This volume includes judgments from the years 1733–1741 and is published by the National Archives of Iceland and Historical Society of Iceland.

The cases that came before the court were varied, but many involved accusations of negligence or abuse of power by sheriffs. In some instances, long-standing animosities were behind the lawsuits, while in other cases, misfortune struck unexpectedly, such as in the manslaughter case of Ásmundur Þórðarson from Skagafjörður County.

A stepfather and stepdaughter were prosecuted for incest in Dalasýsla, a respected man in Húnavatnssýsla spent the summer in a shed after being denied tenancy on his property, and another young man in the same county was disinherited for laziness. The appeal process for many of these cases to the High Court was unconventional, and the court’s operations underwent various changes during these years.

The book’s publication will be celebrated on Law Day 2024, where for the first time, a legal history seminar will be held in collaboration with the Historical Society, dedicated to the High Court in Iceland, which operated from 1563-1800. The seminar is titled “Fist fights, Insults, and House Arrest at the Home of the District Judge - The High Court in the 18th Century.” The seminar will be chaired by Viðar Pálsson, Associate Professor of History at the University of Iceland, with presentations by Þorsteinn Magnússon, Judge at the District Court in Reykjavík, and Ragnhildur Hólmgeirsdóttir, Historian, Archivist at the National Archives of Iceland, and one of the editors of the High Court in Iceland series.

Law Day is organized by the Icelandic Bar Association, the Icelandic Lawyers’ Association, and the Icelandic Judges’ Association.

The book is available in the major bookstores and on the Historical Society‘s website of Iceland here.