Society for the History of Law

Society for the History of Law
Name	Society for the History of Law
Founded	1973
Headquarters	London
Fields	Legal history

Society for the History of Law is a learned society dedicated to the study and promotion of legal history. It fosters research on medieval, early modern, and modern legal systems, situating legal developments alongside events such as the Magna Carta, the English Civil War, the French Revolution, and the Nuremberg Trials. The Society engages with archival institutions like the British Library, the National Archives (United Kingdom), and international counterparts such as the Bibliothèque nationale de France and the Library of Congress.

History

The Society emerged in the wake of intensified scholarly interest in legal sources exemplified by projects at the Institute of Historical Research, the University of Oxford, and the University of Cambridge. Early members drew on methods associated with historians of the Treaty of Westphalia, students of Sir William Blackstone, and scholars influenced by the work of Sir Frederick Pollock and F. W. Maitland. Postwar developments connected the Society to comparative inquiries inspired by the Code Napoleon, the codification in the German Empire, and debates following the Treaty of Versailles. Its history intersects with archival discoveries at the Public Record Office, editorial enterprises like the Selden Society, and international networks including the International Association of Legal History and the American Society for Legal History.

Objectives and Activities

The Society promotes study of sources ranging from charters such as the Domesday Book and the Charter of Liberties to case reports from the King's Bench and the Exchequer. It supports interdisciplinary dialogue with scholars working on the Reformation, the Industrial Revolution, and imperial contexts like the British Empire and the Ottoman Empire. Activities include sponsoring research on legal instruments such as the Code of Hammurabi, the Corpus Juris Civilis, the Justinianic Code, and the Napoleonic Code, while fostering engagement with collections at the Vatican Apostolic Library and the Bodleian Library.

Membership and Governance

Membership comprises academics affiliated with institutions such as University College London, the London School of Economics, the University of Edinburgh, the University of Glasgow, the University of Leeds, and the University of St Andrews, alongside practitioners connected to the Inner Temple, the Middle Temple, the Royal Courts of Justice, and judges with ties to the European Court of Human Rights. Governance typically involves officers drawn from universities like the University of Manchester and the University of Birmingham, and collaboration with bodies such as the Royal Historical Society and the British Academy.

Publications and Journals

The Society publishes newsletters and supports journals and monograph series that engage with archival sources from repositories like the National Library of Scotland and international holdings such as the Biblioteca Nacional de España. Its publication program intersects with periodicals including the English Historical Review, the Cambridge Law Journal, the Journal of Legal History, the American Journal of Legal History, and thematic volumes covering topics related to the Magna Carta celebrations, the Glorious Revolution, and the legal aftermath of the American Revolution.

Conferences and Events

The Society organizes meetings and symposia at venues including the Institute of Historical Research, the Royal Society, and university campuses such as King's College London and the University of Oxford. It convenes panels addressing legal episodes like the Spanish Armada, the Glorious Revolution, the American Civil War, and the constitutional developments at the Congress of Vienna. Collaborative conferences have been held with the Society of Legal Scholars, the European University Institute, and the Max Planck Institute for European Legal History.

Awards and Recognitions

The Society confers prizes and recognitions for work on subjects ranging from medieval canon law exemplified by studies of the Fourth Lateran Council to modern jurisprudence tied to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights. Awards have honored research on personalities and events connected to the English Reformation, the Council of Trent, the Napoleonic Wars, and constitutional inquiries comparable to studies of the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights 1689.

Notable Members and Leadership

Notable figures associated with the Society include scholars and jurists who have worked on figures such as Sir Edward Coke, William Blackstone, Henry Maine, John Selden, and A. V. Dicey; historians linked to projects on Edward I of England, Charles I of England, Oliver Cromwell, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Otto von Bismarck; and legal historians whose comparative studies touch on the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Holy Roman Empire, the Spanish Empire, the Russian Empire, and the Habsburg Monarchy. Leadership has often included members active in organizations such as the British Legal History Trust, the Heritage Lottery Fund panels, and editorial boards for series linked to the Oxford University Press and the Cambridge University Press.

Category:Historical societies Category:Legal history organizations