A History of the Common Law of Contract

Forging the Bonds: A History of Early Contract Law

The Common Law, a cornerstone of Western legal systems, thrives in its birthplace and beyond, shaping jurisprudence in the United States and across the Commonwealth. At its heart lies English Contract Law, a testament to continuous judicial refinement.

Born from the action of assumpsit in the late fourteenth century, modern contract law, a primarily nineteenth-century creation, has roots stretching back to the sixte…