Overview

This new edition of a foundational text of Welsh legal history traces the various strands of law in Wales from its beginnings to the present day, identifying and assessing the importance of the native Welsh, Roman, and English influences to Wales's legal social identity. Wales has been served by a variety of legal systems and laws over the last two millennia. These include the civil law of Rome, which was to be the basis of the laws of much of modern Europe, and the English common law, which was to govern much of the English-speaking world. Thomas Glyn Watkin shows how the Welsh have adapted to and adopted the legal traditions they have encountered, and he assesses the importance of this inheritance for the future of modern Wales within Europe and the rest of the world.

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9780708325179

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Reviews

"""This authoritative, scholarly, and very readable book captures Wales's legal identity through the course of history. It is a remarkable achievement, both in terms of depth and scope, and is essential reading not only for those interested in the nation's legal past, but for anyone wishing to understand the context for the legal and constitutional debates of contemporary Wales.""--R. Gwynedd Parry, Swansea University 'This is an excellent book, which fills a definite gap. There is no comparable over-arching study of Welsh legal history from the earliest times to the present. The breadth of knowledge necessary to write such a book is rarely to be found in one individual.' Gwen Seabourne, Senior Lecturer, University of Bristol School of Law ""This pioneering volume, clearly the result of very wide-ranging research and reading over many long years, fills a distinct gap...The breadth of scholarship is impressive...Professor Watkin evaluates with impeccable scholarship. The volume is provided with extremely full, detailed and genuinely helpful footnote references. There is also a most helpful glossary of the legal terms. This unique over-arching volume must be warmly welcomed as the first comprehensive account of Welsh legal history from pre-Roman times to the beginning of the twenty-first century. It will be warmly welcomed by professional academics and interested layman alike and will undoubtedly stand the test of time, hopefully inspiring further research in this rather neglected, complex field of study.""J. Graham Jones, Planet'The Legal History of Wales is a thorough and comprehensive account of the legal history of Wales starting with the period prior to the Roman conquest and ending with the Government of Wales Act to bring us up to the present day. It is a fascinating work that provides a unique account of both law from a Welsh perspective and Wales from a legal perspective.'Nathan Gibbs, The Cambrian Law Review, Vol. 38"

This authoritative, scholarly, and very readable book captures Wales's legal identity through the course of history. It is a remarkable achievement, both in terms of depth and scope, and is essential reading not only for those interested in the nation's legal past, but for anyone wishing to understand the context for the legal and constitutional debates of contemporary Wales. --R. Gwynedd Parry, Swansea University

Author Information

Thomas Glyn Watkin, formerly Professor of Law at Cardiff and Bangor (where he established the law school), and First Welsh Legislative Counsel (2007−2010), is an honorary professor at both universities.

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