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Identifier
KD 532 .S26 1605
Creation Date
1605
Description
Saltern, George. Of the Antient Lawes of Great Britaine. London: Printed for Iohn Iaggard, 1605.
George Saltern created this book in support of James I and VI's desire for a union of England and Scotland and their respective legal systems. Saltern addresses fears that the addition of one set of laws to the other would damage the rights and liberties of both. In doing so, he stands apart from other Unionist authors by invoking the idea of an existing common legal heritage, drawing from both myth and history to limn a continuous British legal tradition from the pre-Roman era to the present. Reportedly approved by James I and VI himself in manuscript, the work was published in London 1605 amid the king’s ultimately unsuccessful attempts at officially uniting the two nations.
View this book's record in the library catalog.
Rights
Digital exhibit content is made available under CC BY-NC-SA.