This final chapter examines the early Stuart period in the years leading to the Civil War. This ending point, though necessarily arbitrary, has been chosen because of the entwinement between centralised royal power and the origins of the common law described in previous chapters means that it can be said that the common law had reached a level of maturity when it was able to survive for an extended period of time without a monarch. The Civil War further provides an appropriate conclusion to our survey given that it was the culmination of the conflicts between the king and his advisers, which date back centuries to Magna Carta and beyond. The chapter explores this final time period by exploring the work, behaviour and legacy of Sir Edward Coke, who has been likened to the Shakespeare of the law, and who is often seen as the bridge between the medieval and the modern laws.

Until 1919, women were barred from becoming barristers or solicitors. With the passing of the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919, Helena Normanton made legal history on 24 December 1919 (the day after the Act was passed) by becoming the first woman to join an Inn of Court, the Middle Temple. Her milestone entry marked women’s formal entry to the legal profession. But what do we actually know about that history? The stories of Gwyneth Bebb and Helena Normanton have been recorded, but the struggle was wider than just two individuals. They were not lone agents of change. This chapter argues that women’s entry to the Bar was achieved through women’s networks and connections, a history that has not yet been recorded.