High Court of Admiralty
In the reign of Henry VIII, England’s admiralty courts were combined into the High Court of Admiralty (Elton 155). The High Court of Admiralty presided over cases that occurred out at sea (Baker 132). Although most courts in England practiced common law, the High Court of Admiralty used a form of civil law based on the
universal law of the sea(Baker 132). For an accessible overview, see Wikipedia. Records surviving from the High Court of Admiralty are held at the National Archives.
