Law and the Medieval Village Community

This book expands on established doctrine in legal history and sets out a challenge for legal philosophers. It traces the study of the medieval village community from early historical works in the nineteenth century through to current research, revealing alternative ways of making and conceiving of law that are not dependent on state authority.

Lorren Eldridge is an Early Career Fellow in Legal History at the University of Edinburgh. She is a lawyer and legal historian whose research considers the relationship between legal history and legal theory, especially the legal philosophical approach and method known as historical jurisprudence.

Cases viii Statutes x Preface xi Acknowledgements xv Introduction 1 1 The Early Village Community Debate 17 2 Reframing the Village Community 44 3 Early Studies of Medieval Local Custom 81 4 The Village Community in the Twentieth Century 123 5 Custom and the Medieval English Village Community 159 Conclusion 215 Bibliography 219 Index 233