Sir William Blackstone is remembered for his

Commentaries on the Laws of England

which became the most influential legal treatise in Britain and North America for at least a century from its publication in 1765-69.

Blackstone was born in 1722, the son of a merchant. His mother was one of the Biggs of Wiltshire and Hampshire, a wealthy gentry family, a scion of which would later propose marriage to and be accepted by Jane Austen. He was educated at Charterhouse and Pembroke College, Oxford, then entered legal training in the Middle Temple in London in 1741. His election as a fellow of All Souls, Oxford, in 1743 divided his time between practicing law and giving his popular series of lectures on English law to undergraduates. At this time, the Regius Professor of Civil Law at Oxford focused

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Citation: Clark, Robert. "Sir William Blackstone". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 24 September 2007 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5115, accessed 19 March 2024.]

5115 Sir William Blackstone 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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