Making Legal History : Approaches and Methodologies

Drawing together leading legal historians from a range of jurisdictions and cultures, this collection of essays addresses the fundamental methodological underpinning of legal history research. Via a broad chronological span and a wide range of topics, the contributors explore the approaches, methods and sources that together form the basis of their research and shed light on the complexities of researching into the history of the law. By exploring the challenges posed by visual, unwritten and quasi-legal sources, the difficulties posed by traditional archival material and the novelty of exploring the development of legal culture and comparative perspectives, the book reveals the richness and dynamism of legal history research.

Anthony Musson is Professor of Legal History at the School of Law and a Director of the Bracton Centre for Legal History Research at the University of Exeter. He is also a Barrister of the Middle Temple and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Chantal Stebbings is Professor of Law and Legal History at the School of Law and a Director of the Bracton Centre for Legal History Research at the University of Exeter. She is also a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, a Fellow of the Institute of Taxation by thesis and Professeur Invite at the University of Rennes I, France.