English so the Anglo-Norman used in the Year Books tends to deteriorate. Cases usually begin with the action or writ beginning the suit, a brief discussion of the case, and then a verbatim or paraphrased account of the lawyers’ arguments and the Justices’ responses. Besides offering crucial information on the development of common law and legal procedure, the cases in the Year Books are often interesting in their own right for the light they shed on property, debts, family relations, trade, and even everyday life in the middle ages. For a bibliography of works using the Year Books, as well as searchable database of cases printed between 1378 and 1535, see the Boston University School of Law project supported by the Ames Foundation, at: http://www.bu.edu/law/seipp/. The Year Books printed for the reign of Edward II are: * Bolland, W. C., ed. Year Books 5-8 Edward II. 7 vols. Selden Society, 31, 33, 36, 37, 39, 41, 43, 1915-26. * Cam, Helen M., ed. The Eyre of London, 14 Edward II. 2 vols. Selden Society, 85, 86, 1968-69. * Collas, J. P., ed. Year Book of 12 Edward II. Easter and Trinity 1319. Selden Society, 25, * Collas, J.P., W. Holdsworth and T.F.T. Plucknett, eds. Year Book 11-12 Edward II. 4 vols. Selden Society, 61, 65, 70, 81, 1942-64. * Legge, M.D. and W. Holdsworth, eds. Year Book 10 Edward II. 2 vols. Selden Society, 52, 55, 1934-35. The Introduction to vols. 52 and 54 discuss the Anglo-Norman used in the Year Books. * Maitland, F. W., ed. Year Books 1-4 Edward II. Selden Society, vols. 17, 19, 20, 22, 1903-07. Introduction of vol. 17 provides a good introduction to the genre, including historical and linguistic background. * Maitland, F. W., L. Harcourt and W. C. Bolland, eds. Year Book of the Eyre of Kent, 6 and 7 Edward II. Selden Society, 24, 25, 1909-1912. * Stoljar, S. J. and L.J. Downer, eds. Year Books of Edward II, 14 Edward II Michaelmas 1320. Selden Society, 104, 1988. * Turner, G. J. and W. C. Bolland, eds. Year Book 4, 5, 9 Edward II. 4 vols. Selden Society, 26, 42, 45, 63, 1911, 1925, 1928, 1944. * Vinagradoff, P. and L. Ehrlich, eds. Year Book 6 Edward II. 2 vols. Selden Soicety, 34, 38, 1917-21.

Introduction Summary: 

The texts of vols. 1-6 and 8-15 are available in pdf format on http://gallica.bnf.fr/, Nos. N050217-222, N050224-231 The text of vol. 22 is abailable in pdf format at http://www.archive.org/details/publicationsofse22selduoft

Cataloger: mak, ses, EGK

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