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. LVI. (Book 56)

Innes of Chancery. (Book 56)

THese were so called, as Iustice Fortescu, in the same book saith; a 1.1 quia Studentes in illis, pro eorum parte majori juvenes sunt &c. because the Students in them are, for the greater part, young men, learning the first ele∣ments of the Law; and becoming good proficients therein, as they grow up, are taken into the greater Hostells, which are called the Innes of Court.

Now, that these Hostells did then consist of such young men, is appa∣tent enough from this testimony of the same Fortescue: but the reason why they were called Innes of Chan∣cery seemeth to have been from ano∣ther ground; viz. because they were antiently Hospicia for the Clerks of the Chancery. And if that Inne of Chancery situate neer St. Andrews Church in Holburne, now called Da∣vyes, or Thavyes Inne, be the same which is mentioned in the Fine Rolle of 11 E. 3. (as some judicious per∣sons do think it is) considering the little difference betwixt Travers and Thavye in pronunciation, it will then be out of doubt: Of which Record, to the end the cleerer judgment may be given, I have here inserted a true Copy.

b 1.2 Rex omnibus ad quos &c. Sciatis, quod de gratiâ nostrâ speciali commisimus dilectis Clericis nostris de Cancella∣riâ, Thomae de Elingham, & Ro∣berto de Kettleseye, illas domos, cum pertinentiis, in parochiâ S. Andreae in Holburne, in suburbiis London, quae fuerunt Iohannis Travers defuncti; & quae, pro debitis & Compotis, in quibus idem Iohannes nobis tenebatur die quo obiit, tam de tempore quo fuit Con∣stabularius noster, & dilecti Edwardi nuper Regis Angliae patris nostri Burde∣galiae, quàm aliunde, in manu nostrâ ex∣istunt: Habendos & tenendos eisdem

Thomae & Roberto,* 1.3 & eorum alteri, quamdiu illas in manu nostrâ, vel haere∣dum nostrorum, occasione debitorum & Computorum praedictorum, nobis vel hae∣redibus nostris praedictis non redditorum contingerit remanere. Reddendo &c. duas marcas per annum &c. In cujus &c. Teste Custode Angliae apud Winde∣sore 8••. die Septembris.

In the said Hostells (viz. the Innes of Court and Chancery) there are these ranks and degrees of Students, as Sir Edw. Cokec 1.4 observes;

First Mootemen, which are those that argue Readers Cases in Houses of Chancery, both in Terms, and in grand Vacations.

And that out of these, after eight years study, or thereabouts, are cho∣sen Utter-Baristers.

That, out of Utter-Baristers, after they have been of that degree twelve years at least, are chosen Benchers, or Ancients: Of which one that is of the puisne sort Reades yearly in Summer Vacation; and one of the Ancients, that hath formerly read, reades in Lent Vacation, and is called a Double Reader; it being commonly, betwixt his first and second Reading, about nine or ten years: out of which Double Readers, the King makes choice of his Attorney, and Sollicitor general; his Attorney of the Court of Wards and Liveries, and his Attorney of the Dutchy. And of these Readers are Serjeants elected by the King; and out of them the King electeth two or three, as he pleaseth, to be his Serjeants: And out of them are the Iudges chosen.

Having said thus much, in general, touching the antiquity of our Ho∣stells for Students of the Laws, I come to the particular Houses of these Societies.

Notes

• a 1.1

  Cap. xiix.
• b 1.2

  Rot. Fin. 11 E. 3. p. 2. m. 14.
• * 1.3

  Innes of Court and 〈◊〉〈◊〉
• c 1.4

  〈…〉〈…〉