Until it's end as a separate tribunal in 1875, the King's Bench was
both the highest English common law court and
one of the ancient courts of England, dating back - both in character and
in the essence of its jurisdiction - to the time of the (Saxon) King Alfred
of the Great (who reigned from April 23, 871 to October 26, 899).
The King's Bench was substantively reorganized in 1215, as part of the
terms of the Magna Charta (see left), at which time it took its (permanent) seat
in Westminster Hall, where it would remain for the next six and a half centuries.
From our perspective, though, the most germane and relevant aspect of the King's Bench
was described succinctly by the noted English jurist William Blackstone.
We quote from his celebrated
Commentaries of 1765-1769:
"Thus, for example, that there shall be four superior courts of record, the chancery,
the king's bench, the common pleas, and the exchequer;"
--William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England, Introduction, Chapter 3, p. 68.
It is this concept of a "
court of record" that will prove to be of greatest
interest for us here on this Web site, and which will form the main focal point for many of our
investigations.
