Preview
Identifier
KD 7309 .D3 1635
Creation Date
1635
Description
Dalton, Michael. The Countrey Justice, Containing the Practice of the Justices of the Peace. London: Printed for the Company of Stationers, 1635.
The Countrey Justice may have been the first work of its kind to adopt an alphabetical arrangement of topics. Michael Dalton (1564–1644) created the manual, first printed in 1618, to aid justices with their duties out of sessions. For each subject, he provides a plain description of the law followed by advice on how to handle issues likely to come before the justices. Its utilitarian value contributed to its popularity and wide usage both in England and the colonies well into the middle of the eighteenth century. In a 1666 act requiring courts to purchase copies of law books, the Virginia General Assembly specifically listed Dalton’s The Countrey Justice.
View this book's record in the library catalog.
Rights
Digital exhibit content is made available under CC BY-NC-SA.