Bibliography

Rabin, Andrew, “Preventive law in early Ireland. Rereading the Additamenta in the Book of Armagh”, North American Journal of Celtic Studies 2:1 (2018): 37–55.

  • journal article
Citation details
Contributors
Article
“Preventive law in early Ireland. Rereading the Additamenta in the Book of Armagh”
Periodical
North American Journal of Celtic Studies 2:1 (2018)
North American Journal of Celtic Studies 2:1–2 (2018), Ohio State University Press.
Volume
2
Pages
37–55
Description
Abstract (cited)
This article argues that the so-called Additamenta, found on ff. 16r–18v of the Book of Armagh, may have functioned as a form of preventive law. Reading the Additamenta in this fashion suggests that the evidence they adduce to legitimize Armagh's property rights reflects those categories of claims thought most likely to prevail should the foundation's landholdings fall into dispute. As an archive of documents that both preserved and shaped institutional memory, they provided a historical frame that limited the possibility of challenges to Armagh's standing or, if those challenges did come to trial, shaped the court's perception to the foundation's benefit. Consequently, even if these documents do not necessarily reflect an ongoing charter tradition, we may still use them as case studies revealing one way in which early Irish landowners—especially those associated with ecclesiastical foundations like Armagh—utilized text and narrative to influence the progress of legal disputes.
Subjects and topics
Headings
early medieval Ireland early Irish law the church in Ireland
Sources
Texts
Manuscripts
History, society and culture
Places
Keywords
preventive law property
Contributors
C. A., Dennis Groenewegen
Page created
September 2018, last updated: June 2020