Origines juridiciales, or, Historical memorials of the English laws, courts of justice, forms of tryall, punishment in cases criminal, law writers, law books, grants and settlements of estates, degree of serjeant, Innes of court and chancery also, a chronologie of the lord chancelors and keepers of the great seal, lord treasurers, justices itinerant, justices of the Kings Bench and Common Pleas, barons of the Exchequer, masters of the rolls, Kings attorneys and sollicitors, & serjeants at law / by William Dugdale, Esq. ...

Cap. XIV. (Book 14)

The County Court. (Book 14)

THis Court is also very antient, and to be held once every Month by the Shireeve, as from King Edward the eldersa 1.1 Laws appeareth—Prae∣positus quis{que} ad quartam circiter quam{que} septimanam, frequentem populi concio∣nem celebrato: cui{que} jus dicito aequabile,* 1.2 lites{que} singulas (cum dies condicti adve∣nerint) dirimito.

Every Shireeve shall convene the peo∣ple once a Month, and do equal right to all, putting an end to controversies at times appointed.

A notable instance whereof I find

in King William the Conquerours time, the said King directing his Pre∣cept to Will. de Cahannis for convening the inhabitants of Northampton∣shire, to enquire whether the Tenants to the Monks of Ramsey for lands in Isham, had paid their Rent or not: the form of which Precept, for the rarity thereof, I have here added, b 1.3 W. Rex Anglorum W. de Cahan∣nis salutem: Praecipio tibi, ut facias convenire Schiram de Hamtonia^, & judicio ejus cognosce, si terra de Isham reddidit firmam monachis S. Pene∣dicti &c.

To this Court were antiently ap∣peals made from the Hundred Court, as appears by the Lawsc 1.4 of Canutus —Et nemo namium capiat in Comitatu vel extra Comitatum, priusquam ter in Hundredo suo rectum sibi perquisierit: Si tertiâ vice rectum non habeat, eat quartâ vice ad Conventum totius Comi∣tatus quod Anglicè dicitur Scyremot &c.* 1.5 No man by a distress shall compell another to the Country Court, unless he have thrice complained in the Hun∣dred Court: But if he have not right the third time, he may then sue in the County-Court, which is called the Scyregemot.

And besides* 1.6 Regis placita & causa singulorum debita; verae Christianitatis jura were first determined here; where interesse debent Commissarii Episcopi, Comites, & Ecclesiae potestates (and the Presbyter Ecclesiae, as well as quatuor de melioribus villae were obli∣ged to attendance) qui Dei Leges, as well as seculi negotia, justâ considera∣tione desinirent: And therefored 1.7 Si∣vardas in the time of King Edgar ha∣ving made his Testament, and caused it to be written in three chirographs,* 1.8 sent it to the before-specified Aegel∣wyn the Alderman (who was princi∣pal Iudge in the County-Court) to be there approved and recorded; all Causes, whether of Perjury, Adul∣try, Tithes &c. being only there to be discussed.

Now let us see of what things the Shireeve, here, antienly held Plea: —Ad Vicecomites pertinent ista (saith e 1.9 Glanvile) Placitum de Recto, de liberis tenementis, per Breve domini Regis, ubi Caria Dominorum probatur de Recto de∣fecisse: Placitum de Nativis,* 1.10 sed per Breve Domini Regis.

Id est, It belongeth to the Shireeve to hold Plea in this Court upon a Writ of Right concerning freehold, in cases where the Lord of the Mannour (where∣in the land lyeth) hath not done justice: As also to hold Plea concerning Bond∣men; but by the Kings Writ.

VVhereunto Bracton addethf 1.11— Item in Comitatu & coram Vicecomite, placitari possunt plura Placita, in quibus Vicecomes est Iusticiarius constitutus per Breve quod justiciet; sicut de serviciis & consuetudinibus; de debitis; & aliis placitis insinitis.—Also in the County Court, and in presence of the Shireeve, many things may be tryed, wherein the Shireeve is constituted Iudg by the Kings Writ to do right; viz. of services and Customes; of debts, and other disputes without number.

And Fleta thusg 1.12—In Com••tatu verò est Curia duplex: habet enim Rex suam, & Iusticiarius suam, viz. Vice∣comes, cum delegetur ei jurisdictio per Breve &c.

—In the County there is held a two∣fold Court: for the King hath his, and the Iudg his, viz. the Shireeve when∣soever such a jurisdiction is committed to him by Writ, whereby he hath a Record, the Praecept being to him, and not to the suters of the County, that he shall proceed according to right therein. This Court also is of the nature of a Court-Baron, or the Kings, which is held in some of his Mannours, where the Shireeve is no other than a Bayliff or Fermour of the Kings, and where wrong judgments pro∣nounced by the suters, without the Shi∣reeve, are to be punished.

Most certain it is, that in the Sax∣ons time, not only causes of great moment were heard and determined in this Court, but that the Iusticiarius Angliae (who was the chief person in the Realm under the King for admi∣nistring of Iustice) fate sometimes here, as I have before instanced in Aegelwine, who was totius Angliae Aldermannus regnante Rege Edgaro: and so likewise after the Norman Conquest, for some time; though for many ages since, there hath been a discontinuance thereof: For that great tryal betwixt Lanfrank Arch∣bishop

of Canterbury, and Odo Bishop of Baycut, in the time of King William the first, for divers lands belonging to his Archbishoprick, withheld by the same Odo then Earl of Kent, was in the County-Court of Kent, at that time held at Pinen∣dene; where sate Geffrey Bishop of Constance, Iustice of England, with some other Bishops, and divers Ba∣rons, as from this following relation is very evident;—Temporeh 1.13 magni Regis Willielmi, qui Anglicum reg∣num Armis conquisivit, & suis ditioni∣bus subjugavit, contigit Odonem Bajo∣censem Episcopum & ejusdem Regis fra∣trem, multo citius quàm Lanfrancum Archiepiscopum in Angliam venire, at{que} in Comitatu de Chent cum magnâ potentiâ residere, ibi{que} potestatem non modicam exercere: Et quia illis dielus, in Comitatu illo, quisquam non erat, qui tanti fortitudinis viro resistere posset, propter magnam quam habuit potestatem, terras quamplures de Archiepiscopatu Cantuarbiriae, & consuetudines non∣nullas sibi arripuit, at{que} usurpans suae dominationi ascripsit. Postea verò non multo tempore, contigit praefatum Lan∣francum, Cadomensis Ecclesiae Abba∣tem, jussu Regis in Angliam quo{que} ve∣nire, at{que} in Archiepiscopatu Cantua∣riensi, Deo disponente, totius Angliae regni primatem sullimatum esse: ubi, dum aliquandiu resideret, & antiquas Ecclesiae suae terras multas sibi deesse in∣veniret, & suorum negligentiâ, anteces∣sorum{que} illas distributas at{que} distractas fuisse reperisset, diligenter inquisitâ, & bene•• cognitâ veritate, Regem quam citius potuit & non pigrê inde•• requisivit. Prae∣cepit ergo Rex Comitatum totum, abs{que} morâ considere; & homines Comitatus omnes Francigenas, & praecipue•• Anglos, in antiquis legibus & consuetudinibus peritos, in unum convenire. Qui, cum convenerunt apud Pinendenam, omnes pariter consederunt: Et quoniam multa placita, de dirationationibus terrarum, & verba de consuetudinibus Legum, in∣ter Archiepiscopum & praedictum Bajo∣censem Episcopum ibi surrexerunt, & etiam inter consuetudines Regales & Archiepiscopales, quae primâ die expe∣diri non potuerunt; eâ causâ totus Co∣mitatus per tres dies fuit ibi detentus. In illis tribus diebus dirationavit ibi Lanfrancus Archiepiscopus plures ter∣ras, quas tunc ipse Episcopus & homines sui tenuerunt; viz. Herebertus filius Ivonis, Turoldus de Toucet, Radul∣fus de Curvaspinâ, Hugo de Monte∣forti, cum omnibus consuetudinibus & rebus, quae ad easdem terras pertinebant; scilicet Raculfees, Sandwic, Rateburg &c. Et omnes terras illas, & alias di∣rationavit, cum omnibus consuetudinibus & rebus, quae ad easdem terras pertine∣bant, ita liberas at{que} quietas, quod in illâ die quâ ipsum Placitum finitum fuit, non remansit homo, in toto regno Angliae, qui aliquid indò calumniaretur, ne{que} su∣per ipsas terras etiam parvum quicquam clamaret: Stoke vero & Denintune reddidit Ecclesiae S. Andrae, quia de jure ipsius Ecclesiae antiquitùs fuerunt. Et in eodem placito, non solum iftas ter∣ras praenominatas, & alias terras, sed & omnes libertates Ecclesiae suae, & om∣nes consuetudines suas renovavit, & re∣novatas ibi dirationavit, socâ, socâ toll &c. Et ab omnibus illis probis & sapi∣entibus hominibus, qui affuerunt, fuit ita ibi dirationatum, & etiam à toto Comi∣tatu recordatum at{que} judicatum; quod, sicut ipse Rex tenet suas terras liberas & quietas, in suo dominico, ita Archiepis∣copus Cantuariensis tenet suas terras omnino liberas & quietas in suo do∣minico.

Huic Placito interfuerunt Goisfridus Episcopus Constanciensis, qui in loco Regis fuit, & justiciam illam tenuit, Lanfrancus Archiepiscopus, qui, ut dic∣tum est, placitavit, & totum dirationa∣vit; Comes Canciae, viz. praedictus Odo Bajocensis Episcopus; Ernestus Episcopus de Rovecestre, Agelricus Episcopus de Cicestre, vir antiquissimus, & Legum terrae sapientissimus, qui ex praecepto Regis advectus fuit ad ipsas an∣tiquas Legum consuetudines discutiendas & edocendas, in unâ Quadrigâ Ricar∣dus de Tunebrugge, Hugo de Monte∣forti, VVill. de Arces, Haymo Vice∣comes, & alii multi Barones Regis, & ipsius Archiepiscopi, at{que} aliorum Episco∣porum homines multi, & alii aliorum Comitatuum homines; etiam in tote isto Comitatu multae & magnae authoritatis viri Franciginae scilicet & Angli.

But of these, the Iudges in this Court at that time, were only God∣frey Bishop of Constance (the Iusti∣ciarius

Angliae) Egelric Bishop of Chichester, and Hamon the Shireeve of the County, as appeareth by Arch∣bishop Anselm's grant† 1.14 to the Monks of Rochester, in these words— Anselmus gratia Dei Archiepisc. Can∣tuariensis, Hamoni Vicecomiti & Gi∣leberto de To••nebregge, ac caeteris ho∣minibus, Francigenis & Anglis, salu∣tem. Sciatis, quod ego, de mandato do∣mini nostri Henrici Regis Angliae, & rogatu Gundulfi Episcopi Roffensis, concedo & confirmo Ecclesiae S. Andreae & eidem Gundulfo Episcopo, omnes terras, & Ecclesias, & libertates & consuetudines, rectitudines, & omnia maneria, quae & quas Lanfrancus Ar∣chiepiscopus, tempore VVillielmi Regis magni, de ipsius mandato, in pleno Comi∣tatu de Chent, coram Godefrido & Egelrico Constanciensi & Cice∣strensi Episcopis, & Hamone Viceco∣mite, Iusticiariis Regis assignatis, dira∣tionando evicit & recuperativit, Ecclesiae Roffae, & Episcopo Gundulso sursum reddidit & restituit; nominatim scili∣cet Stokes, cum Ecclesia; Frendesbe∣riam, cum Ecclesia &c.

And that matters of title were tryed in this Court for some time af∣ter the Norman Conquest, may seem by these instances;i 1.15 Henricus Rex Angliae Rogero Bigot & Rodulfo Passelewa salutem: mando vobis, ut faciatis Herbertum Episcopum de Nor∣wic, ita benè & justè & honorifice tenere terram suam & homines de Bruseleâ, & Alwinum filium Floteni hominem su∣um, & alios; & omnes res suas, sicut melius tenuit die qua frater meus vivus & mortuus fuit; & non sit dissaisitus nisi justo judicio Comitatus. Teste Eu∣done Dapifero apud Niweberiam.

This was in King Henry the first's time.

And in King Stephen's Raphe Picot, then Shireeve of Kent, had a tryal k 1.16 with the Monks of Canterbury, also in pleno auditu Comitatus.

That Agreements upon disputes and controversies for title of land, were also recorded here, I have seen very good testimony;l 1.17 viz. Hae est conventio facta inter Ph••lippum Abba∣tem & Conventum de Leestune tenen∣tes; & Robertum filium Rogeri de Burende Parcarium, petentem, de prato in Alringeham; quod VVillielmus de Maleville, ut dicitur, tenuit: And so after recital of the Agreement, the conclusion is thus; Haec autem con∣ventio facta est in pleno Comitatu, coram Iohanne de Cornherd, tunc temporis Vicecomite Suffolchiae; & coram istis militibus ei assidentibus; scilicet Rob. de Novill, VVill. de Gretingeham, VVill. de Henle, Ada^ de Bedinge∣feld, Rogero de Braham, Huberto de Brumford, Rogero de Horshagh, Io∣hanne de VVestham &c.

Likewise, that Bargains, and sales of land, were antiently made here, I shall exhibit an instance, of little less than five hundred years antiquity; which is, that Hawisia de Iselham, with Raphe her Husband, and Roger their ••on and heir, did pass the grant of their land of Iselham to William Rri∣wer in the County-Court of Dedon.

—Haec venditio facta fuit (saith the autograph)m 1.18 in pleno Comitatu de De∣venescire; & postea retracta & recor∣data apud VVestm. die Iovis proximâ post festum S. Lucae Evang. an. xxvi H. 2. &c.

It seems, that notwithstanding the Law of King Edward the elder (be∣fore mentioned) which appointed this Court to be kept once every Month (as I have instanced) it was afterwards held oftner, as appeareth by the Statute of Magna Charta, which restrained it to that distance of time, except antiently it had been otherwise, as for certain it had: for in 2 Edw. 6. the Actn 1.19 which posi∣tively confines it to once a Month, in∣timateth; that, in some places, it had been held but every six weeks.

That this Court was sometimes held in the Church, is to me out of all doubt, from that relation which Sim. Dunelm.o 1.20 makes of a Priest, who lay, with his wife the night before he was to sing Mass (which it seems he ought not to have done) where he saith—Quadam die multi, tam No∣biles qua••m privati &c. Upon a certain day many persons, aswell Noble as other met together (at the Church) early in the morning, to Plead, but before the Plead∣ing began, they enquired for the Priest to say Mass &c. Besides a farther testi∣mony

we have thereof from Gerv. Dorobernensis; who describing the Cathedral Church of Canterbury, in speaking of the South-Door, saith thus;p 1.21—quod ostium, in antiquorum Legibus Regum, suo nomine soepe expri∣mitur; in quibus etiam omnes quaerelas totius regni, quae in Hundredis, vel Co∣mitatibus, uno vel pluribus, vel certè in Curia Regis non possent legaliter diffiniri, finem inibi, sicut in Curia Regis summi, sortiri debere discernitur. VVhich practice was not totally left, of a long time after (as it seems) for amongst certain Ecclesiastical Constitutions made in a Synod held at Exeter in an. 1287. (15 E. 1.) by Peter de Wi∣vill then Bishop of that Diocess, it was (inter alia) decreedq 1.22—Ne in Ecclesiis vel cimiteriis earum, Mercata, vel Placita secularia teneantur. The like inhibition do I also find in a Sy∣nod held at Winchester, about that time—r 1.23 Inhibemus firmiter, ne in Ec∣clesiis aut Cimiteriis publica fiant Mer∣cata; nec propter hoc figantur Tentoria in eisdem, seu Placita secularia tene∣antur &c.

Notes

• a 1.1

  Leges Edwar∣di senioris a∣pud Lamb. cap. xi. f. 51. a.
• * 1.2

  Videsis etiam Leges Canuti cap. 17. apud Lamb. f. 108. a.
• b 1.3

  Ex R••gist. de Ramsey in Seace. pen••••s Remem. Regis.
• c 1.4

  Cap. 39. a∣pud Brompt. col. 924. Et apud Lamb. f. 108. a. n. 18.
• * 1.5

  Vide Spelm. Gloss. vocab. Comitatus Cu∣ria.
• * 1.6

  Vide lib. rub. in Seace. f. 26. inter Le∣ges H. 1.
• d 1.7

  Ex praef. Re∣gist. de Ely f. 4. b.
• * 1.8

  Vide Selden's Tir. of Ho∣nour P. 629.
• e 1.9

  Glanvile Lib. 1. cap. 4.
• * 1.10

  The Coun∣ty Court.
• f 1.11

  Bracton lib. 3. cap. 7.
• g 1.12

  Fleta lib. 2. cap. 43. (p. 94.)
• h 1.13

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 cod. MS. in bibl. Cotton. s••b ef∣figie 〈◊〉〈◊〉 A. 22. tol. 120. n.
• † 1.14

  Ex autogr. in bibl. Cotton.
• i 1.15

  Ex ipso au∣togr. in bibl. Cotton.
• k 1.16

  Ex ••et; MS. in bibl. Cotton. sub effigie Faust••nae B. 6. n. 19.
• l 1.17

  Ex Registro de Leestoa in bibl. Cotton. 38. a. b.
• m 1.18

  Ex ipso au∣togr. penès praenob. Tho. Baronem Bruse, Comi∣tem Elgin••iae. an. 1660.
• n 1.19

  Cap. 6.
• o 1.20

  Hist. G. Di∣nelm. col. 35. 7.
• p 1.21

  〈…〉〈…〉
• q 1.22

  〈…〉〈…〉
• r 1.23

  〈…〉〈…〉