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Legal history: England & common law tradition: 1558-1649

1558_1649: Contemporary Sources & Later commentary

A considerable number of works from this period are now available in full text electronically via various databases.

The easiest way is to search for known titles/authors in SOLO. In the results, click on any green "Online resource" link. Then click on "Open resource in new window" link. If you don't have a specific work/author in mind, searching the databases themselves (see links below) via eg keyword, or place+date of publication may be useful.

Three lawyers of repute had volumes of reports published in their own lifetime:
Plowden’s Commentaries (ER 75
  KB 1550-1580), Coke’s Reports (ER 76-77 KB 1572-1616) and Bulstrode’s Reports (ER 80-81    KB 1610-1625).

A lot of other collections of case notes were printed too - with title page attributions of distinguished "authors." In modern times the Selden Society has been producing scholarly editions of surviving manuscripts of court judgments including the notebooks of Dyer.

Some basic subject searches to try in SOLO

Law -- Great Britain -- History -- 16th century
Law -- England -- History -- 16th century
Law -- Great Britain -- History -- 17th century
Law -- England -- History -- 17th century;

Justice, Administration of -- England -- History

Law and literature -- History -- 16th century

Law in literature

Working with the surviving court archives

Sir Edward Coke

Regnal years

1558 -  1603 Eliz 1

1603 -  1625 Jas 1

1625 - 1649 Chas 1

1558 - 1649 Parliament & government