Fleta

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Along with Britton, Fleta has been described as "one of the two leading text-books of Edward I.'s reign"[1] and little more than a summary of Bracton's De Legibus brought up to date.[2] Fleta was composed by an unknown author who may have held an office in the royal household or perhaps was one of the judges Edward I punished in 1289, but "it was never much read."[3]

Bibliographic Information

Title: Fleta: Seu Commentarius Juris Anglicani Sic Nuncupatus: Sub Edwardo Rege Primo, Seu Circa Annos Abhince CCCXLL, Ab Anonymo Conscriptus, Atque È Codice Veteri, Autore Ipso Aliqantulùm Recentiori, Nunc Primùm Typis Editus : Accedit Tractatulus Vetus De Agendi Excipiendique Formulis Gallicanus, Fet Assavoir Dictus.

Published: Londini: Typis M.F. prostant apud Guilielmium Lee, Mathaeuem Wabancke & Danielem Pakeman, 1647.

Evidence for Inclusion in Wythe's Library

Ordered by Wythe from John Norton & Sons in a letter dated May 29, 1772. Records indicate the order was fulfilled.[4] All of the Wythe Collection sources (Goodwin[5], Dean's Memo[6], Brown's Bibliography[7] and George Wythe's Library[8] on LibraryThing) list the 1647 edition as the probable one owned by Wythe.

Description of the Wolf Law Library's copy

Rebound in twentieth-century calf with four raised bands and red, gilt-lettered labels. Includes the inscription "25. Feb. 1729-30 Collated & perfect O.Acton" and an armorial bookplate with no name.

References

  1. William Holdsworth, A History of English Law (London: Methuen & Co, Sweet and Maxwell, 1936), 238.
  2. Holdsworth, 238.
  3. Holdsworth, 321-322.
  4. Frances Norton Mason, ed., John Norton & Sons, Merchants of London and Virginia: Being the Papers from their Counting House for the Years 1750 to 1795 (Richmond, Virginia: Dietz Press, 1937), 242-243. The letter is endorsed "Virga. 29 May 1772 / George Wythe / Recd. 21 September / Goods Entr. pa. 163/ Ans. the March 1773."
  5. Mary R. M. Goodwin, The George Wythe House: Its Furniture and Furnishings (Williamsburg, Virginia: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Library, 1958), xlvii. Available at http://research.history.org/DigitalLibrary/View/index.cfm?doc=ResearchReports\RR0216.xml
  6. Memorandum from Barbara C. Dean, Colonial Williamsburg Found., to Mrs. Stiverson, Colonial Williamsburg Found. (June 16, 1975), 7 (on file at Wolf Law Library, College of William & Mary).
  7. Bennie Brown, "The Library of George Wythe of Williamsburg and Richmond," (unpublished manuscript, May, 2012) Microsoft Word file. Earlier edition available at: https://digitalarchive.wm.edu/handle/10288/13433
  8. LibraryThing, s. v. "Member: George Wythe," accessed on June 28, 2013, http://www.librarything.com/profile/GeorgeWythe