Legal Definitions - justicies

Justicies

Historically, a justicies was a special type of formal written order issued by a higher court. Its purpose was to grant a local sheriff the authority to hear specific debt cases within a county court that would normally fall outside that court's usual jurisdiction.

In essence, it allowed more significant or complex debt disputes to be resolved at the local level, making justice more accessible without requiring parties to travel to a more distant royal court.

Here are some examples illustrating how a justicies might have been used:

• Imagine a wealthy landowner in medieval England who owed a substantial sum to a merchant for a large shipment of goods. The amount of the debt exceeded the typical financial limit that a local county court was authorized to handle. To avoid the time and expense of bringing the case before a central royal court, a justicies could be issued. This writ would specifically empower the local sheriff to preside over this particular debt claim in the county court, allowing the dispute to be resolved closer to home.

• Consider a scenario where a master builder was not paid for constructing a significant structure, such as a mill, for a local lord. The value of the work was considerable, placing the debt beyond the standard jurisdiction of the county court. A justicies would be directed to the sheriff, giving him the special authority to hear this specific, high-value debt case within the county court. This ensured that the builder could seek payment through a local legal process rather than a more remote and complex royal court.

• Suppose two prominent villagers had a dispute over a large loan that one had given to the other. The sum involved was greater than what the local county court was typically permitted to adjudicate. A justicies would serve as a special directive, enabling the sheriff to expand the county court's authority for this single instance. This allowed the villagers to have their case heard and decided by the sheriff in their familiar local court, streamlining the legal process for that particular debt.