Great Britain. Laws, statutes, etc. A collection of important English 'ish statutes... Forward to the Third Edition It was gratifying to me to learn that there was a reprint edition of that grand publication, IMPORTANT ENGLISH STATUTES, because the prior editions have long been out of print. Occasionally a lucky person could find an old dusty copy in some used book store, but it was scarcely accessible to the bar. This book puts all of the basic English statutes “under one roof" for ready reference by a busy lawyer. At his fingertips now the American lawyer can have all of those major enactments of the English Parliament which have so importantly shaped the American case law. American lawyers are well aware that the so-called Common Law Statutes of England became, after the American revolution, the law of the land in the United States. This is a grand heritage. Quia Emptores, Statute of Wills, Statute of Uses, Statute of Frauds are all here. It is noteworthy that the Constitution of the United States in Article III, Section 3, describing the degree of proof necessary to prove the crime of treason contains the direct requirement as laid down in the English Statute, 7 Wm. III, Cap. 3, SS 2 and 4 (1695). We have long parted from the common law of England as precedents to establish the case law in the United States. But engrained still in our American law are those legislative enactments of Parliament hundreds and hundreds of years ago. The important English statutes are monuments, - not to a past age, dead and gone but to the living law in America today. This edition will prove to be a welcome addition to the shelf near the desk of the practicing lawyer not only as a ready reference but as a reminder of the glorious heritage all American lawyers enjoy. July 28, 1978 Eugene W. Youngs Chase College of Law Northern Kentucky University |