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The Law Merchant in England in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 June 2009

Extract

The study of Law Merchant in England in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries which I venture to read to the Society to-day arose out of some work upon the business of eighteenth-century merchants. I approach the complex problem of the Law Merchant therefore not from the point of view of the law courts but as the merchant himself approached it, by way of the problems of commercial intercourse.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Historical Society 1934

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References

page 151 note 1 Year Book. 13 Ed. IV, p. 9. Quoted A. T. Carter, Early History of the Law Merchant in England. Law Quarterly, XVII, pp. 232 seq.

page 151 note 2 G. Malynes, Consuetude vel Lex Mercatoria, 1622, Epistle Dedicatorie, p. 2.

page 151 note 3 For instance, C. Gross and H. Hall, Select Cases on the Law Merchant, 3 vols. (Selden Society). A. H. Thomas, Calendar of Select Pleas and Memoranda of the City of London, especially 1381–1412, to which there is a valuable introduction.

page 151 note 4 Sir John Davies, The Question Concerning Impositions. Published in 1656 but written much earlier and dedicated to James I.

page 151 note 5 Sir Robert Wiseman, The Law of Laws, London, 1657.

page 151 note 6 Op. cit.

page 151 note 7 R. Zouch,Jurisdiction of the Admiralty of England Asserted, London, 1663.

page 152 note 1 Quoted in Anglo-American Legal Essays, iii, 34.

page 152 note 2 Little Red Booh of Bristol, ed. Bickley, F. B., 1900, i, 68.Google Scholar

page 153 note 1 For their texts, Pardessus, V. J. M.. Collection de Lois Maritimes, 18281845.Google Scholar

page 153 note 2 Benvenuto Straccha, Tractatus de Mercatura, seu Mercatore, 1550.

page 153 note 3 Sigismundo Scaccia, Tractatus de Commerciis et Cambio, 1618.

page 155 note 1 See R. G. Marsden, Select Pleas of the Admiralty, Selden Society, 2 vols. Sir T. Twiss, The Black Book of the Admiralty, Rolls Series.

page 155 note 2 F. Maitland, Select Pleas in the Manorial Courts, Selden Soc, i. 133.

page 155 note 3 G. Malynes, op. cit., “The Epistle to the Reader.”

page 155 note 4 See, for instance, J. Exton, The Maritime Dicaeologie; or Sea-Jurisdiction of England, 1664, p. 135. Justice is compared to a bird with two wings, the Sea and the Land Laws. Corresponding with “that happy Government of all Land affairs by its municipal laws,” the nation had “Navies, Trade and Commerce under that exact Government which hath ordered and guided all Maritime businesses and Sea affairs, by the Civil and Maritime Laws and Customes (corresponding, agreeing and according with the Laws of Forreign Nations, being suitable to the nature and negotiations of the people that are subject to them)…” (Epistle Dedicatory).

page 156 note 1 First published in 1638, p. 256.

page 159 note 1 J. Loccenius, De Jure Maritimo et Navali, Stockholm, 1650.

page 160 note 1 C. Molloy, De Jure Maritimo et Navali, 1676. The name would appear to be taken from the title of Loccenius’ work.

page 160 note 2 J. Godolphin, A View of the Admiral Jurisdiction, 1661. R. Zouch, The Jurisdiction of the Admiralty of England Asserted, 1663.

page 161 note 1 Ist ed., 1613. It was inspired by the intention of Simon Shardius, prevented by his death to produce such a work (Welwod, op. cit., p. 6). Shardius in his De Varia Temporum in jure Civili observatione… libellus Item Leges Rhodiorum Navales… 1561, had already made the first edition of the Rhodian Laws. (Ashburner, Cf. W., The Rhodian Sea Law, Oxford, 1909, p. xli.Google Scholar)

page 161 note 2 Loccenius, op, cit.

page 161 note 3 A. Vinnius, V. Cl. Petri Peckii In Titt. Dig. et Cod. Ad Rent Nauticam Pertinentes Commentarii, 1647.

page 162 note 1 G. Malynes, op. cit., p. 5.

page 162 note 2 B. Straccha, op. cit. S. Scaccia,op. cit. L. Molina,De Justitiae, Jure, 1593.

page 163 note 1 This work was based on Ricard's, S.Traité Général du Commerce, 1702Google Scholar, but was greatly elaborated. See Justice's own preface, and Forbes, Wm., A Methodical Treatise Concerning Bills of Exchange, 1718Google Scholar; 1st edn., 1703. The later editions mention Justice's work with approbation, p. vii.

page 164 note 1 For the early history of arbitration in England, cf. Thomas, op. cit., pp. xxix–xxx.

page 164 note 2 B. Straccha, op. cit. Goldschmidt, L., Universalgeschichte des Handelsrechts, 1891 edn.Google Scholar

page 164 note 3 Bourquelot, L. F., Etudes sur les Foires de Champagne. Memoires présentés… a l'Academie des Inscriptions et Belles-lettres de l'institut Imperial de France. ime serie, t. V, 1865.Google Scholar

page 164 note 4 Quoted by R. G. Marsden, Select Pleas in the Admiralty Court, Selden Soc., II, p. lxxvi.

page 165 note 1 Sir S. D’Ewes, Parliamentary Journal, 1682, p. 669.

page 165 note 2 Op. cit., pp. 146–7.

page 165 note 3 Op. cit., pp. 247–8.

page 166 note 1 J. Cary, Essay on the State of England in Relation to its Trade, its Poor and its Taxes, Bristol, 1695, p. 27.

page 166 note 2 W. Holdsworth, History of English Law, Vol. V, 145.

page 166 note 3 In the fifteenth century a somewhat similar procedure was common in the Mayor's Court (cf. Thomas, op. cit., p. xxix), and such cases could also be brought before the Court of Exchequer, but at this period little resort was made to the Court for this purpose, probably on account of the slowness and complexity of its procedure.

page 167 note 1 G. Malynes, op. cit., “Epistle to the Reader.”

page 167 note 2 J. Marius, op. cit., 2nd edition, 1655, “To the Reader.”

page 167 note 3 Clerke v. Martin, 1702. Eng. Repts., 92, p. 6. See Holdsworth's explanation of his attitude on the negotiability of promissory notes, op. cit., VIII, 171 seq.

page 168 note 1 Clerk v. Martin, 1702. Eng. Repts., 92, p. 6. Cf. W. Holdsworth, VIII, 172.

page 168 note 2 Sir Josiah Child, A Discourse about Trade, 1690, pp. 112 seq.

page 168 note 3 [A. Justice], A General Treatise of the Dominion and Laws of the Sea, 1705, pp. 422, etc.

page 168 note 4 Op. cit., s.v. Bill of Exchange.

page 168 note 5 Weskett, J., Digest of the Theory, Laws and Practice of Insurance, 1781, p. 149.Google Scholar The only exception appears to be Mortimer, Thomas who, in his Elements of Commerce, Politics and Finances (London, 1772)Google Scholar, expresses the greatest hostility to the Common Law.

page 168 note 6 SirPark, J. A., A System of the Law of Marine Insurances, 1787, p. xxxviii.Google Scholar

page 169 note 1 p. 10.

page 169 note 2 1st edn., 1752. The author states that this work is based on that of the two Savarys, but it is greatly changed to suit a later period and a different place. It continued to be printed and enlarged after its author's death.

page 169 note 3 1st edn., 1751. Originally based on Savary's Dictionnaire, this compilation always contained much extra material and by the time of the enlarged 4th edn., 1774, the original material was quite swamped.

page 169 note 4 Rolt, R., A New Dictionary of Trade and Commerce, London, 1756.Google Scholar

page 169 note 5 Mortimer, T., Elements of Commerce, Politics and Finances, London, 1772.Google Scholar

page 170 note 1 Maitland, , Roman Canon Law in the Church of England, p. 97, 1898.Google Scholar

page 170 note 2 Auction Catalogue of the Library of the College of Advocates, 1861.

page 170 note 3 Molloy, op. cit., Introduction, p. 6.

page 170 note 4 Holliday, John, Life of Mansfield, 1797.Google Scholar Cf. SirSatow, E., The Silesian Loan and Frederick the Great, Oxford, 1915.Google Scholar For its text, see R. G. Marsden, Law and Custom of the Sea, Vol. II, pp. 348–74.

page 170 note 5 Commentaries, 1844, ed. I, 4–5.

page 170 note 6 1st edn., 1675; for him see: Trouillier, A., Jacques Savary, Tijdshrift van Rechtgeschiedens, 1931, pp. 109Google Scholarseq., and Hauser, H., ‘Le Parfait Négotiant’ de Jacques Savary, Révue d'histoire economique et sociale, 1925, pp. 128.Google Scholar

page 171 note 1 Dictionnaire Universel de Commerce, d'histoire naturelle, d'arts et mitiers, Paris, 1723–30.

page 171 note 2 [A. Justice], A General Treatise of Monies and Exchanges, 1707, was based on a translation of this work.

page 171 note 3 R. J. Valin, Commentaire sur l'Ordonnance de la Marine du mois d'août 1681, La Rochelle, 1760.

page 171 note 4 B. M. Emérigon, Nouveau Commentaire sur l'Ordonnance de la Marine du Mois août 1681, Marseilles, 1780. Traité des Assurances et des Contrats à la Grosse, Marseilles, 1783. The greatest collection of the Laws of Exchange, Siegelius, J. G., Corpus Juris Cambialis, 1742Google Scholar, later continued by Uhlius, does not, on the other hand, appear to have been used in England, probably because it was almost all in German.

page 172 note 1 J. Weskett, op. cit., p. 97.

page 172 note 2 M. Postlethwayt, op. cit., Bill of Exchange.

page 172 note 3 Lord Campbell, Lives of the Chief Justices of England, II, 394, remembered the time when it was the custom at Westminster Hall to sneer at Mansfield as one who had tried “to introduce into the Common Law some ‘equitable doctrines’ which had been rejected.” He attributes this to a reaction against his long supremacy, led by Eldon and Kenyon, his personal enemies. His political opponents accused him of a preference for the Civil over the Common Law, on account of his Scots origin. Letters of Junius, ed. Everett, C. W., 1927, p. 178.Google Scholar

page 174 note 1 Sir Josiah Child, op. cit., p. 113.

page 174 note 2 9 Wm. III, c. 17.

page 174 note 3 3 & 4 Anne, c. 9.

page 174 note 4 9 Anne, c. 6 and 7 Geo. II, c. 8.

page 174 note 5 19 Geo. II, c. 37.

page 174 note 6 6 Geo. I, c. 18.

page 174 note 7 Blackstone, Commentaries, iii, 16.

page 175 note 1 M. Postlethwayt, op. cit., Bill of Exchange.

page 175 note 2 J. Weskett, op. cit., p. xvi.

page 176 note 1 FitzGerald v. Pole, House of Lords, March, 1754, Eng. Repts., 2, p. 297.