Politics and the Bench The Judges and the Origins of the English Civil War

Although there have been many studies of the English revolution and its more dramatic trials, until this book was published in 1971, little attention had been paid to the Long Parliament’s attempts to impeach a number of judges. This book describes how the judges became unpopular, selecting a number of themes – from the development of unanimous decision and opinions, to the role of the judges as agents and supervisors of government policies. The Long Parliament viewed them as the great instrument behind evil policies and believed they had attempted to usurp the power of legislation. Charles I is seen as placing too much reliance on his judges and his failure to realize that legality could not be a perpetual answer to political dissent in the end cost him his throne. The book is intended as an introduction for undergraduates.

Contents: Part 1: Introduction 1. Introduction 2. Judges and Lawyers 3. The 1620s 4. Projects and Extraordinary Courses 5. Condemnation Part 2: Documents 1-32.

W. J. Jones was Professor of History at the University of Alberta, Canada.