Law Atlas

How The Law Decides
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme
Court

Court of King's Bench (England)

Trial and First-Instance Courts

The Court of King's Bench was a common law court in the English legal system that existed from around 1200 until 1873, emerging in the late twelfth or early thirteenth century out of the curia regis and, after traveling with the monarch, becoming permanently seated at Westminster Hall in 1318. Its jurisdiction covered criminal matters, cases involving the Crown, and general business not claimed by other courts, and it heard appeals from lower courts until 1830, while devices such as the Bill of Middlesex let it expand into civil disputes in competition with the Court of Chancery. Led by a Chief Justice, later the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, and typically three puisne justices, it was merged with the Common Pleas, the Exchequer, and the Court of Chancery into the new High Court of Justice under the Supreme Court of Judicature Act 1873, sitting for the last time on 6 July 1875 before continuing as the King's Bench Division of the High Court. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Jurisdiction Scope
Jurisdiction Scope (category)
National 1
Jurisdiction Scope
National 1
Connections

Decided

Source Armory v Delamirie (Wikipedia)
Source Entick v Carrington (Wikipedia)
Source Taylor v Caldwell (Wikipedia)

Has Member

Source Charles Abbott, 1st Baron Tenterden (Wikipedia)
Source Geoffrey le Scrope (Wikipedia)
Henry Rolle, Jurists
Source Henry Rolle (Wikipedia)
Source Hervey de Stanton (Wikipedia)
Source James Atkin, Baron Atkin (Wikipedia)
John Fineux, Jurists
Source John Fineux (Wikipedia)
Source John FitzJames (Wikipedia)
Source John Fortescue (judge) (Wikipedia)
John Hody, Jurists
Source John Hody (Wikipedia)
John Juyn, Jurists
Source John Juyn (Wikipedia)
John Knyvet, Jurists
Source John Knyvet (Wikipedia)
John Markham, Jurists
Source John Markham (judge) (Wikipedia)
Source Richard de Willoughby (Wikipedia)
Source Richard Lyster (Wikipedia)
Source Robert de Malberthorp (Wikipedia)
Source Robert Tresilian (Wikipedia)
Source Roger Brabazon (Wikipedia)
Source Roger Cholmeley (Wikipedia)
Source Christopher Wray (Wikipedia)
Source William Blackstone (Wikipedia)
Source Thomas Billing (Wikipedia)
Source Walter Clopton (Wikipedia)
Source William de Raley (Wikipedia)
Source William de Shareshull (Wikipedia)
Source William de Thorpe (Wikipedia)
Source William Hankford (Wikipedia)

In Legal System

Source Court of King's Bench (England) (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Court of King's Bench (England) (Wikipedia)
  • Introduction, jurisdiction scope
    The King's Bench was merged into the High Court of Justice by the Supreme Court of Judicature Act 1873, after which point the King's Bench was a division within the High Court.
  • In Legal System: English Law, Wikipedia lead paragraph
    Before the King Himself, was a court of common law in the English legal system. Created in the late 12th to early 1
View the Source
John FitzJames (Wikipedia)
Has Member: John FitzJames, Article text
Quote, Has Member: John FitzJames, Article text
1542) was Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench from 1526 until 1539.
View the Source
Christopher Wray (Wikipedia)
Has Member: Sir Christopher Wray, Article text
Quote, Has Member: Sir Christopher Wray, Article text
Sir Christopher Wray (1524-7 May 1592) was an English judge and Chief Justice of the King's Bench.
View the Source
William de Raley (Wikipedia)
Has Member: William de Raley, Wikipedia category: cat:Justices of the King's BenchView the Source
Roger Cholmeley (Wikipedia)
Has Member: Roger Cholmeley, Article text
Quote, Has Member: Roger Cholmeley, Article text
1485-21 June 1565) was Lord Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench from 1552 to 1553.
View the Source
Geoffrey le Scrope (Wikipedia)
Has Member: Geoffrey le Scrope, Article text
Quote, Has Member: Geoffrey le Scrope, Article text
Sir Geoffrey le Scrope (1285-2 December 1340) was an English lawyer, and Chief Justice of the King's Bench for four periods between 1324 and 1338.
View the Source
John Fortescue (judge) (Wikipedia)
Has Member: John Fortescue, Article text
Quote, Has Member: John Fortescue, Article text
1394, December 1479), of Ebrington in Gloucestershire, was Chief Justice of the King's Bench and the author of De Laudibus Legum Angliae (Commendation of the Laws of England), first published posthumously circa 1543, an influential treatise on English law.
View the Source
William de Thorpe (Wikipedia)
Has Member: William de Thorpe, Article text
Quote, Has Member: William de Thorpe, Article text
Sir William de Thorpe (died 27 May 1361) was an English lawyer who was Chief Justice of the King's Bench from 26 November 1346 to 26 October 1350.
View the Source
Richard de Willoughby (Wikipedia)
Has Member: Richard de Willoughby, Article text
Quote, Has Member: Richard de Willoughby, Article text
1290-14 March 1362) was an English landowner, politician and judge from Nottinghamshire, who was Chief Justice of the King's Bench for three periods between 1332 and 1340.
View the Source
Robert Tresilian (Wikipedia)
Has Member: Robert Tresilian, Article text
Quote, Has Member: Robert Tresilian, Article text
Sir Robert Tresilian (died 19 February 1388) was a Cornish lawyer, and Chief Justice of the King's Bench between 1381 and 1387.
View the Source
James Atkin, Baron Atkin (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributorsHas Member: James Atkin, Baron Atkin, Article text
Quote, Has Member: James Atkin, Baron Atkin, Article text
Work at the King's Bench involved him in criminal cases, which had been outside his experience as an advocate, but he established a high reputation as a criminal judge.
View the Source
Roger Brabazon (Wikipedia)
Has Member: Roger Brabazon, Article text
Quote, Has Member: Roger Brabazon, Article text
1247-13-14 June 1317) was an English lawyer, and Chief Justice of the King's Bench from 1296 to 1316.
View the Source
John Markham (judge) (Wikipedia)
Has Member: John Markham, Article text
Quote, Has Member: John Markham, Article text
Sir John Markham (died 1479) was an English judge and Chief Justice of the King's Bench.
View the Source
William Hankford (Wikipedia)
Has Member: William Hankford, Article text
Quote, Has Member: William Hankford, Article text
1350-1423), also written Hankeford, of Annery in Devon, was an English lawyer who acted as Chief Justice of the King's Bench from 1413 until 1423.
View the Source
Walter Clopton (Wikipedia)
Has Member: Walter Clopton, Article text
Quote, Has Member: Walter Clopton, Article text
Sir Walter Clopton (died 1400) was an English lawyer, and Chief Justice of the King's Bench from 1388 until his death in 1400.
View the Source
William Blackstone (Wikipedia)
Has Member: Sir William Blackstone, Wikipedia category: cat:Justices of the King's BenchView the Source
John Juyn (Wikipedia)
Has Member: John Juyn, Article text
Quote, Has Member: John Juyn, Article text
Sir John Juyn (died 24 March 1440), SL, was an English judge who served as Chief Justice of the King's Bench (1439-40).
View the Source
Robert de Malberthorp (Wikipedia)
Has Member: Robert de Malberthorp, Article text
Quote, Has Member: Robert de Malberthorp, Article text
1331/1332) was an English lawyer, and Chief Justice of the King's Bench in 1329.
View the Source
Henry Rolle (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Member: Henry Rolle, Article text
Quote, Has Member: Henry Rolle, Article text
1589-1656), of Shapwick in Somerset, was Chief Justice of the King's Bench and served as MP for Callington, Cornwall, (1614-1623-4) and for Truro, Cornwall (1625-1629).
View the Source
Charles Abbott, 1st Baron Tenterden (Wikipedia)
Has Member: Charles Abbott, 1st Baron Tenterden, Article text
Quote, Has Member: Charles Abbott, 1st Baron Tenterden, Article text
Charles Abbott, 1st Baron Tenterden (7 October 1762-4 November 1832), was a British barrister and judge who served as Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench between 1818 and 1832.
View the Source
John Fineux (Wikipedia)
Has Member: John Fineux, Article text
Quote, Has Member: John Fineux, Article text
1441-1526) was an English judge and Chief Justice of the King's Bench.
View the Source
John Knyvet (Wikipedia)
Has Member: John Knyvet, Article text
Quote, Has Member: John Knyvet, Article text
He was Chief Justice of the King's Bench from 1365 to 1372, and Lord Chancellor of England from 1372 to 1377.
View the Source
William de Shareshull (Wikipedia)
Has Member: William de Shareshull, Article text
Quote, Has Member: William de Shareshull, Article text
Sir William de Shareshull KB (1289/1290-1370) was an English lawyer and Chief Justice of the King's Bench from 26 October 1350 to 5 July 1361.
View the Source
Richard Lyster (Wikipedia)
Has Member: Richard Lyster, Article text
Quote, Has Member: Richard Lyster, Article text
1480-14 March 1554) was an English judge and Chief Justice of the King's Bench.
View the Source
John Hody (Wikipedia)
Has Member: John Hody, Article text
Quote, Has Member: John Hody, Article text
Sir John Hody (died 24 december 1441) of Stowell in Somerset and of Pilsdon in Dorset, was Chief Justice of the King's Bench.
View the Source
Thomas Billing (Wikipedia)
Has Member: Thomas Billing, Article text
Quote, Has Member: Thomas Billing, Article text
Sir Thomas Billing (died 1481) was an English judge and Chief Justice of the King's Bench.
View the Source
Hervey de Stanton (Wikipedia)
Has Member: Hervey de Stanton, Article text
Quote, Has Member: Hervey de Stanton, Article text
Hervey de Stanton (or Staunton) (1260, November 1327) was an English judge (serving both as Chief Justice of the King's Bench and as Chief Justice of the Common Pleas) and Chancellor of the Exchequer.
View the Source
Entick v Carrington (Wikipedia)
Decided: Entick v Carrington, Infobox court field: King's BenchView the Source
Taylor v Caldwell (Wikipedia)
WikipediaDecided: Taylor v Caldwell, Infobox court field: Court of Queen's BenchView the Source
Armory v Delamirie (Wikipedia)
Decided: Armory v Delamirie, Infobox court field: Court of King's BenchView the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.