Recent Additions to the Collection (Spring 2025)

Anthony Fitzherbert, La Graunde Abridgement. London, 1565.

A beautiful example of Tudor printing, Fitzherbert’s magnus opus is one of most impressive and important works in the history of English law. First printed around 1514, it represents the first serious attempt to systematically arrange the common law of England. Practitioners could quickly find key precedent by looking through the alphabetically arranged topical headings (such as attachment, contract, and trespass), under which were summaries (abridgments) of almost 14,000 points of law.  

William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England. Philadelphia: Robert Bell, 1771.

Blackstone’s famous distillation of English law was far more popular in the colonies and early U.S. than it was in England. Philadelphia publisher Robert Bell asked for customers to subscribe (commit to purchasing) the 1st American edition. One of those subscribers, Thomas Leaming of New Jersey, owned this copy and signed the title page. On the right side of the image, you can see his name in the Subscriber List, printed in the fourth volume of the set.  

Magna Charta with the Ancient Statutes.  London, 1556.

Magna Carta (“Great Charter”) was originally signed in 1215 by King John at the demand of a group of barons. Only three provisions remain in effect (most notably, the right to due process and a jury of one’s peers). Other clauses were subsequently repealed or reenacted by other statutes. However, Magna Carta is often viewed as an “ancient English constitution” and remains a potent symbol of individual freedom and limits on the power of monarchs. This beautiful, heavily annotated copy was printed by Richard Tottel in 1556. 

The Constitution, or Frame of Government for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Worcester, 1787.

The Massachusetts Constitution, written by John Adams and ratified in 1780, was an important source of inspiration for the drafting of the U.S. Constitution at the 1787 Convention. This edition was printed by Isaiah Thomas, the pro-Independence editor of the Massachusetts Spy and founder of the American Antiquarian society.

Gift of Daniel R. Coquillette

The Constitutions of the Several Independent States. . . . London, 1783.

In 1782 and 1783, London publisher John Stockdale reprinted this compilation of American state constitutions for curious English audiences. The original American edition was compiled by order of the Continental Congress at the behest of John Adams, who had noticed a deep interest in the various state constitutions while traveling in Europe. The frontispiece portrait of General George Washington is embellished with a rattlesnake and liberty cap, both symbols of the spirit of American independence and rebellion. The cannons below suggest the violence that led to independence. 

Tennessee C. Claflin, Constitutional Equality: A Right of Woman. New York, 1871.

This work consists of feminist writings from Tennessee (Tennie) Claflin’s newspaper, Woodhull & Claflin’s Weekly. Tennie and her sister, Victoria Woodhull, argued for the adoption of a constitutional amendment for women’s suffrage. In the introduction, Tennie writes that “women are something more than ‘things;’ [and] as capable of self-government as most men are.” Trailblazers in the suffrage movement, the sisters were controversial amongst their contemporaries. 

Bill of Sale for an Enslaved Woman Named Elen. Kentucky, 1833.

When this document was written in 1833, slavery was in full force in the South and still existed in some northern states as well. It is wrenching to see a bill of sale for a human being (Elen, age 22). Signatory John W. Anderson was a notorious trader of enslaved people; his repulsive enterprise was funded by a relative of Chief Justice John Marshall.  

Gift of Daniel R. Coquillette

Edward Farley, A Constitutional Argument Against Imprisonment for Debt. London, 1788.

Debtors’ prisons were common in Britain from the medieval period until the 19th century. People who could not pay their debts were often incarcerated until they could settle their obligations. Writing at a time when many were beginning to advocate for criminal justice reform, Farley presents a constitutional argument against “the great national evil” of debt imprisonment. In support, he cites authority like Magna Carta and the works of Coke, Britton, and Glanville. He also blames lawyers for perpetuating the injustice.  

Day Book of Lawyer William Farrar. Colebook, NH, 1805-1811.

William Farrar (1780-1850) was a classmate of Daniel Webster at Dartmouth before becoming a lawyer and civic leader in Colebook, New Hampshire. This daybook covers six years and provides a ground-level view of a small New England practice in the 1800s. Entries include routine matters involving sales, transfers, and estates; others concern litigation activities like drafting writs and taking depositions for cases in the Court of Common Pleas. 

Cash Book and Diaries of Lawyer Henry Heywood. Lancaster, NH, 1863-1880.

Henry Heywood (1835-1902) graduated from Dartmouth before his admission to the Vermont and New Hampshire bars. These manuscripts cover almost two decades of his successful law practice in Lancaster, New Hampshire. The cash book lays out cash received (e.g., for legal advice and settling lawsuits) and cash paid (e.g., postage stamps and kerosene oil for his office). The little diaries, which fold up envelope-style, provided more space for him to document his day-to-day work on client matters.