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. XLI.

Serjeants at Law.

THese were, long since called Narratores, in Latine; and Countors in French; id est Pleaders, as that notable Treatise, called the Mirroura of Iustices sheweth: which Book, if it be so old as Sir Edw. Coke b conceiveth, will prove them to be of greater Antiquity than eleven hun∣dred years. But setting that testimo∣ny aside, it is sure enough, that this Degree of Lawyers is very antient; for tis evident, that the Statutec of Westminster the first (which was in 3 E. 1.) makes mention thereof;

—Purvieu est, que si ul Serjeant Countor, ou auter, face ul maner de desceit, ou de collusion en Court le Roy &c. et de ceo soit attaint, eit la pri∣sonement d•• un an et un jour, et ne soit oy en Court le Roy &c. id est.

—It is provided also, that if any Serjeant Pleader, or other, do any man∣ner of deceit or collusion in the Kings Court, &c. and thereof be attainted; he shall be imprisoned for a year and a day; and thenceforth not be heard to plead in that Court for any man: And that Tho∣mas de Weylaund, Iohn de Metingham, Iohn de Cobbeham, and Elias de Beking∣ham (soon after Iustice of the Court of Common Pleas) being then the King's Serjeants had Pensions assign∣ed d them out of the Exchequer for that their Service.

And if my authoritye mistake not, of the same degree, about that time, was Iohn de Lyte, owner of Lyte's Carey in Com. Somerset, who lying there buried, with his Portraiture in a Coyfe hath this Epitapth. Iohn de Lyte, & Amy sa femme; Pater Noster Ave Amen.

And we find; that, in 3 E. 2. Ro∣ger de Scotre and Edmund Passelegh, were, by special Writ assigned to be the King's Serjeants—Serjeants as∣signes as plees le Roy et a ses besoines, saith the Recordf: In which em∣ployment, both they and their suc∣cessors gained such high esteem, that, from 20 E. 3. those, who were then in that place (viz. Rob. de Thorpe and Henry de Grene •• had Summons g to Parliament, to sit amongst the Iustices of both Benches: and were specially exemptedh from serving on those eminent Tryals called the grand Assize, but where there were no Knights in the County: which shew∣eth, that their rank and place was lit∣tle inferior to that degree of Honour. Whereunto Sir Edward Coke addeth; that they precede those who sit on an high Bench in VVestminster-Hall; id est Masters of the Chancery.

It should seem that this state and degree of Serjeant, considering their grand Feasts made at the reception thereof (whereof I shall give instance by and by) and the large reti∣nue for attendance they then had, was antiently so chardge∣able, as that the learned in the Laws were not then very for∣ward to it upon them; inso∣much as the Kings of this Realm became necessitated to require them thereunto by a special Writ of Summons: The first of which VVrits (where∣with I have met) was in 6 R. 2. unto Iohn Cary, Edmund Clay, and Iohn Hille: Howbeit after that time, several others had the like VVrits, as in my Chronolo∣gick Tables will appear; but not at their own seeking, as it seems by this following instance of Iohn Martyn,

William Babington and others, who declining to take upon them that de∣gree and state, being called by VVrit i in 3 H. 5. had a complaint made against them in the Parliament of 5 H. 5. whereupon they were com∣pelled thereto, as by the Roll of that year (a Copy whereof I have here added) appeareth.

k L'assurance de ceux qi sont nomez d'estre Serjeants de la Ley.

FAit assavoir, qe combien sur grande compleinte fait a nostre tressove∣rain seignieur le Roy, de ceo qe les gentz de Roialme en lour suites, matiers, et causes moevez et pendantz en les Courtz n'eussent si bene esploit come ils soleient avoir, per cause de si petit nombre qe y fuit des Serjeantz de la Ley, a tresgrande desayse, meschef, et damage de son peo∣ple. Et nostre dit soverain Seigneur voillant oustier tieux meschiefs et da∣mages, per advise de son con seil, fist ap∣peller longe temps passee, certeins Ap∣prentices de la Ley, et lour fist enjoindre estroitement de prendre l'estat de Serjant, pur l'ayse et seurtee de toutz ceux q'avoient affaire en ses courtz avant∣ditz; cestassavoir Iohn Martyn, Wil∣liam Babington, VVilliam Pole, VVilliam VVestbury, Iohn Ivyn, & Thomas Rolfe; nient mains ne ont ils pas ceo mys en execution, come l'onoura∣ble et puissant Prince, le Du•• de Bed∣ford, Lieutenant du Roy ad, per uraie enformation ore entendu; mesme le Lieutenant, eiant a tout ceo consi∣deration, del assent des seigueurs Espi∣rituelx et Temporelx assemblez en ceste present Parliament, fist venir devant eux illeoques en Parlement, le xxiiii. jour de Novembre, de fuit le viii. jour de mesme le Parlement, lez dits Apprenti∣ces, et eu•• enjoint de per le Roy sur grande peine, de lour haster a la prise de tiel estat, sanz ascun delaie. Et puis, cestassavoir le quint jour de Decembre, qe fuit le xx. jour du dit Parlement, viendrent mesmes ceux Apprentices de∣vant les ditz Lieutenant et seigneurs en Parlement, et prierent de grace q'ils pur∣roient estre respitez celle partie, tan{que} a le Terme de la tresseinte Trinite pros∣chein avenir, et promistrent et asseure∣rent de la perfourmer a celle temps sanz outre delaie ou excusation qecon{que} Sur∣quoy et bone deliberatione suz certeins c••uses et matiers, per mesmes ceux Ap∣prentices, devant eux monstrez et decla∣rez, le dit Lieutenant, del assent avant dit, l'avoit admys et grauntee come ils ont desirez, issint q'ils esterront a le grace de Roy, s'ils ne le perfourment come ils ont promys et asseurez.

Having thus briefly pointed to the Antiquity of this degree, I now come to the form and solemnity of their Creation thereto: wherein, first, I shall take leave to transcribe, what the learned Sir Iohn Fortescu (Lord Chief Iustice of the Kings Bench in H. 6. time) hath exprest in that ex∣cellent Treatise of his De Laudibus Legum Angliae, written in France in the time of his expulsion, and dedica∣ted to Edward Prince of Wales, whose Chancellour he then was: Then add some few and brief notes on such their Creation; and afterwards sub∣joyn what I have met with from good authorities, touching the manner thereof in succeeding times: and lastly exhibit some notable instances touching the magnificence of their Feasts.

Notes

• a

  〈…〉〈…〉
• b

  〈…〉〈…〉
• c

  Cap. 2••.
• d

  Lib. 3. E. 1. m. 2.
• Cap. 41.
• e

  ••nd. MS. pene••s 〈◊〉〈◊〉. Boothe interio∣ris Templi ••••∣cium.
• f

  Claus. 3 E. 2. in dorso in. 21.
• g

  Claus. 20 E. 3. p. 2. m. 22. in dorso.
• h

  Mich. 22 E. 3. 18. f. Chal∣le••ge. Hill. 26 E. 3. 57. fol. Droit 37.
• See the Statute of S H. 6. Cap. 4. wherein it is observable, that upon the restraint un∣to Knights and others of less degree, for give∣ing Liveries to others than their own meni∣al Servants, the Ser∣jeants at Law were ex∣empted.

  So also by the Sta∣tutes of 1 H. 8. Cap. 14. & 7 H. 8. Cap. 7. they were at liberty for the quantity of Cloth in their Gowns, others, under the de∣gree of a Knight, being limitted.
• i

  Claus. 3 H. 5. m. 20.
• k

  Rot. Parl. 5 H. 5. n. 10.
• Serjeants at Law.