What is "britton"

Britton may refer to:

• Britton (law), an ancient summary of the Laws of England
• Britton (given name)
• Britton (surname)
• The standard botanical author abbreviation for Nathaniel Lord Britton

Britton is the earliest summary of the law of England in the French tongue, which purports to have been written by command of King Edward I.

The origin and authorship of the work have been much disputed. It has been attributed to John le Breton, bishop of Hereford, on the authority of a passage found in some MSS. of the history of Matthew of Westminster; there are difficulties, however, involved in this theory, inasmuch as the bishop of Hereford died in 1275, whereas allusions are made in Britton to several statutes passed after that time, and more particularly to the well-known statute Quia emptores, which was passed in 1290. It was the opinion of John Selden that the book derived its title from Henry de Bracton, the last of the chief justiciaries, whose name is sometimes spelled in the fine rolls "Bratton" and "Bretton", and that it was a royal abridgment of Bracton's great work on the customs and laws of England, with the addition of certain subsequent statutes. The arrangement, however, of the two works is different, and but a small proportion of Bracton's work is incorporated in Britton. The work is entitled in an early manuscript of the 14th century, which was once in the possession of Selden, and is now in the Cambridge University Library, Summa de legibus Anglie que vocatur Bretone; and it is described as "a book called Bretoun" in the will of Andrew Horn, the learned chamberlain of the City of London, who bequeathed it to the chamber of the Guildhall in 1329, together with another book called Mirroir des Justices.

Britton was first printed in London by Robert Redman, without a date, probably about the year 1530. Another edition of it was printed in 1640, corrected by Edmund Wingate. A third edition of it, with an English translation, was published at the University Press, Oxford, 1865, by F. M. Nichol. An English translation of the work without the French text had been previously published by Robert Kelham in 1762.

Britton is a given name. Notable people with the name include:

• Britton Chance (1913–2010), professor of biochemistry and biophysics
• Britton Chance, Jr. (1940–2012), American naval architect yacht designer
• Britton Colquitt (born 1985), National Football League punter
• Britton Johnsen (born 1979), American basketball player
• Britton Keeshan (born 1981), American mountain climber
• Britton Rice (born 1981), American musician

Britton is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:

• Andrew Britton (1981–2008), British-born American author
• Barbara Britton (1919–1980), American film and television actress
• Chris Britton (baseball) (born 1982), Major League Baseball relief pitcher
• Christopher Britton (actor), Canadian-born actor
• Cliff Britton (1909–1975), British football player and manager
• Connie Britton (born 1968), American actress
• David Britton, British publisher, writer and artist
• David Britton (basketball), American basketball player
• Elizabeth Gertrude Britton, American botanist
• Fern Britton, British television presenter
• Fionnuala Britton (born 1984), European champion in cross country
• Fred C. Britton (1889–1931) artist and educator in South Australia
• George Bryant Britton (1863–1929), English boot and shoe manufacturer and Liberal Party Member of Parliament
• Gerry Britton (born 1970), Scottish footballer and manager
• Halland Britton (1890–1975), English runner
• Helene Hathaway Robison Britton (1879–1950), owner of St. Louis Cardinals
• Ian Britton (English footballer), English footballer
• Ian Britton (Scottish footballer), Scottish footballer
• Jack Britton (1885–1962), three-time world welterweight boxing champion
• James Britton (disambiguation), several individuals
• Jane (Janie) Britton English singer, musician and songwriter
• John Britton (antiquary) (1771–1857), English antiquarian
• John Britton (doctor), assassinated abortion provider
• John Britton (martyr), English Catholic martyr, executed during the reign of Elizabeth I
• John Britton (mathematician), British mathematician
• Leon Britton (born 1982), English footballer
• Nan Britton (1896–1991), alleged mistress of U.S. President Warren G. Harding
• Nathaniel Lord Britton, American botanist
• Pamela Britton (1923–1974), American actress
• Pamela Britton (author), American author, artist, and auto racing enthusiast
• Paul Britton English musician and songwriter
• Samantha Britton (born 1973), English retired footballer
• Sherry Britton (1918–2008), American burlesque performer
• W. H. Britton, American college basketball and football coach
• Zach Britton, American baseball player