Difference between revisions of "Epitome of All the Common and Statute Laws of this Nation, Now in Force"
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Revision as of 14:03, 22 January 2015
by William Sheppard
An Epitome of All the Common & Statute Laws of This Nation Now in Force | |
Title page from An Epitome of All the Common & Statute Laws of This Nation Now in Force, George Wythe Collection, Wolf Law Library, College of William & Mary. | |
Author | William Sheppard |
Published | London: Printed for W. Lee, D. Pakemann, F. Wright, H. Twyford, G. Bedell, Tho. Brewster, Ed. Dod, and F. Place |
Date | 1656 |
Language | English |
Pages | 12, 1131 |
Desc. | Folio (29 cm.) |
In 1653 Sheppard was called to London by Oliver Cromwell to assist him in the creation of a law reform program.[3] Some experts believe that both Sheppard’s religious and legal publications were the ultimate for his selection.[4] During Sheppard's three years with Cromwell he published nine texts in support of the administration’s agenda.[5] Some of his best known works during this period included Precedent of Precedents, which contained standardized forms to register land, and An Epitome of All the Common and Statute Laws of the Nation now in Force, which was one of the earliest attempts at an abridged legal encyclopedia.[6]
Evidence for Inclusion in Wythe's Library
Dean's Memo[7] includes the 1656 edition of Sheppard's Epitome based on Alan Smith's assertion that Jefferson cites the work in his commonplace book.[8] The Wolf Law Library followed Dean's recommendation and purchased the same edition.
Description of the Wolf Law Library's copy
Bound in contemporary calf with blind rules to boards. Rebacked in period style with raised bands and lettering pieces. Original head of title page missing and replaced by modern period-style copy. Includes marginalia throughout volume and a loose inscription, possibly removed from one of the original pastedowns. Purchased from The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd.
View this book in William & Mary's online catalog.
References
- ↑ Nancy L. Matthews, "Sheppard, William (bap. 1595, d. 1674)" in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, accessed October 10, 2013.
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ Nancy L. Matthews, William Sheppard, Cromwell's Law Reformer (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1984), 31.
- ↑ Matthews, “Sheppard, William."
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ "Tarlton Law Library - Law Dictionary Collection - online exhibit," Tarlton Law Library, The University of Texas at Austin, accessed October 10, 2013, http://tarlton.law.utexas.edu/exhibits/dictionaries/common_law/sheppard.html.
- ↑ Memorandum from Barbara C. Dean, Colonial Williamsburg Found., to Mrs. Stiverson, Colonial Williamsburg Found. (June 16, 1975), 14 (on file at Wolf Law Library, College of William & Mary).
- ↑ Alan McKinley Smith, "Virginia Lawyers, 1680-1776: The Birth of an American Profession" (PhD diss., The Johns Hopkins University, 1967), 263.