Before devoting himself to his legal career, William Rastell (1508-1565) worked as a printer himself, printing legal texts and humanist works like his father John Rastell (c. 1475–1536), a lawyer and printer who married the sister of Thomas More. Owing to his Catholic convictions, William Rastell was in exile in Louvain for a period during the reign of Edward VI . During this time he worked on a number of legal books which Richard Tottel printed for him when he returned to England during the reign of Mary I. These works included the table to Fitzherbert’s Natura Brevium, which was included in the Tottel’s new edition of 1553 and all subsequent editions, and some previously unpublished works about and by Thomas More . Tottel also printed new editions of Termes of the Laws of Englande that had first been printed by John Rastell.
A collection of entrees. Of declarations, barres, replications, reioinders, issues, verdits, iudgements, executions, proces, continuances, essoynes, and diuers other matters. Newly augmented & amended. And first an epistle, with certaine instructions necessary to bee redde for the redy finding of the matters in thys booke.
1566 English Short Title Catalogue record
1574 English Short Title Catalogue record
The Colleccion of Entrees, became a key source of precedents of pleading and court-forms in the sixteenth century.
A complete digitised copy of the 1574 edition is available from the British Library.
A collection of all the statutes, from the beginning of Magna Carta, vnto the year of our Lord (1557) which were before that year imprinted : wherunto be added the collection of the statutes, made in the fourth and fifth yeares of the reignes of King Philip and Queene Marye : and also the statutes made in the first, and fifth yeare of the raigne of oure soueraigne lady Queene Elizabeth : and first an epistle, necessarie to bee read by them that shal use this booke
1557 English Short Title Catalogue record
1559 English Short Title Catalogue record
1568 English Short Title Catalogue record
Tottel also printed several editions of Rastell’s more ambitious work, Collection of all the statutes, a very lengthy book that contained the text of all public legislation in force, abridged under alphabetical headings, with tables and catchwords. The Collection was such a valuable reference tool that it enjoyed an enormous success, and was reprinted at the end of almost every session of parliament until the 1620s.
An image of the title page of the 1559 edition available here from auction records.
Richard Tottel 