Rosemarie McGerr on the Yale Law Schools New Statutes manuscript
The Lillian Goldman Law Library was delighted to host a book talk by Rosemarie McGerr on Feburary 24, on her new book, A Lancastrian Mirror for Princes: The Yale Law School New Statutes of England (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2011). The book is an in-depth study of a Rare Book Collection showpiece, the Statuta Angliae Nova (ca. 1450s-1470s). A summary of the book is in a previous post.
In her talk McGerr pointed out areas where work remains to be done on the manuscript. In its creation and design, the manuscript shows the influence of Sir John Fortescue (1394?-1476?), chief justice of King’s Bench under Henry VI and author of De laudibus legum Angliae (A Treatise in Commendation of the Laws of England; 1st ed. 1543), an often reprinted treatise that, like our New Statutes manuscript, was prepared to educate Henry VI’s son in the duties of kingship. One of the manuscript’s later owners was Sir Thomas Elyot (1490?-1546), English humanist and author of yet another “mirror of princes,” The Boke Named the Governour (1st ed. 1531). Here’s hoping someone takes the bait and discovers what else this manuscript holds for us.
Our thanks to Rosemarie McGerr for sharing her time and knowledge with us and our guests today.
MIKE WIDENER
Rare Book Librarian
Rosemarie McGerr, Professor of Comparative Literature and director of the Medieval Studies Institute at Indiana University, with the Law Library’s Statuta Angliae Nova, which is the subject of her latest book, book, A Lancastrian Mirror for Princes: The Yale Law School New Statutes of England (2011)
