List of scholarly editions of English plea rolls

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This page provides a guide to the key modern scholarly editions that contain high-quality, accurate transcriptions of the original Latin plea rolls from the English Court of Common Pleas (document class CP 40) and the Court of King's Bench (document class KB 27).

Understanding These Resources

For centuries, the official records of England's central courts were kept in a highly abbreviated form of Latin, written in a difficult script known as "court hand." Accessing and understanding these records requires specialized skills in palaeography and medieval Latin. The volumes listed below are the "gold standard" of legal-historical scholarship because they represent the work of expert editors who have transcribed and translated these difficult original manuscripts.

These editions are invaluable for two main reasons:

  1. They provide a clean, reliable text of the official court record, saving researchers the difficult work of transcription.
  2. They often link the formal Latin plea roll entry to the informal law report (typically written in Law French), providing a complete picture of the case.

The leading publisher in this field is the Selden Society, founded in 1887 for this specific purpose. Many of the most important modern editions have been edited by Professor Sir J. H. Baker.

The list is organized chronologically by the start date of the period covered by each series.

Chronological List of Key Editions

Select Cases in the Court of King's Bench (1272–1422)

Description: A foundational 7-volume series presenting the Latin text directly from the KB 27 rolls.
Editor: G. O. Sayles
Publisher: Selden Society
  1. Vol. I (SS Vol. 55): Covers the reign of Edward I.
  2. Vol. II (SS Vol. 57): Covers the reign of Edward I.
  3. Vol. III (SS Vol. 58): Covers the reign of Edward I.
  4. Vol. IV (SS Vol. 74): Covers the reign of Edward III.
  5. Vol. V (SS Vol. 76): Covers the reigns of Edward III and Richard II.
  6. Vol. VI (SS Vol. 82): Covers the reigns of Richard II, Henry IV, and Henry V.
  7. Vol. VII (SS Vol. 88): Covers the reigns of Richard II, Henry IV, and Henry V.

Year Books of Edward II (1307–1327)

Description: The gold standard of legal-historical scholarship. The footnotes and introductions are packed with Latin transcriptions from CP 40, and each volume includes a "Table of Concordance" linking reports to the plea rolls.
Principal Editors: F.W. Maitland, G.J. Turner, T.F.T. Plucknett, et al.
Publisher: Selden Society
  1. Vol. I: 1 & 2 Edward II (SS Vol. 17): Covers 1307–1309. [Internet Archive]
  2. Vol. II: 2 & 3 Edward II (SS Vol. 19): Covers 1308–1310.
  3. Vol. III: 3 Edward II (SS Vol. 20): Covers 1309–1310.
  4. Vol. IV: 3 & 4 Edward II (SS Vol. 22): Covers 1310.
  5. The Eyre of Kent, 6 & 7 Edward II, Vol. I (SS Vol. 24): Covers 1313-1314.
  6. Vol. VI: 4 Edward II (SS Vol. 26): Covers 1310–1311.
  7. The Eyre of Kent, 6 & 7 Edward II, Vol. II (SS Vol. 27): Covers 1313-1314.
  8. The Eyre of Kent, 6 & 7 Edward II, Vol. III (SS Vol. 29): Covers 1313-1314.
  9. Vol. V: 4 Edward II (SS Vol. 31): Covers 1311.
  10. Vol. VII: 5 Edward II (SS Vol. 33): Covers 1311-1312.
  11. Vol. VIII: 5 Edward II (SS Vol. 34): Covers 1312.
  12. Vol. IX: 6 Edward II (SS Vol. 36): Covers 1312-1313.
  13. Vol. X: 6 Edward II (SS Vol. 38): Covers 1313.
  14. Vol. XI: 6 & 7 Edward II (SS Vol. 41): Covers 1313.
  15. Vol. XII: 7 Edward II (SS Vol. 42): Covers 1313-1314.
  16. Vol. XIII: 8 Edward II (SS Vol. 43): Covers 1314.
  17. Vol. XIV: 8 Edward II (SS Vol. 45): Covers 1314-1315.
  18. Vol. XV: 10 Edward II (SS Vol. 52): Covers 1316-1317.
  19. Vol. XVI: 10 Edward II (SS Vol. 54): Covers 1316.
  20. Vol. XVII: 11 Edward II (SS Vol. 61): Covers 1317-1318.
  21. Vol. XVIII: 12 Edward II (SS Vol. 63): Covers 1318.
  22. Vol. XIX: 12 Edward II (SS Vol. 70): Covers 1319.
  23. Vol. XX: 12 Edward II (SS Vol. 81): Covers 1319.
  24. Vol. XXI: 13 Edward II (SS Vol. 85): Covers 1319-1320.
  25. Vol. XXII: 14 Edward II (SS Vol. 86): Covers 1321.

Select Cases of Trespass from the King's Courts (1307–1399)

Description: A direct, facing-page edition of the plea rolls themselves (Latin text and English translation) from CP 40 and KB 27.
Editor: Morris S. Arnold
Publisher: Selden Society
  1. Vol. I (SS Vol. 100)
  2. Vol. II (SS Vol. 103) [Internet Archive]

Year Books of Edward III (c. 1337–1377)

Description: A multi-volume foundational edition for this reign. The editor frequently refers to and transcribes from the CP 40 plea rolls to clarify the reports.
Editor: Luke Owen Pike
Publisher: The Rolls Series

Year Books of Richard II (1377-1399)

Description: Coverage for this reign is provided by a series of individual volumes from both the Selden Society and the Ames Foundation. All follow the modern scholarly method of using footnotes to provide Latin plea roll entries from CP 40.
  1. Year Books of 2 Richard II (1378-1379)
    • Editor: Morris S. Arnold
    • Publisher: Ames Foundation
  2. Year Books of 7 Richard II (1383-1384)
    • Editor: Morris S. Arnold
    • Publisher: Ames Foundation
  3. Year Books of 8 Richard II (1384-1385)
    • Editor: Morris S. Arnold
    • Publisher: Ames Foundation
  4. Year Books of 11 Richard II (1387-1388)
    • Editors: Isobel D. Thornley & T.F.T. Plucknett
    • Publisher: Ames Foundation
  5. Year Books of 12 Richard II (1388-1389)
    • Editors: Morris S. Arnold & J. H. Baker
    • Publisher: Ames Foundation
  6. Year Books of 13 Richard II (1389-1390)
    • Editor: Theodore F. T. Plucknett
    • Publisher: Selden Society (Vol. 111)

Year Books of Henry VI (1422)

Description: Continues the Selden Society tradition of linking the reports to the official Latin records in the footnotes.
Editor: C. H. Williams
Publisher: Selden Society
  1. Year Books of 1 Henry VI (1422) (SS Vol. 51)

Year Books of Edward IV (1470)

Description: An essential source for the 15th century, linking reports to the official Latin records.
Editor: N. Neilson
Publisher: Selden Society
  1. Year Books of 10 Edward IV and 49 Henry VI (1470) (SS Vol. 47)

The Reports of John Caryll (1485–1522)

Description: The benchmark model where Latin plea roll entries from CP 40 and KB 27 are transcribed in the footnotes.
Editor: J. H. Baker
Publisher: Selden Society
  1. Part I (SS Vol. 115): Covers 1485–1509.
  2. Part II (SS Vol. 116): Covers 1509–1522.

The Reports of Sir John Spelman (c. 1502–1540)

Description: A direct companion to Caryll, with extensive Latin transcriptions from both CP 40 and KB 27 in the footnotes.
Editor: J. H. Baker
Publisher: Selden Society
  1. Vol. I (SS Vol. 93)
  2. Vol. II (SS Vol. 94)

The Notebook of Sir John Port (1509–1521)

Description: The editor provides the corresponding Latin plea roll entries from CP 40 and KB 27 in the apparatus.
Editor: J. H. Baker
Publisher: Selden Society
  1. The Notebook of Sir John Port (SS Vol. 102)

Reports from the Lost Notebooks of Sir James Dyer (c. 1552–1580)

Description: A reconstruction of reports from a great Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, linking them to the official records with transcriptions from CP 40.
Editor: J. H. Baker
Publisher: Selden Society
  1. Vol. I (SS Vol. 109)
  2. Vol. II (SS Vol. 110)

The Reports of Sir Edward Coke (1572–1616)

Description: An ongoing project to re-examine Coke's famous reports and compare them to the original plea rolls, providing critical analysis and transcriptions.
Editor: David Ibbetson
Publisher: Selden Society
  1. The Reports of Sir Edward Coke, Part I (SS Vol. 133)
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