Question: is general law the same as common law

Answer: Yes, Black's Law Dictionary 10th Ed., definition 3 is ``General law common to a country as a whole, as opposed to special law that has only local application.'' From at least the 11th century and continuing for several centuries after that, there were several different circuits in the royal court system, served by itinerant judges who would travel from town to town dispensing the King's justice in ``assizes''. The term ``common law'' was used to describe the law held in common between the circuits and the different stops in each circuit. The more widely a particular law was recognized, the more weight it held, whereas purely local customs were generally subordinate to law recognized in a plurality of jurisdictions.