Hemings, William, fl. 1860.
Hemings's Alphabetical List of Law Maxims : English Law
William Hemings, barrister of the Middle Temple, produced this work in 1860 to little fanfare; it was not mentioned in any of the common later bibliographies, nor were any of Hemings' other writings. His introduction to the work is a rambling treatise on the definition of "maxim," and hidden amidst this is his justification for compiling his list: he wanted to present the maxims with accompanied illustrations that would demonstrate the maxims' use for the modern student and their "practical bearing on the present law." The book's structure is similar to that of Branch, but Hemings does sometimes offer lengthy explanations of the maxims he translates.
Tarlton's copy of Heming's book has been bound here with Law Propositions Relating to Partnership and Vendors and Purchasers : Alphabetically Arranged, Written by the Editors of the "Law Chronicle". This 168-page work was also published by Day of London in 1860, and serves as a very specialized sort of law "dictionary."
Hemings produced several works in the 1850s leading up to his list of maxims. He edited The principles of modern conveyancing (selections from Littleton's Tenures) (1854), and wrote The New Equity Statutes and Orders of Court (1852) and Outlines of Practical Law Relating to Persons and Property (1858).
Bibliography
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