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India : legal resources: Legal History

Subjects: Law: Foreign Law

History of Law in India

Finding texts on this topic
In the Bodleian Law Library, books with shelf marks beginning Hindu are on open shelf on Level 3, one floor up from the entrance level. Books with shelf marks beginning Cw India are on open shelf on Level 1, one floor below the entrance. The floors are connected by both stairs and a lift. Please do ask for further directions when in the library. 

LLMC-Digital (below) digitises pre 21st century editions. If you are looking for the law books of a previous generation of legal practitioner in India, this platform would be worth trying. To see quickly what it has click Search Collections in right hand column. Then click Other Countries in the central box on next page. Scroll down list of countries to click on India. Then you have a choice categories of books to open.

SOLO searches may reveal other parts of the Bodleian such as the Social Science and History Libaries have useful works on the wider setting

Primary Sources

The Four Nineteenth Century Law Commissions

Four Law Commissions
First: 1835–1843 (East India)
Second: 1853–1858
Third: 1861–1870
Fourth: 1879–1884

The Official Papers collection on Floor 0 should have their reports in the series called House of Commons Papers, Accounts and Papers

Holders of an Oxford Single Sign On can access these online via UK Parliamentary papers database (link below). This database can also be used to identify the particular volume needed in the Official Papers Collection. (In its section House of Commons Parliamentary Papers 19th century subject index.)

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