Ferdinando Pulton (1536–1618) was an English legal writer, the first to attempt a comprehensive book treating

criminal law Criminal law is the body of law that relates to crime. It proscribes conduct perceived as threatening, harmful, or otherwise endangering to the property, health, safety, and Well-being, welfare of people inclusive of one's self. Most criminal l ...

. This was his ''De pace Regis et regni'', first published in 1609. Pulton belonged to

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...

, but he was a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

, so that at that time a legal career was denied to him. He was a student at Christ's College, University of Cambridge. He wrote also a ''Collection of Sundrie Statutes'' (1618). This is credited with making the term ''

Star Chamber The court of Star Chamber () was an English court that sat at the royal Palace of Westminster, from the late to the mid-17th century (), and was composed of privy counsellors and common-law judges, to supplement the judicial activities of the ...

'' common in use. Earlier works were his ''Abstract of all the Penal Statutes'' (1577) and ''A kalender, or table, comprehending the effect of all the statutes'' (1606). He resided in

Bourton, Buckinghamshire Buckingham ( ) is a market town in north Buckinghamshire, England, close to the borders of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire, which had a population of 12,890 at the 2011 Census. The town lies approximately west of Central Milton Keynes, so ...

References

* ''Concise Dictionary of National Biography'' *

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pulton 1536 births 1618 deaths English legal writers 16th-century English writers 16th-century English male writers English Roman Catholics