Bracton, Henry de (?-1268), is known as the father of English jurisprudence—the study and philosophy of law. His incomplete work, De Legibus et Consuetudinibus Angliae (Concerning the Laws and Customs of England), is one of the earliest commentaries on the history of English law. Bracton took holy orders and was a clerk in royal service. From 1245, he was a judge. In 1264, he became archdeacon of Barnstaple and chancellor of Exeter Cathedral. Historians know little else about his life.
