A ‘Ruinous System’
in Law and English Railway Capitalism 1825–1875
October 1997; published online March 2012.
Chapter. Subjects: history of law. 15890 words.
From its first organizational moments to its emergence as a leading sector of the English industrial economy, lawyers were an intrinsic part of steam railway capitalism. Solicitors especially, being...
‘A Great and Able Lawyer’ (1761–69)
in William Blackstone
October 2008; published online January 2009.
Chapter. Subjects: history of law. 13721 words.
This chapter deals with aspects of Blackstone's domestic, family and private life, his role as husband and father, his diet, alcoholic intake, lack of exercise, and martyrdom to gout. Besides...
‘A Hurricane of Litigation’
in Law and English Railway Capitalism 1825–1875
October 1997; published online March 2012.
Chapter. Subjects: history of law. 25784 words.
The collapse of the railway securities markets in the last days of October 1845 left a powerful financial vacuum in its wake. Millions of pounds of capital had flowed through a screen of paper...
‘A More Public Scene’ (1758–61)
in William Blackstone
October 2008; published online January 2009.
Chapter. Subjects: history of law. 14580 words.
Despite his unopposed election to the Vinerian chair, and an acclaimed inaugural lecture on The Study of the Law, Professor Blackstone's standing in the university, even his own All Souls College,...
“A Ton of Bricks”
in Harry A. Blackmun
February 2008; published online March 2012.
Chapter. Subjects: history of law. 10319 words.
Both John Sanborn and Warren Burger played no small part in how Harry Blackmun was to attain an appointment to the Eight Circuit. Warren Burger may have been the most appropriate choice to replace...
‘A Young Man of Brilliant Parts’
in William Blackstone
October 2008; published online January 2009.
Chapter. Subjects: history of law. 6654 words.
This chapter covers Blackstone's ancestry, family background, childhood, and schooling. The premature death of his near-bankrupt shopkeeper father meant that Blackstone was born an orphan, although...
Ab abusu ad usum non valet consequentia
in Guide to Latin in International Law
January 2009; published online January 2011.
Reference Entry. Subjects: history of law. 67 words.
“A progression from abuse to use is ineffective.”
A maxim meaning that the use or application of a principle or
Ab ante adv.
in Guide to Latin in International Law
January 2009; published online January 2011.
Reference Entry. Subjects: history of law. 28 words.
“From before.”
Done in advance or prior to a relevant event. An alternative formulation is Ab antecedente. See also
Ab antecedente adv.
in Guide to Latin in International Law
January 2009; published online January 2011.
Reference Entry. Subjects: history of law. 16 words.
“From the preceding.”
An alternative formulation of Ab ante.
Ab antiquo adv. Neo.
in Guide to Latin in International Law
January 2009; published online January 2011.
Reference Entry. Subjects: history of law. 116 words.
“From antiquity.”
Having been so since ancient times; having a temporally distant origin. E.g., “As regards the claim of