The Statute of Frauds, enacted in England in 1677, mandated that certain contracts, including those related to insurance, must be in writing to be enforceable. This legislation formalized the documentary basis for insurance claims and loss adjustments, enhancing legal clarity and consumer protection. The Statute of Frauds played a crucial role in the evolution of contract law and the insurance industry, establishing standards that are still relevant today.

The culture of written contracts, legal documents, and formal evidence that the Statute reinforced is the same culture that produced the English novel; Defoe, Richardson, and Fielding all engage with the materiality of documents as instruments of truth and deception.