Law, Debt, and Merchant Power : : The Civil Courts of Eighteenth-Century Halifax / / James Muir.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter EBOOK PACKAGE COMPLETE 2016
• HerausgeberIn: Muir, James ,
• Author: Muir, James ,
• Place / Publishing House: Toronto : : University of Toronto Press, , [2016]; ©2016
• Year of Publication: 2016
• Language: English
• Series: Osgoode Society for Canadian Legal History
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (304 p.)

In the early history of Halifax (1749-1766), debt litigation was extremely common. People from all classes frequently used litigation and its use in private matters was higher than almost all places in the British Empire in the 18th century. In Law, Debt, and Merchant Power, James Muir offers an extensive analysis of the civil cases of the time as well as the reasons behind their frequency. Muir's lively and detailed account of the individuals involved in litigation reveals a paradoxical society where debtors were also debt-collectors. Law, Debt, and Merchant Power demonstrates how important the law was for people in their business affairs and how they shaped it for their own ends.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Foreword -- Acknowledgments -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Halifax, a Community of Litigants -- 3. Initiating Actions -- 4. Avoiding Trial -- 5. Going to Trial -- 6. Ending the Action -- 7. Appeals and Other Courts -- 8. Conclusion -- Appendix 1: Sources and Methods -- Appendix 2: Interpreting Occupational and Status Data -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index