‘The Enemy of God and His Church’: James Hobart,Praemunire, and the Clergy of Norwich Diocese

Praemunire was the offence of undermining royal authority. Despite its antipapal origins, by 1500 praemunire was being used to inhibit the exercise of ecclesiastical jurisdiction within England. Notorious from 1529 as a royal instrument for intimidating the clergy, praemunire was already contentious at the beginning of the sixteenth century. Historians of the common law have identified a growing number of praemunire cases in these years; at the same time, ecclesiastical historians have detected a decline in the business of most church courts. A causal relationship has often been assumed, but not examined in the manner attempted here. A spate of praemunire cases within his diocese provoked from Bishop Nykke of Norwich a famous letter of complaint, in which he censured the attorney-general Sir James Hobart. This article examines the praemunire cases to which Nykke referred and also Hobart's role in promoting them. The interaction between church and common law courts and between their personnel and litigants is explored. New light is shed on relations between leading churchmen and common lawyers and also on the Crown's attitude to praemunire. The evidence presented deepens our understanding of the decline of ecclesiastical jurisdiction in this period.     

Law and Custom: Insurance in Sixteenth-Century England

A law of marine insurance began to emerge in England in the second half of the sixteenth century. A struggle between merchants and lawyers for jurisdiction over insurance disputes led first to the creation of a merchants’ court in London, and in 1601 of a hybrid court consisting of lawyers – both common and civil – and merchants. In the late 1570s, under pressure from the privy council, a substantial code of insurance was drawn up by London merchants, but it was never formally adopted. Within twenty years custom and practice had moved away from the letter of the rules which had been written down, and the opportunity to create a developed law of insurance was lost.     

International Crimes and ICC Cooperation in England and Wales

The United Kingdom, as a party to the ICC Statute, has broughtin a series of similar pieces of legislation in order to fulfilits obligations under the Statute, and to ensure that crimessubject to the jurisdiction of the ICC are also crimes in domesticlaw. This article concentrates on the International CriminalCourt Act 2001, which applies in England and Wales, to appraisewhether it adequately provides for assistance to the ICC, andwhether the crimes subject to the ICC's jurisdiction are adequatelyincorporated into domestic law. The article also mentions thepossible role of the common law of England and Wales in relationto international crimes. It concludes that, for the most part,the Act reflects a sensible approach to issues involved in assistingthe ICC and provides a workable basis for the prosecution ofinternational crimes in that jurisdiction.     

Failed Arbitrations before the Court of Common Pleas: Cases Relating to London and Londoners, 1400–1468

This article uses data gathered by the University of London, Centre for Metropolitan History's recent project ‘Londoners and the Law: Pleadings in the Court of Common Pleas’, which sampled London-related cases pleaded before the fifteenth-century court of Common Pleas, to analyze the use of arbitration by sub-gentry and mercantile class disputants. It examines the relationship between arbitration and litigation at common law, the volume of London-related cases pleaded at common law which cited a prior failed arbitration, and in what types of disputes arbitration was employed. It presents the hypothesis that the use of arbitration by sub-gentry and mercantile class disputants in cases relating to London and Londoners may have declined between 1400 and 1468, and that arbitration was most widely used in certain types of multifaceted and exceptional disputes. This article tentatively suggests that developments in disputants' use of common law remedies may have related to changes in the frequency with which arbitration was employed, calling for further study.     

美国普通法婚姻的起源和兴衰

自9世纪到1563年、10世纪到1753年,普通法婚姻分别在欧洲大陆和英格兰得到了教会的承认。在殖民地时期,英属的部分北美殖民地和西班牙属的殖民地予以承认,英属的另一部分殖民地和法属殖民地未予以承认。美国建国之后到19世纪中后期,大多数州承认了普通法婚姻。到了2005年,只有11个州和哥伦比亚特区予以承认。不复承认的理由主要是:人口集中、交通改善、政府公务人员或牧师不再短缺;承认普通法婚姻危害交易安全、危害种族健康、诱发欺诈行为、危害统计数据的准确;非婚生子女地位得到改善。     

关于《行政诉讼法》第十八条内涵及适用之商榷

在行政诉讼的管辖中,行政拘留是否适用《行政诉讼法》第十八条关于"限制人身自由的行政强制措施"的管辖规定,国内许多著名专家与学者对此持肯定观点,司法实践也基本如此。然而,通过透视其赖以产生和存在的法学理论基础及现实的法律依据,不难发现,二者其实互不包容,即行政拘留不属于《行政诉讼法》第十八条之范畴,单一的行政拘留案件只能适用《行政诉讼法》第十七条关于行政诉讼管辖的规定。     

Defamation in cyberspace: A Japanese perspective

The aim of this paper is two-fold: first, to introduce how Japanese law and its jurisprudence have dealt with the case of on-line defamation, which is arguably one of the most acute problems in modern society, and second, to critically examine the efficacy of such an approach. The recent decision of the Supreme Court in on-line defamation (as oppose to off-line defamation) will be introduced as an exemplar of the way Japanese law and its jurisprudence have dealt with such an acute problem. A first step will be to provide, by way of background, a brief overview of how defamation in a conventional sense has been treated by the Japanese legal system. The second step will be to outline how the Japanese jurisdiction has dealt with on-line defamation, that is to say, to what extent the Japanese court regulates on-line defamatory comments made by the ordinary people. A third step will be to examine the efficacy of such an approach, and the final step will be to examine whether the UK court can learn a lesson from the Japanese jurisdiction. The author will draw upon Japanese jurisprudence, in order to consider whether a valuable lesson might be offered to the UK jurisdiction.     

The criminal underworld of Medieval England

Abstract

In contrast to views put forward by Marjorie Blatcher, it is argued here that the impact of Bills of Custody on business in the court of King's Bench in the late fifteenth century can only be judged if all custodial bills are counted and only if special attention is given to those bills dealing with matters which would otherwise have been outside the court's normal jurisdiction. It is shown that the increase in the numbers of such cases is too modest to support Blatcher's claims of a massive increase in business since the 1450s, that the extension of the notion ‘in custody’ to people on bail did not happen in 1452, as she stated, but 20 years earlier, that it was extended to people on mainprise as well, at least for some time, and finally that fictitious Bills of Middlesex and writs latitat were not as important in connection with custodial bills as Blatcher thought.     

The Enactment of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1857: The Campbell Commission and the Parliamentary Debates

Rather surprisingly none of the existing accounts of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1857 considers the mechanics of reform which brought about the legislation in any great detail. Yet this subject as much as the final legislation merits attention in its own right. The nineteenth century in England was a significant period of law reform and the legislation provides a vivid illustration of the inner workings of the process. The passage of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1857 was not entirely smooth. The fact that it succeeded at all makes it an ideal case study in Victorian law reform. This article considers the pressures for divorce reform, the working of a Royal Commission, the debates in Parliament, and ultimately how reform was finally achieved through a series of compromises between those who wanted more radical change and defenders of the status quo.     

The Origins of Trade Secrecy Law in England, 1600–1851

This paper examines the origins of trade secrecy law from the beginning of the seventeenth century until Morison v Moat (1851), described by the Oxford History of the Laws of England as ‘foundational’. The paper reveals something of a conundrum. The first part shows that although the prevalence of guild ordinances would have familiarized many with the concept of ‘lawful secrets’, these provisions could no longer be enforced in the guild courts by the late seventeenth century, or within the wider jurisdiction of the courts of the City of London. Instead, as the second half of the paper shows, it was the law courts proper that came to provide succour to those working trade secrets, allowing them to both restrain employees from using secrets for their own benefit and/or to sell secrets to other parties. This was a halting process, but one that had certainly begun prior to Morison.     

Lord Cooke of Thorndon (1926–2006): 51 Years in the Law

This article provides an in‐depth analysis of the landmark ‘cash for query’ judgment of the Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court of India. The scope of parliamentary privileges in India, as well as in England and America, is examined, particularly with respect to the jurisdiction of the courts. The present position in the law of parliamentary privileges in India was laid down in the case of Raja Ram Pal v The Hon’ble Speaker, Lok Sabha, &; Ors. The Supreme Court of India has extensively dwelled on the matter and has delivered a judgment, which is by far the most comprehensive decision in this field of law. The author notes in the analysis that the difference between the English and Indian constitutional systems is of crucial significance. The conflicts between the judiciary and parliament in England arose because of the sovereignty of parliament, and the judiciary had to fight for every inch of its jurisdiction in England. The judiciary had to contend with Parliament not only as a legislative body, but also by virtue of being the ‘High Court of Parliament’, as a superior court. Because of these reasons, the case law from British constitutional history does not have strict applicability in India. The decision of the Supreme Court of India in Raja Ram Pal v The Hon’ble Speaker, Lok Sabha, &; Ors, is a clear expression of a very basic feature of the Indian constitutional mechanism: where the Constitution is the supreme law of the land, and all governmental organs, which owe their origin to the Constitution and derive their powers from its provisions, must function within its framework.     

不方便法院说比较研究

“不方便法院”说是指一国法院认为某个涉外案件更适合在外国审理或者本国法院不适合审理 ,而拒不行使管辖权的一种自由裁量权。它起源于英格兰 ,后来逐渐发展成为英美国际私法上影响法院行使国际管辖权的一项重要制度。该说缺乏合理性 ,没有统一的适用标准 ,且赋予审理案件的法官过多自由裁量权 ,很容易被当事人或者法院操纵 ,往往导致适用结果的不一致。除一些普通法国家和地区外 ,其他国家都拒绝接受该说。我国法院在审理涉外案件中也不宜适用该说。     

John Vincent’s Reading at Gray’s Inn, 1668/9, on the Merchants’ Assurances Act 1601

In Lent Term 1668/9, John Vincent, a bencher of Gray’s Inn, gave a reading on the Merchants’ Assurances Act 1601 (43 Eliz. I, c.12). The notes of the law reporter, Joseph Keble, record this observance of the centuries-old tradition of readings, which was destined to expire within the next two decades. This paper situates Vincent’s reading within the changing tradition of readings in the seventeenth century. It highlights the role readings continued to play in disseminating sophisticated legal learning, particularly in relation to newer areas of practice such as marine insurance, which were largely uninformed by statute, common law precedent or reference works, and would have been difficult to master through book-study alone. It examines a selection of issues discussed during the reading, focussing on legal outcomes grounded in the ‘customs’, usages, practices and understandings of merchants, and illustrating how these were perceived as exceptional by comparison to the ordinary rules of the common law. The nature and jurisdiction of London’s court of assurances, reconstituted and empowered by the 1601 Act, are also discussed. More generally, this paper demonstrates the value of post-Restoration readings for historians of English law in the late seventeenth century.     

Legal Fictions and Fictional Entites in Renaissance Jurisprudence

This article charts the history of England's laws and customs regarding the oaths and declarations required of those appointed or elected to public office, and in particular parliamentary office and offices under the Crown. It provides a brief account of medieval law and practice from the mid-thirteenth century and a fuller account of changes effected by statute over the centuries which followed England's break with the Church of Rome during the reign of Henry VIII. The article shows that well into the nineteenth century the statutes were effective to exclude from many important public offices persons who were not communicants of the Church of England, and that the reforms achieved in that century were achieved in a piecemeal fashion. The article concludes with an account of changes made in the twentieth century in the law and practice regarding oaths to be sworn and declarations to be made by the monarch on accession to the throne.     

论中世纪英国教会的婚姻家庭法

伴随着西罗马帝国的灭亡,基督教会在中世纪的西欧逐渐取得相对独立的地位,并在一个相当长的历史时期对当时人们的生活产生了极其重要的影响。这种影响表现在法律领域便是一种所谓教会法的问世,由此反映出基督教会对于当时世俗生活的积极引导抑或干预。其中,教会的婚姻家庭法构成了教会法的一个重要的部分。英国的基督教化的历史始于公元597年。从此,英国与这一宗教即结下了不解之缘。英国统一的教会组织体系建立于盎格鲁—撒克逊时期。但是,自征服者威廉一世禁止百户区法院受理宗教案件后,英国才出现独立的教会法院并开始了对婚姻家庭等方面的积极干预。     

Making Law in Mid-Eighteenth-Century England: Legal Statutes and their Application in the Justicing Notebook of Phillip Ward of Stoke Doyle

This article analyses the notebook of an eighteenth-century magistrate, Phillip Ward. As Ward was especially diligent in recording the rationale behind his decision-making, it offers some unique insights into the summary process. The article considers the nature of the business that Ward dealt with and the amount of discretion he exercised in making his decisions. Throughout it draws upon the growing body of work on the role of the magistracy in the eighteenth century while also engaging with the long-standing debate about the use of the law in the period. Importantly, since Ward was operating before Richard Burn published the first edition of his guide for JPs this particular magistrate drew upon his own legal experience and his father's extensive law library. So while Ward was not making up the law as he went along he was working out how to apply it to the hearings that came before him. Thus this article will be of interest to historians of crime and the law as well as those interested in the social relations of the period.     

The death throes of the Licensing Act and the ‘funeral pomp’ of Queen Mary II, 1695

A few weeks before the Licensing Act finally lapsed in May 1695, the Court of Chivalry heard three cases relating to the publication of ‘unauthorised’ prints of the ‘funeral pomp’ of Mary II. In one of these, a leading London publisher of prints, John Overton, was ordered to deliver up the plates from which his print of the queen's lying in state had been made, along with all copies of the print, despite the fact that the Licensing Act did not apply to prints sold separately and the Court of Chivalry had in any case no jurisdiction to enforce press control. Brief records of the cases survive in the College of Arms. This paper sets out to explain and interpret these fragments against the background of the last days of pre-publication censorship in England. Press licensing is first examined with reference to the press coverage following the death of the queen.     

The “quiet revolution” in criminal defence: how the zealous advocate slipped into the shadow

The criminal defence lawyer has been an integral component of adversarial criminal justice in England and Wales for nearly three centuries. However, over the last two decades this essential role has changed substantially, affected by a changing culture in the law and procedure governing criminal justice in this jurisdiction. This article argues that the criminal defence role has been pulled away from its traditional adversarial roots through a process of subtle and gradual change, pursued by the Government and the Judiciary. The article outlines a normative framework, entitled the ‘zealous advocate’ model, describing the ‘traditional’ role of the criminal defence lawyer; discusses ethical conflict and its growing significance; and examines how legislation, case law and funding have gradually moved the defence lawyer away from a ‘client-first’ style of representation. It concludes by considering the potentially significant implications of such a change in the role for both fair trial rights and adversarialism in England and Wales.