 The Court heard references from the King's Bench, the Court of Exchequer and, from 1830, directly rather than indirectly from the Court of Common Pleas.It was constituted from four judges belonging to the two courts that had been uninvolved at first instance.In cases of exceptional importance such as the "Case of Mines" (1568) and "R v Hampden" (1637) twelve common law judges, four from each division below, sitting in Exchequer Chamber, might be asked to determine a point of law, the matter being referred by the Court hearing the case rather than the parties.