The ''Black Book of the Admiralty'' is a compilation of English

admiralty law Admiralty law or maritime law is a body of law that governs nautical issues and private maritime disputes. Admiralty law consists of both domestic law on maritime activities, and private international law governing the relationships between priva ...

created over the course of several English monarchs' reigns, including the most important decisions of the

High Court of Admiralty Admiralty courts, also known as maritime courts, are courts exercising jurisdiction over all maritime contracts, torts, injuries, and offences. Admiralty courts in the United Kingdom England and Wales Scotland The Scottish court's earliest ...

. Its starting point is the

Rolls of Oléron The Rolls of Oléron ( French: ''Jugements de la mer, Rôles d'Oléron'') are the oldest and best-known sea law regulating medieval shipping in North-western Europe. The Rolls of Oleron were the first common sea law written in the Isle of Oléron, ...

, which were promulgated in c. 1160 by

Eleanor of Aquitaine Eleanor ( – 1 April 1204; french: Aliénor d'Aquitaine, ) was Queen of France from 1137 to 1152 as the wife of King Louis VII, Queen of England from 1154 to 1189 as the wife of King Henry II, and Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right from ...

, although the ''Black Book'' is undoubtedly later. The book itself states that the High Court of Admiralty was established during the reign of Edward I (1272–1307), although more recent scholarship places the establishment at c. 1360 during the reign of

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring r ...

.''Encyclopædia Britannica'' eleventh edition (1911). Apart from the Rolls of Oléron, the earliest statute referred to is the ''Liber memorandorum'' (1338), of which a separate manuscript copy is available in the archives of the City of London. The book is written in

Old French Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intelligib ...

and its authors change handwriting and tone various times. The earliest surviving manuscript copy dates from c. 1450, and is held in the National Archives.National Archives record.
/ref> Several printed editions are available: one particularly notable edition is that of Sir Travers Twiss, published in four volumes from 1871 to 1876 and regularly reprinted, which includes several other medieval legal texts as well as the ''Black Book'' itself.

References

External links

''Gallica''
the virtual library of the

Bibliothèque Nationale de France The Bibliothèque nationale de France (, 'National Library of France'; BnF) is the national library of France, located in Paris on two main sites known respectively as ''Richelieu'' and ''François-Mitterrand''. It is the national repository ...

, where a facsimile of the 1871–76 edition can be found. English admiralty law Medieval English law Law books Old French texts Collection of The National Archives (United Kingdom) {{UK-law-book-stub