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Early Stuart Courts Leet: Still Needful and Useful

1990; University of Toronto Press; Volume: 23; Issue: 46 Linguagem: Inglês

1918-6576

Walter J. King,

Historical Economic and Social Studies

Research of the past twenty years has corrected the view that post-medieval leets were decadent and has demonstrated that many Tudor leets remained active and powerful. This article attempts to demonstrate that several early Stuart leets were not decadents, but still exercised jurisdiction over many misdemeanors and satisfied the desire and need for local, inexpensive, neighbourly justice. Given the local character of early Stuart society, and the dependence of justices upon inferior officers, courts leet were needful and useful.