Changing roles of the Justices of the Peace Flashcards
How did the role of the JP work in the localities?
o By 1483 the judicial system was well-established, using a combination of central courts of law, travelling courts and local courts – main central court was the Court of King’s Bench, based in London but went on tours of the localities twice a year.
o Local officials played role in keeping law and order – JPs who were members of nobility and gentry.
o Opportunity to influence local affairs, monitored closely by monarchy who often inserted members of the Court in order to enhance central control in the localities.
o Qualification was lad worth at least 20 pounds a year, sometimes lawyers.
o Role emerged in 14th century, appointed annually with widespread powers such as:
o Deciding on cases of felony and trespass
o Arrest potential suspects
o Supervised fixing of prices and wages
o Administer poor law and control vagrants
What was the role of the JP’s under Henry VII?
o Position as usurper made him vulnerable to rebellion and rival claimants –> members of his Court as JPs.
>Sir Thomas Lovell was JP in both Yorkshire and Sussex.
o Increased the powers of the JPs:
o 1495 Act of Parliament allowed JPs to act on information received about suspects without waiting for jury to be summoned
o Given power to replace jurors who they thought to be corrupt.
o Power to inquire into illegal retaining by the nobility and examine complaints of corruption against other local officials such as the sheriffs.
BY HENRY’S DEATH I 1509 THE JUDICIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE ROLE OF THE JPS HAD INCREASED CONSIDERABLY
What was the role of the JP’s like under Henry VIII?
o Wolsey keen to improve the local justice system and the quality of JPs – 1526 summoned JPs to hear a speech asking them to fill in a 21-section questionnaire on law and order in their regions.
o Cromwell was careful to check who was appointed as a JP – JPs expected to enforce supremacy and Reformation.
CAREFUL ADMINISTRATION OF THE JPS AND JUSTICE SYSTEM
What was the role of the JP’s like under Edward/ Mary/Elizabeth?
o Socio-economic crises of the 40s and 50s led to fear of social disorder – 1552 Act of Parliament, all alehouses licensed by JPs.
o Enforcing Edward’s religious changes – 1552 ordered to enforce the Second Prayer Book.
o Elizabeth’s reign size of county benches increased – 25 under Wolsey to 40 and 50 under Elizabeth.
o By 1602 the number of JPs per county ranged from 40 to 90 members.
o Members of the local gentry had realised that becoming a JP was crucial to social and political advancement – as a result, William Cecil had to keep an increasingly close eye on the membership of the benches.
What impacts did the 1585 outbreak of war have on LL’s?
o 1585 outbreak of war – deputy Lieutenants recruited men to fight.
o By the 1580s the JPs had acquired powers to deal with new felonies introduced by the government, including riots, damage to property, with-craft and recusancy. They also had to deal with a wide range of minor offences, such as damage to crops, drunkenness, and abduction of heiresses.
o Also responsible for the administration of Tudor Poor Laws.
o Because of their local status, JPs were also often appointed to additional government commissions, such as those tasked with the assessment and collection of parliamentary subsidies
o By 1603 there were 309 Acts of Parliament which placed responsibility on the JPs, including the traditional roles from the start of the period, but also new ones brought about by religious, political and social change.
