Difference between revisions of "Eirenarcha"

From Wythepedia: The George Wythe Encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
(Summary paragraphs by Katie Chounet.)
Line 2: Line 2:
 
===by William Lambarde===
 
===by William Lambarde===
 
__NOTOC__
 
__NOTOC__
<blockquote> Lambarde was put on the county commission of the peace on 6 August 1579 (sworn on 3 June 1580) and became of the quorum in 1584. For the first eight years of his service in the western division of Kent he kept a memorandum book, his ‘Ephemeris’, containing notes on some aspects of his work, including the issuing of recognizances for keeping the peace, the licensing of ale houses, and provision for bastards. Twenty-nine of his erudite, contemplative charges to the quarter session juries and local commissions between 1582 and 1601 survive in the Folger Shakespeare Library; they probably represent only a quarter of those he actually delivered. He praised English justice, but was sharply critical of the shortcomings of the juries, which had led government to circumvent them through such agencies as Star Chamber, and thus curtail liberty. Extolling the blessings of peace and deploring the disorders attendant on war, he showed a dislike of foreigners and inveighed, among other things, against ale houses, vagabonds, and engrossers, but he made little reference to national problems and none to felony or murder. His own activities in local government, alongside his friends and associates William Brooke, Lord Cobham, Sir Thomas Fane, Thomas Leveson, and Thomas Wotton, included the recusancy commission (not mentioned in ‘Ephemeris’), the organization of musters, beacons, and markets, prerogative taxation, the stewardship of the manor of Gravesend, and the wardenship of Rochester Bridge corporation. His desire to study the historical development of every office he held led to the highly praised Eirenarcha, or, The Office of the Justices of Peace (1582). Reprinted twelve times before 1620, this treatise long remained the standard authority. <ref> J. D. Alsop, ‘Lambarde, William (1536–1601)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/15921, accessed 7 June 2013]</ref> </blockquote>
+
 
 +
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lambarde William Lambarde] (1536-1601) was an antiquarian and lawyer whose writings were marked by his strong Protestantism.<ref> N.M. Fuidge, "Lambarde, William (1536-1601), of Lincoln's Inn and Westcombe, near Greenwich, Kent," in ''The History of Parliament: The House of Commons 1558-1603'', ed. P.W. Hasler (London: Boydell, 2006).</ref> He had a devotion to both scholarship and county administration&mdash;particularly following his call to the bar in 1567. Lambarde's first experience with county administration came with his appointment as commissioner of sewers for Kent the following year. He spent the next years of his life largely focused on surveying county histories and building his own estates. In 1579, Lambarde was assigned to the county commission of the peace and became of the quorum about five years later.<ref>J. D. Alsop, [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/15921 "Lambarde, William (1536–1601)"] in ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (Oxford University Press, 2004- ), accessed October 8, 2013. (Subscription required for access.)</ref> Lambarde possessed an eloquent, yet plain, writing style&mdash;the government often turned to him for drafting or amending parliamentary bills and appointed him to a committee of lawyers who identified unnecessary or defective statutes.<ref>Fuidge, “Lambarde, William."</ref> Throughout his life, Lambarde wrote many novel and influential texts, including ''Archaionomia'' (1568), a paraphrase of Anglo-Saxon laws; ''Perambulation of Kent: Containing the Description, Hystorie and Customs of that Shyre'' (1576), the earliest county history, which included a survey of Kent's climate, economy, religion, and general society; and ''Eirenarcha, or, The Office of the Justices of Peace'' (1582).<ref>Alsop, “Lambarde, William."</ref><br />
 +
<br />
 +
''Eirenarcha, or, The Office of the Justices of Peace'' was first published in 1581, a short time after Lambarde was appointed as a Commissioner of the Peace.<ref>Ibid.</ref> In part, Lambarde wrote it for personal reasons: to fulfill the desire to study the history and development of positions he held,<ref>Ibid.</ref> and to serve as an aid in fulfilling and understanding his duties as Commissioner of the Peace.<ref>Rhys Jones, ''People/States/Territories: The Political Geographies of British State Transformation'' (Malden, MA: Blackwell).</ref> Beyond those more personal purposes, the treatise became widely popular, serving as an updated, useful guide for justices of the peace in both England and Wales&mdash;a particularly important development considering the previous “manual” had been published more than 40 years prior to ''Eirenarcha''. However, Lambarde did not seek merely to record the practices of justices of the peace as they were. Ever the progressive legal analyst, Lambarde expanded his scope to propose new rules, regulations, and practices to be observed by all justices of the peace. In fact, in an effort to see legal defects addressed, Lambarde went so far as to dedicate the ''Eirenarcha'' to the Lord Chancellor in the hope that he would advance the roles of justices of the peace in accordance with Lambarde’s suggestions.<ref>Ibid.</ref> Ultimately, the work saw twelve reprintings prior to 1620, and for long after remained the standard authority on justices of the peace.<ref>Alsop, “Lambarde, William."</ref>
  
 
==Bibliographic Information==
 
==Bibliographic Information==
'''Author:''' William Lambarde, (1536-1601)
+
'''Author:''' William Lambarde.
  
'''Title:''' Eirenarcha, or, Of the Office Of The Iustices Of Peace: In Foure Bookes
+
'''Title:''' ''Eirenarcha, or, Of the Office Of The Iustices Of Peace: In Foure Bookes''.
  
'''Published:''' F. At London Printed by Thomas Wight, and Bonham Norton, 1599.  
+
'''Published:''' F. At London: Printed by Thomas Wight, and Bonham Norton, 1599.  
  
'''Edition:'''
+
'''Edition:''' ; [2], 606 (i.e. 614), [86] pages.
  
 
==Evidence for Inclusion in Wythe's Library==
 
==Evidence for Inclusion in Wythe's Library==
  
 
==Description of the Wolf Law Library's copy==
 
==Description of the Wolf Law Library's copy==
Bound in contemporary full calf with recent blind calf reback; red leather label with binder's title "Lombard's Eirenarcha"; text trimmed cutting into running title; bookplate: W. Radcliffe.
+
Bound in contemporary full calf with recent blind calf reback; red leather label with binder's title "Lombard's Eirenarcha"; text trimmed cutting into running title; bookplate: W. Radcliffe.<br />
 +
<br />
 +
View this book in [https://catalog.swem.wm.edu/law/Record/551610 William & Mary's online catalog].
 
===References===
 
===References===
 
<references/>
 
<references/>

Revision as of 16:18, 8 October 2013

by William Lambarde

William Lambarde (1536-1601) was an antiquarian and lawyer whose writings were marked by his strong Protestantism.[1] He had a devotion to both scholarship and county administration—particularly following his call to the bar in 1567. Lambarde's first experience with county administration came with his appointment as commissioner of sewers for Kent the following year. He spent the next years of his life largely focused on surveying county histories and building his own estates. In 1579, Lambarde was assigned to the county commission of the peace and became of the quorum about five years later.[2] Lambarde possessed an eloquent, yet plain, writing style—the government often turned to him for drafting or amending parliamentary bills and appointed him to a committee of lawyers who identified unnecessary or defective statutes.[3] Throughout his life, Lambarde wrote many novel and influential texts, including Archaionomia (1568), a paraphrase of Anglo-Saxon laws; Perambulation of Kent: Containing the Description, Hystorie and Customs of that Shyre (1576), the earliest county history, which included a survey of Kent's climate, economy, religion, and general society; and Eirenarcha, or, The Office of the Justices of Peace (1582).[4]

Eirenarcha, or, The Office of the Justices of Peace was first published in 1581, a short time after Lambarde was appointed as a Commissioner of the Peace.[5] In part, Lambarde wrote it for personal reasons: to fulfill the desire to study the history and development of positions he held,[6] and to serve as an aid in fulfilling and understanding his duties as Commissioner of the Peace.[7] Beyond those more personal purposes, the treatise became widely popular, serving as an updated, useful guide for justices of the peace in both England and Wales—a particularly important development considering the previous “manual” had been published more than 40 years prior to Eirenarcha. However, Lambarde did not seek merely to record the practices of justices of the peace as they were. Ever the progressive legal analyst, Lambarde expanded his scope to propose new rules, regulations, and practices to be observed by all justices of the peace. In fact, in an effort to see legal defects addressed, Lambarde went so far as to dedicate the Eirenarcha to the Lord Chancellor in the hope that he would advance the roles of justices of the peace in accordance with Lambarde’s suggestions.[8] Ultimately, the work saw twelve reprintings prior to 1620, and for long after remained the standard authority on justices of the peace.[9]

Bibliographic Information

Author: William Lambarde.

Title: Eirenarcha, or, Of the Office Of The Iustices Of Peace: In Foure Bookes.

Published: F. At London: Printed by Thomas Wight, and Bonham Norton, 1599.

Edition: ; [2], 606 (i.e. 614), [86] pages.

Evidence for Inclusion in Wythe's Library

Description of the Wolf Law Library's copy

Bound in contemporary full calf with recent blind calf reback; red leather label with binder's title "Lombard's Eirenarcha"; text trimmed cutting into running title; bookplate: W. Radcliffe.

View this book in William & Mary's online catalog.

References

  1. N.M. Fuidge, "Lambarde, William (1536-1601), of Lincoln's Inn and Westcombe, near Greenwich, Kent," in The History of Parliament: The House of Commons 1558-1603, ed. P.W. Hasler (London: Boydell, 2006).
  2. J. D. Alsop, "Lambarde, William (1536–1601)" in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press, 2004- ), accessed October 8, 2013. (Subscription required for access.)
  3. Fuidge, “Lambarde, William."
  4. Alsop, “Lambarde, William."
  5. Ibid.
  6. Ibid.
  7. Rhys Jones, People/States/Territories: The Political Geographies of British State Transformation (Malden, MA: Blackwell).
  8. Ibid.
  9. Alsop, “Lambarde, William."