The Creation of the Common Law: Power, Society, and Legal Change in England c. 1000–1250
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| LAWW3139 | Law | 3 | 20 | Autumn UK |
- Code
- LAWW3139
- School
- Law
- Level
- 3
- Credits
- 20
- Semesters
- Autumn UK
Summary
This module examines law and legal development in England from c.1000 to 1250 and provides an introduction to the primary materials that can be used to study legal history. During this period English society witnessed several transformative events: the Norman Conquest, the civil war and Anarchy of King Stephen's reign, the murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket, the baronial rebellion against King John, and the issuing of Magna Carta in 1215. Alongside these developments, the landscape of English justice changed dramatically. Through an investigation of topics such as the use and abandonment of trial by ordeal and the subsequent rise of trial by jury, the changing nature of lordship and lord-tenant relations, and the centralisation of justice around the Crown, students will learn about the complex relationship between law and medieval English society, the forces influencing legal change, and the emergence of the English Common law.
Target Students
Year 2 and Final Year students on the LLB and BA programmes in Law (as optional module); undergraduate history students on the History BA degree (as optional module); exchange students in School of Law or History
Classes
This module is taught through a combination of lectures and seminars.
Assessment
- 30% Coursework 1: 4 pages
- 70% Coursework 2: 8 pages
Assessed by end of autumn semester
Educational Aims
In addition to forming the basis of the English legal system, approximately one-third of global jurisdictions are founded on the Common law tradition. The module aims to give students a critical understanding of the historic emergence of the Common law, and the reasons for its development.Learning Outcomes
Describe the social and legal developments which occurred in England from c. 1000-1215.
Critically analyse theoretical arguments explaining legal change in the period.
Evaluate the reliability and usefulness of selected historical primary sources concerning medieval law and legal practice.
Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of arguments concerning legal development and change in the period in relation to the evidence provided by this primary source material.
Evaluate and use primary source material and secondary literature about a historical question to build an argument which addresses this question, either in written or oral form.