William Andrews (Editor) - Legal Lore: Curiosities of Law and Lawyers.
(Preface 1896; published 1897 by William Andrews F.R.H.S. & Co, 5 Farringdon Avenue, London E.C.)
In my view the title is slightly misleading; all the practices in the 21 chapters were, in their time, genuinely believed in, and carried out, assuming the authors were reliable. Traces remain to this day. I recommend the book for its fairly brief overviews of long stretches of time. Dictionaries/ encyclopaedias probably better but may be impractical.
Online image in archive.org is
https://archive.org/details/legallorecuriosi00andr/page/n5 (Aug 2019)
William Andrews's earlier volume
The Lawyer in History, Literature, and Humour (1896?) was (he says in his preface) received favourably, and led to this book.
Andrews liked Church History, and wrote and edited his Bygone series, mostly of English counties. He edited
Antiquities and Curiosities of the Church (1897? But with early similar titles). My impression is that he started his own publishing imprint in his 40s, and lived to about 60.
The Contents are listed below; I've left the page numbers as in indication of chapter lengths. No indications are given of the legal qualifications of the 10 or so contributors; there must be reservations as to accuracy. I'm surprised there's nothing on such topics as slavery, food, and money. Perhaps they worry antiquarians. The book's date is prior to the immense growth of Jewish influence at the expense of Europeans. My comments in green.
CONTENTS
BIBLE LAW. By S. Burgess, M.A. - 1 [Rational examination including Babylonian predecessors. Divine and human law. Laws in for example Leviticus, including Sin of ignorance, laws of defilement, breaches of oaths, slaves, extraordinary powers of a father, usury, debt release, tithe, no poor laws, no legal protection to strangers, accidental homicide and 'blood angers' and refuge or sanctuary ...]
SANCTUARIES. By William E A Axon, F.R.S.L. - 13 [Asylum and Sanctuary and their causes and effects. Interesting to see how it is abused by modern 'Jews']
TRIALS IN SUPERSTITIOUS AGES. By Ernest H. Rann - 23 [Includes ordeals. Boiling water, red hot steel, dangerous creatures. And ways they were circumvented]
ON SYMBOLS. By George Neilson - 13 [Heraldic and governmental. No secret symbols of modern theories]
LAW UNDER THE FEUDAL SYSTEM. By Cuming Walters - 58 [Mostly England and Germany; Anglo-Saxons and Normans.]
THE MANOR AND MANOR LAW. By England Howlett - 83 [.. baron.. with his little territory.. in which he was practically a king'. Copyholders, freeholders, villeins, manors, fee simple, heriots..]
ANCIENT TENURES. By England Howlett - 95 [Sovereign down. ... Includes gavelkind]
LAWS OF THE FOREST. By Edward Peacock, F.S.A. - 109 [Animals (and plants) for food and for hunting. Both for general people and monarchs, and for ruffian foresters]
TRIAL BY JURY IN OLD TIMES. By Thomas Frost - 122
BARBAROUS PUNISHMENTS. By Sidney W. Clarke - 132
TRIALS OF ANIMALS. By Thomas Frost - 149
DEVICES OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY DEBTORS. By James C. Macdonald, F.S.A., Scot. - 197
LAWS RELATING TO THE GIPSIES. By William E. A. Axon, F.R.S.L. - 165 [Interestingly claims they appeared early 15th century. My reading suggests they were Jews, perhaps low status, expulsion from Spain 1492, absurd claims to Egyptian titles, horse thefts and fortune telling, gaújos sounding like Goyim in Spanish. 'Gypsion'. Notorious case of Elizabeth Canning]
COMMONWEALTH LAW AND LAWYERS. By Edward Peacock F.S.A. - 165 [This is Cromwell's Commonwealth, and the Civil War and Restoration times. There is not the slightest awareness of Jews and Amsterdam]
COCK-FIGHTING IN SCOTLAND. By William Adrews F.R.H.S. - 197 [Traced from Themistocles]
COCKIELEERIE LAW. By Robert Bird - 200 [A poem only]
FATAL LINKS. By Ernest H. Rann - 205 [Possibly suggested by Conan Doyle, some examples of murders solved with a chance piece of evidence]
POST-MORTEM TRIALS. By George Neilson - 224 [Corpse sometimes needed. I could find nothing on fakes deaths]
ISLAND LAWS. By Cuming Walters - 237
THE LITTLE INNS OF COURT. [?] - 258 [History of buildings near the Inns of Court: some residents, disused lectures. I'd guess demolished now]
OBITER. By George Neilson - 267 [Obiter dictum: a judge's remark in passing. A collection of these.]
INDEX - 277
©Rae West 6 Aug 2019