What are the main sources of English law and how do they integrate?

The English legal system represents an uncodified corpus of varying providence, one which spans several centuries of law. The various sources and their interactions are not clearly delineated as in civilian systems, but a piecemeal construct driven by pragmatism. This article will examine the four chief sources and their interactions with one-another of English law : Common law, Parliamentary Statute, Delegated Legislation and the Law of the EU (pre-Brexit). A brief consideration of a fifth source of law, statutorily incorporated law, will also be assessed, and contrasts drawn with the EU. The common law, or case law, makes the greatest contribution to the English legal corpus, and is the first source assessed. The binding judicial decisions of several centuries of judges form a huge and comprehensive body of law, and as a result of judicial decision making finds its way into every application of law made. We can identify two historic movements of the common law. The first was its anc