''Beaulieu v Finglam'' is a landmark and precedent setting case in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

tort law A tort is a civil wrong that causes a claimant to suffer loss or harm, resulting in legal liability for the person who commits the tortious act. Tort law can be contrasted with criminal law, which deals with criminal wrongs that are punishable ...

. While specifically it set

strict liability In criminal and civil law, strict liability is a standard of liability under which a person is legally responsible for the consequences flowing from an activity even in the absence of fault or criminal intent on the part of the defendant. ...

for the escape of fire, the judgment also demarcated the limits of responsibility and liability for

tort A tort is a civil wrong that causes a claimant to suffer loss or harm, resulting in legal liability for the person who commits the tortious act. Tort law can be contrasted with criminal law, which deals with criminal wrongs that are punishable ...

cases. It also established the first ''

ratio In mathematics, a ratio shows how many times one number contains another. For example, if there are eight oranges and six lemons in a bowl of fruit, then the ratio of oranges to lemons is eight to six (that is, 8:6, which is equivalent to the ...

'' of what would become

duty of care In tort law, a duty of care is a legal obligation that is imposed on an individual, requiring adherence to a standard of reasonable care while performing any acts that could foreseeably harm others. It is the first element that must be establis ...

. Stapleton v Snayth (1354) YB Pas 19, 32b-33a. Though a

with regard to water and animals Malone WS. (1970). Ruminations on the Role of Fault in the History of the Common Law of Torts. Louisiana Law Review. had already been established.

Judgment

References

{{reflist 1400s in law House of Lords cases Negligence case law United Kingdom tort case law 1401 in Europe 1400s in England