English Law in the Age of the Black Death, 1348-1381

“[Palmer’s] account of the development of uses and of the written bond will prove indispensable to any student of medieval law.” — Cambridge Law Journal

“What Palmer does conclusively demonstrate is important; that this was a period of significant change, when the law tightened up in a wide range of types of cases.” — Times Literary Supplement

“This is a big, bold, and very important book about the effects of the Black Death. It challenges the doctrinal view of legal history in which the common law was made by lawyers and judges in the interests of the clients, in a context often devoid of political, social, and economic reality.” — American Journal of Legal History

“Although the story of the Black Death has been told, and often told well, Robert Palmer is the first to bring this story into correspondence with the history of English law. His is a notable achievement, not only because he explains why the Black Death represented a significant turning point and catalyst for legal change, but because his explanation is so learned and skillfully detailed as to leave no doubt that the practice of law was crucially important for the quality of life in a society in transition. . . . By focusing on the process of change, Palmer has formulated an argument that in its historical and philosophical depth not only engages but persuades. It is the sureness of this argument that makes English Law in the Age of the Black Death such a thoughtful and impressive book.” — Law and History Review

“An extraordinarily cohesive and logical account that enables readers to come to grips with fundamental changes in English law and governance with little difficulty.” — Michigan Law Review

“A major contribution to our understanding not only of fourteenth-century English law but also of fourteenth-century English governance. . . . [The book] constitutes the 'state of the art,' the point at which anyone dealing with fourteenth-century law and governance must start.” — Charles Donahue, Jr., Harvard Law School

“Relates the history of private and constitutional law to the cultural, social, and economic history of the Middle Ages, enabling the reader to see a whole picture of medieval English society. This is an important work — original, provocative, and radically revisionist.” — Morris S. Arnold, United States Court of Appeals