English law English law is the common law legal system of England and Wales, comprising mainly criminal law and civil law, each branch having its own courts and procedures. Principal elements of English law Although the common law has, historically, be ...

, the term ''state trials'' primarily denotes trials relating to offences against the state. In practice it is a term often used of cases illustrative of the law relating to state officers or of international or constitutional law.

Bibliographical history

The first collection of accounts of state trials was published in 1719 in four volumes. Although without an editor's name, it appears that Thomas Salmon (1679–1767), an historical and geographical writer, was responsible for the collection. A second edition, increased to six volumes, under the editorship of Sollom Emlyn (1697–1754), appeared in 1730. This edition contained a lengthy preface critically surveying the condition of English law at the time. A third edition appeared in 1742, in eight volumes, the seventh and eighth volumes having been added in 1835. Ninth and tenth volumes were added in 1766, and a fourth edition, comprising ten volumes, with the trials arranged chronologically, was published the same year. A fifth edition, originated by William Cobbett, but edited by

Thomas Bayly Howell Thomas Bayly Howell FRS (6 September 1767 – 13 April 1815) was an English lawyer and writer who edited and lent his name to ''Howell's State Trials''. Life Thomas Bayly Howell was born in Jamaica. His family returned to England in 1770 to set ...

(1768–1815) and known as ''Cobbett's Complete Collection of State Trials'', was published between 1809 and 1826. This edition is in thirty-three volumes; twenty-one of them, giving the more important state trials down to 1781, were edited by TB Howell, and the remaining volumes, bringing the trials down to 1820, by his son

Thomas Jones Howell Thomas Jones Howell (died 1858), who edited the 'State Trials' (vols. xxii. 1815-xxxiii. 1826), was admitted of Lincoln's Inn on 9 November 1814 (Register). He sold Prinknash after 1842. He died at Eaton Place West, London, on 4 June 1858 (Gent. M ...

(d. 1858). A new series, under the direction of a

parliamentary committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

, was projected in 1885, with the object of bringing the trials down to a later date. Eight volumes were published in 1888–1898, bringing the work down to 1858. The first three of these were edited by Sir John Macdonell, the remaining five by

John Edward Power Wallis Sir John Edward Power Wallis (3 November 1861 – 8 June 1946) was a British lawyer who served as the Advocate-General of Madras from 1900 to 1906, and Chief Justice of the Madras High Court from 1914 to 1921. Early life and education Wa ...

. For the purpose of

citation A citation is a reference to a source. More precisely, a citation is an abbreviated alphanumeric expression embedded in the body of an intellectual work that denotes an entry in the bibliographic references section of the work for the purpose of ...

, their name may be abbreviated to St Tr (NS).O. Hood Phillips. A First Book of English Law. Fourth Edition. Sweet & Maxwell. 1960. p 164. Selections have also been edited by Harry Lushington Stephen and others.

References

External links

Cobbett's State Trials
*State Trials (New Series), edited by Macdonell, *
Volume 1
1820–1823 **Volume 2, 1823–1831

**Volume 3, 1831–1840

https://archive.org/details/reportsstatetri01commgoog] *
Volume 4
1839-1843 **Volume 5, 1843–1844

**Volume 6, 1842–1848

**Volume 7, 1848–185

*
Volume 8
1850–1853
State Trials, Political and Social, vol. 1
edited by Sir Harry Lushington Stephen
State Trials, Political and Social, vol. 2
edited by Sir Harry Lushington Stephen {{DEFAULTSORT:State Trials Constitutional law Types of trials