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common law The common sense of the community, crystallised and formulated by our forefather. Blackstone speaks of the chief cornerstone of the laws of England which is general and immemorial custom, or common law, from time to time declared in the decisions of the courts of justice; which decisions are preserved among our public records, explained in our reports, and digested for general use in the authoritative writings of the venerable sages of the law. The phrase apparently came into use at the end of the thirteenth century, when reference is found in the Year Books to la commune ley . common-law marriage, Colloquialism ( ...inaccurate but expressive : per Bridge LJ in Dyson Holdings v Fox [1975] 3 All ER 1030) referring to the relationship arising out of cohabitation as man and wife, based on an informal agreement to form a marriage relationship, but without any religious or civil ceremony. |
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See Also: Statutory Definition |