Down North on the Labrador – The Court of Civil Jurisdiction 1826 to 1833. By Nina Jane Goudie (2005)

Though tied to the history of the island portion of the Province, Labrador from earliest times had its own unique legal traditions. This is hardly surprising when we recall that the law at once reflects and helps shape the society out of which it springs. From the outset, the administration of justice in Labrador had to respond to unique challenges of a mixture of cultures and languages, an immense geography and a physical separation from the island part of the colony. This was as true for Judge Paterson on his arrival in Indian Harbour, Labrador, in 1826 as it is today. Illustrations throughout.

Edward M. Archibald’s Digest of the Laws of Newfoundland (1847) Edited with Introduction and Notes by Christopher Curran (2019)

Published by newspaperman Henry Winton in 1847, Archibald’s Digest of the Laws of Newfoundland was a staple on Newfoundland judges and lawyers’ bookshelves for more than 100 years.  This reprint is a copy of an 1847 original bearing the signature of F.B.T. Carter, who served as Chief Justice of Newfoundland from 1880-1898. In addition to Archibald’s Notes and Comments on the 1824 Act and Royal Charter, Appendices 1 & 2 reproduce the August 1831 Report of the Judges of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland to His Majesty’s Government upon the Judicature Bill and the February 1832 Report of His Majesty’s Attorney General of Newfoundland on the Judicature Laws of that Colony, published here together for the first time.  Taken as a whole, the Reports and the Digest provide an insightful account of the development of the law in Newfoundland and Labrador during the early 19th century, the issues arising in respect thereof as identified by Judges and practitioners and proposed fixes.

Essays on the Legal History of Newfoundland and Labrador Before Confederation Edited by Melvin Baker, Jerry Bannister, and Chris Curran (2019)

This volume contains seven chapters canvassing a wide variety of issues. It offers a fresh perspective on the development of the law and legal institutions in Newfoundland and Labrador. Taken as a whole, the volume presents an opportunity to reflect on how far legal history has come in Newfoundland and Labrador over the past generation. Contributing authors are: Christopher Morry, Augustus Lilly, Kurt Korneski, Hans Rollman, John Cheeseman, Melvin Baker and Gerald Penney.

Includes B&W and colour illustrations and photographs.

Ireland’s Eye in Newfoundland and Labrador – Thomas Talbot’s Letter to a Friend in Ireland (1882). Edited by Melvin Baker, Christopher Curran, John Joy and Robin McGrath with an introductory biographical essay by Elizabeth Browne (2009)

Talbot, an Irish emigrant, came to Newfoundland in 1837 and was active in the public life of the colony almost from the time of his arrival. His text published first in 1832 and not now readily available, provides an insightful account of “the conditions and circumstances” of his new home on this arrival and over a period of more than 40 years and documents his various contributions to public life as an educator, writer, classical scholar, and politician throughout the period. B & W and full colour illustrations throughout.