Andrew Horn, Mirroir des iustices (1st ed, 1642, title page)

Andrew Horn (–1328) was a

fishmonger A fishmonger (historically fishwife for female practitioners) is someone who sells raw fish and seafood. Fishmongers can be wholesalers or retailers and are trained at selecting and purchasing, handling, gutting, boning, filleting, displaying, m ...

of Bridge Street,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, lawyer and legal scholar.

Biography

He served as

Chamberlain of the City of London The Chamberlain of the City of London is an ancient office of the City of London, dating back to at least 1237. The Chamberlain is the finance director of the City of London Corporation. They are the financial adviser, accountant, receiver and pa ...

from 1320 until his death in 1328. Sir

William Blackstone Sir William Blackstone (10 July 1723 – 14 February 1780) was an English jurist, judge and Tory politician of the eighteenth century. He is most noted for writing the ''Commentaries on the Laws of England''. Born into a middle-class family i ...

's ''

Commentaries on the Laws of England The ''Commentaries on the Laws of England'' are an influential 18th-century treatise on the common law of England by Sir William Blackstone, originally published by the Clarendon Press at Oxford, 1765–1770. The work is divided into four volume ...

'' describe Horn as "one of the most learned lawyers of his day". Horn is best known for his book ''

Liber Horn ''Liber Horn'' is a book completed in 1311 by Andrew Horn. The National Archives (the official archive of the UK government) describes it as "a compilation of charters, statutes and customs". It is thought to have been a compilation of two separate ...

'', compiled in 1311. Besides coroners' reports and other mundane matters, ''Liber Horn'' contains some of the earliest and most reliable versions of early English laws, including certain ''

Statutes of uncertain date The statutes of uncertain date, also known as ''statuta incerti temporis'' or ''Certain Statutes made during the Reigns of K. Henry 3. K. Edward 1. or K. Edward 2. but uncertain when or in which of their times'', are British (previously English) st ...

'' and an annotated copy of ''Magna Carta'' of 1297. Horn is also thought to have compiled and edited ''La somme appelle Mirroir des justices: vel Speculum justiciariorum'' (translated variously as '' The Mirror of Justices'' or ''The Mirror of Justice'').The Mirror of Justice
/ref> Horn was a member of the

Worshipful Company of Fishmongers The Worshipful Company of Fishmongers (or Fishmongers' Company) is one of the 110 Livery Companies of the City of London, being an incorporated guild of sellers of fish and seafood in the City. The Company ranks fourth in the order of precede ...

Works

As a legal scholar, Andrew Horn's literary achievements consisted largely of compiling, editing, transcribing, and annotating statutes, pipe rolls, chronicles, and other official documents. This has resulted in a problem of attribution, since it is not always clear to what extent he acted as author or editor. *''Liber Horn''. *''Mirroir des Justices'' (''Mirror of Justices''). *A continuation of ''Leges Anglorum''. *''Liber legum regum antiquorum''. *A narrative of the London eyre of 1321. *''Annales Londonienses''.

Notes

External links

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Horn, Andrew 1275 births 1328 deaths Chamberlains of the City of London English legal scholars English male writers Legal historians Lawyers from London