Willis: Anglo-American Law 
195 
Rolls Series, Horwood and Pike (1337-1346). 
Selden Society (1307-1314). 
3. From the Year Books to the Law Reports. 
From the beginning of the sixteenth century there has been no 
lack of law reports in England, but not all reports have been of equal 
worth; indeed they vary in merit from excellent to worthless. . . . 
A full list of English reporters may be found in Hicks, 111 pp. 535-547, 
in Cooley, Brief Making and the Use of Law Books, 51-59, and in 
numerous other places, so that they will not be set down here.’ Suffice 
it to say that it seems to be generally agreed that of the earlier common 
law reports the following are of excellent authority: Dyer, Plowden, 
Coke, Parts 1-11, Croke, Yelverton, Hobart, and Saunders; the follow- 
ing very good: Moore, Willes, Foster, and Wilson; the following good: 
Anderson, Leonard, Davies, Rolle, 0. Bridgeman, Sir T. Jones, Lord 
Raymond, Parker; the following from poor to worthless: Noy, Coke, 
Parts 12, 13, Godbolt, Gouldsborough, Popham, Lane, Ley, Hutton, J. 
Bridgeman, Latch, Hetley, Aleyn, Siderfin, Keble. Modern excepting 
volumes 2, 6, and 12, Comerbach, Salkeld, volume 3, Gilbert, Cases in 
Law and Equity, Fitzgibbon, W. Kelynge, Sayre. From Burrow on, 
most of the reports, except Lot, the eighth volume of Taunton, and 
Anstruther, have been of good repute. Most of the early Chancery 
reports are poor; not till Peere Williams (1695-1736) is there a clear 
and accurate reporter. Cox’s reports (1783-1796) are the next worthy 
of much commendation; thereafter the chancery reports are generally 
satisfactory, ranging from fair to excellent. 
4. The Law Reports. 
Since 1865 the Law Reports have been published by the Incorporated 
Council of Law Reporting, a private institution, not under government 
control. The reporters are employed and paid by this corporation but 
are appointed with the approval of the judges; and their reports are not 
published until after approval or revision by the judges. From 1866 to 
1875 the reports were issued in three series as follows: 
a. Appellate, consisting of English and Irish Appeal cases be- 
fore the House of Lords, Scotch and Divorce Appeals be- 
fore the House of Lords, and Privy Council Appeal Cases. 
b. Chancery, consisting of Chancery Appeal Cases, including 
Bankruptcy and Lunacy, and Equity Cases before the 
Master of the Rolls and before the Vice-Chancellors. 
c. Common Law, consisting of Admiralty and Ecclesiastical 
Cases, Common Pleas Cases, Exchequer Cases, Queen’s 
Bench Cases, and Probate and Divorce Cases. With each 
section were reported Cases on Appeal from the court in 
question; thus, in Queen’s Bench Cases were included cases 
in the Exchequer Chamber on Appeal from the Court of 
Queen’s Bench. 
These three series with their subdivisions made ten sets of re- 
ports. By the acts of 1873 and 1875 the Supreme Court of Judicature 
Hicks, Materials and Methods of Legal Research. 
