
As an Amazon Associate and affiliate partner, Menrva Books earns from qualifying purchases. Learn more
The Story of Nuncomar and the Impeachment of Sir Elijah Impey (1885) examines some of the most controversial events of 18th century English colonial legal history from the point of view of Victorian England's most important legal authority. An experienced barrister, journalist, Legal Member of the Governor-General's Council in India, author of the inaugurative and consolidatory History of the Criminal Law of England (1883), and, finally, a justice on the Queen's Bench, Sir James Fitzjames Stephen argues that far from being the victim of a judicially-engineered execution, Nuncomar (a powerful Indian accused of forgery and conspiracy) received a fair trial from Sir Elijah Impey, Chief Justice of the newly-formed Supreme Court in Bengal, and from his brethren. In mounting this argument, Stephen explicitly challenges the long-held judgments of Nuncomar, Impey, and Warren Hastings that had been pronounced earlier in the century by Stephen's mentor, the influential historian Thomas Babington Macaulay, and accepted thereafter. This new edition of Stephen's text (the first since the work was published more than a hundred years ago) includes a detailed introduction, table of dates, glossary, and a fully augmented index, as well as extensive explanatory notes. This apparatus offers important contextual information that not only supports scholars who undertake work on this historical period but also allows a wider readership to understand more fully Stephen's complex and provocative text.
Does the historical record regarding the trial of Nuncomar and the conduct of Sir Elijah Impey require a fundamental reassessment based on Victorian legal standards? Lisa Rodensky presents a critical edition of Sir James Fitzjames Stephen's 1885 work, which challenges the prevailing historiography established by Thomas Babington Macaulay. Stephen, a prominent Victorian jurist and legal historian, utilizes his extensive experience as a barrister and judge to argue that the execution of Nuncomar was a product of a fair judicial process rather than a political conspiracy. Rodensky provides the necessary scholarly apparatus to situate Stephen's provocative defense within the broader context of 18th-century British colonial administration in India.
What You Will Find
Scholars recognize this edition as a vital resource for understanding the evolution of British legal thought regarding colonial governance. The text is noted for its academic rigor and its success in making a dense, century-old legal argument accessible to modern researchers.
Page Count:
416
Publication Date:
2013-12-31
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0199236186
ISBN-13:
9780199236183
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!