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Court leet
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The court leet was an historical court in England and Wales.
At a very early time in medieval England the Lord of the Manor exercised or claimed certain jurisdictional franchises. The most important of these was the "view of frankpledge" and its associated police jurisdiction. Some time in the later middle ages the court baron, when exercising these powers, gained the name of leet, and, later, of court leet. The quo warranto proceedings of Edward I established a sharp distinction between the court baron, exercising strictly manorial rights, and the court leet, depending for its jurisdiction upon royal franchise.[1]
The court leet was a court of record, and its duty was not only to view the pledges but to try by jury, and punish, all crimes committed within the jurisdiction. The steward of the court acted as judge, presiding wholly in a judicial character, the ministerial acts being executed by the bailiff.[1]
The court leet began to decline in the fourteenth century, being superseded by the more modern magistrates' courts, but in many cases courts leet operated until nearly the middle of the nineteenth century.[1] The courts leet survived for formal purposes until their legal jurisdiction was abolished in 1977.[2] The courts were formally abolished in 1998.[3]
- ^ a b c [Anon.] (1911)
- ^ Administration of Justice Act 1977, s.23
- ^ Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1998, Sch.1, Pt.1
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
- [Anon.] (1911) "Court Leet", Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Baker, J. H. (2002). An Introduction to English Legal History, 4th ed., London: Butterworths. ISBN 0-406-93053-8.