Reading legal documents in early modern England

This project explores approaches to the interpretation of legal documents in early modern England. It identifies the principles used by lawyers to understand the meaning of documents such as wills, deeds and statutes. It also examines the wider forces that influenced the development of lawyers' ideas in this period. Legal documents were ubiquitous in the lives of all kinds of people, and their interpretation was a significant concern for both lawyers and laypeople. By exploring lawyers' approaches to these documents, this project will improve our understanding of law, legal writing and legal reasoning in a foundational period for their development in England.