LEY, James ( editor ). Reports of divers resolutions in law, arising upon cases in the Court of Wards, and other courts at Westminster, in the reign of the late kings, king James and king Charles … With two exact tables, the one of the cases, and the oth…

LEY, James ( editor ). Reports of divers resolutions in law, arising upon cases in the Court of Wards, and other courts at Westminster, in the reign of the late kings, king James and king Charles … With two exact tables, the one of the cases, and the oth…LEY, James (editor). Reports of divers resolutions in law, arising upon cases in the Court of Wards, and other courts at Westminster, in the reign of the late kings, king James and king Charles With two exact tables, the one of the cases, and the other of the principal matters therein contained. London: Printed by Tho. Roycroft for H. Twyford [et al.]. 1659. Two parts in one volume, folio. Contemporary sheep, boards ruled in blind with double fillets

LEY, James (editor). Reports of divers resolutions in law, arising upon cases in the Court of Wards, and other courts at Westminster, in the reign of the late kings, king James and king Charles … With two exact tables, the one of the cases, and the other of the principal matters therein contained. London: Printed by Tho. Roycroft for H. Twyford [et al.]. 1659.

Two parts in one volume, folio. Contemporary sheep, boards ruled in blind with double fillets and roll-tooled border along joints, rebacked, blue lettering piece to spine, endpapers renewed; pp. [iv], 83, [1 (blank)], [7], [1 (blank)]; 27, [1 (blank)], woodcut initials and headpieces; boards slightly rubbed, extremities restored; light dampstaining, small wormhole to upper outer corner of title and few other pages (not affecting text), but overall very good; modern bookseller's ticket 'Wildy & Sons Ltd.' to front pastedown.

First edition of James Ley’s collection of law reports on wardship matters, the only published volume of reports of the Court of Wards and Liveries.

Established in 1542, the Court of Wards and Liveries managed the estates and guardianship of young, orphaned heirs whose fathers had held the status of ‘Tenants-in-Chief of the Crown,’ often after acquiring ex-monastic land. The Crown controlled these estates, overseeing the heirs’ income rights and arranging their marriages until they came of age (21 for boys, 14 for girls). Although widows typically retained a third of their late husbands’ estates, the Crown frequently sold wardships to the highest bidder or granted them as rewards for services rendered.

Officially abolished in 1645, the Court of Wards and Liveries continued to function until the last wards came of age in the 1650s. This collection of reports was compiled by James Ley (1550-1629), the first Earl of Marlborough and Attorney-General of Wards from 1609. It includes cases from two other courts, the Court of Star Chamber and the King’s Bench, and Ley’s ‘Instructions for our Master of our Wards and Liveries’ and ‘Learned treatise concerning wards & liveries’ as an appendix.

ESTC R13805.

SKU: 2120592