‘That Exalted and Noble Science of Jurisprudence’: The Recruitment of Jurists with ‘Superior Qualifications’ by the Middle Temple in the Mid-Nineteenth Century

Abstract By looking at the references of those who applied for the Middle Temple Readership in Civil Law and Jurisprudence in the middle of the nineteenth century this article reveals the seriousness with which ‘a great experiment’ was undertaken in the years between 1846 and 1862. New courses were established for would-be barristers. Reformers at the Inns believed that lecturers should be chosen on merit, and the use of references in this context raised novel issues. More generally, the reformers believed barristers should know about English jurisprudence and continental traditions of legal thought. It was a lively episode in which common lawyers showed interest in the ideas of English jurists and, at the same time, looked for inspiration far beyond the shores of England. In the early years at least, it was a time of hope in legal education.