Introduction:
This manuscript is a copy of Nova Statuta, the English royal statutes from the first
year of the reign of Edward III (reigned 1327-1377) to the twenty-third year of the
reign of Henry VI (1445; he reigned
1422-1461, 1470-1471). It is a fundamental text of English common law.
Many copies of these statutes were made in the latter half of the 15th century. This
was a time of political
unrest when landowners were driven to use their legal knowledge to protect their interests.
This manuscript is in French, which was the main language of common law until the
English Civil War (1642-1651).
Folios 4v-27v and 289v-313r are blank.
Nova Statuta
Statutes (Edward III to Henry VI)
Language(s): French
Incipit:
1r Capitula Statutorum Regis E. tercii Anno primo. Come Hugh
The first leaf of the text is gone. It begins with c. II of the Statute. The last
Statute is of 23 Hen. VI. ending on fol.
289r
Form: codex
Support:
Parchment
Extent:
i original parchment flyleaf + 313 folios + 1 original parchment flyleaf leaves.
261 × 183 mm.
Foliation: Modern foliation in pencil in the top right corner.
Collation
1 flyleaf; 112? (5-12 gone); 28 (wants 1); 3 8; 48| 5?14 ((1-5 gone); 68-88(8 canc.); 98-138; 1410 (1 canc.); 158-268; 2710; 2812; 298-348 (4 canc.); 358-398.
Layout
180 × 110 mm.
Single column of 37 lines, frame ruled in plummet.
Decoration
Floriate pen-flourishes in black (sometimes black and red) to each statute and heading,
some sporadic rubrication of the
text.
Binding
19th century reverse calf binding over pasteboards.
Origin:
Second half of the 15th century
; England
Provenance and Acquisition
Haenel 31
