court king bench england bench reign female monarch formally known english court common law english legal system created late 12th early 13th century initially following monarch travels king bench finally joined westminster hall making travels principal common law courts common pleas king bench jurisdiction significantly challenged rise doctrines 15th 16th centuries recover king bench undertook scheme revolutionary reform creating expensive faster versatile types pleading form bills opposed traditional immediately stemming tide long term helped king bench recover increase workload steep decline business new reforms began effect king bench business significantly boosted rose good king bench common pleas suspicious new developments legal bill middlesex damaged business fighting king bench increasingly conservative way eventually reached 17th century reaching acceptable medium pleas proved downfall courts courts near identical jurisdiction little need separate bodies superior courts westminster merged supreme_court act single high court justice king bench ceased exist king bench queen bench division high_court existence king bench jurisdiction initially covered wide range criminal matters significantly reduced later business claimed courts cases concerned monarch acted court appeal pleas common pleas court resort required parliament sign decisions creation created court king bench decisions appealed expansion chamber jurisdiction king bench ceased court thanks bill westminster legal king bench gained common pleas jurisdiction common pleas remained sole place real property claims brought king bench staffed chief justice lord chief justice england wales variable number justices normally serving king bench dissolved chose retire justices high_court king bench dissolution history origins originally sole court central administrative bodies formed king court composed advisers followed king travelled country dedicated court law instead descendant concert circuits staffed judges justice country operating fixed paths certain times judges members hear cases king behalf lesser travelled king caused problems justice king went country richard spent career followed remedy central bench established initially split pleas receiving official recognition common pleas heard fixed place common law courts followed king common pleas sat westminster hall eventually known king bench king required court sit controversy original fixed court common pleas king bench chronicler recorded henry_ii learned land men land great number justices eighteen chose counsel wise men kingdom private family decreed hear complaints kingdom right depart king court remain hear complaints men understanding come question brought conclusion presented royal hearing determined king men kingdom originally interpreted foundation king bench coming existence signing later theory henry_ii decree created king bench king bench instead split common pleas later time records independent king bench come distinct plea rolls found court modern academics founding date king bench fully independent tribunal considering law reform took place edward presence king court irregular court sat independent monarch travels country visit onwards king bench fixed court followed king like king bench sat westminster hall dissolution reform 15th century traditional superiority common law courts challenged ecclesiastical courts jurisdiction lord chancellor exercised courts attractive common lawyers simple method arrest defendants bills complaint court procedure far faster steep decline number cases common law courts coinciding sharp increase cases newer courts loss business quickly recognised king bench urged develop new present king bench began reforming increase business jurisdiction tide finally turning favour recovery king bench thanks use like procedure centrally system bills prior writ issued different depending issue wished sue debt court issue individual writ action associated time delays costs ensure appeared court bills hand traditionally court officials court prisoners defendant assumed court custody presence court needed legal fiction arose wished sue debt writ issued arrested result debt actions undertaken bill detained eventually fictitious wished sue merely debt writ obtained quietly dismissed detained custody originally undertaken getting writ eventually shorter king bench retained criminal jurisdiction middlesex fictitious said occurred allowing king bench issue bill arrest known bill middlesex undermined jurisdiction normally deal civil cases advantages method bills substantially cheaper unlike tie case came court bill amended include action actions wanted enforce addition avoiding writ case substantially cheaper result substantial king bench business rose period saw substantial available common law main remedy method action case justices expanded encompass things enabled enforcement promises rendered obsolete later developments included recovery debts words previously ecclesiastical matter action case conversion reform took place lived results work took years reforms fully reverse decline business struggle common pleas reforms succeeded forming old common law courts new courts viewed suspicion highly changes king bench attempted introduce king bench revolutionary common pleas increasingly conservative attempts avoid cases king bench conservative exacerbated fact common pleas agree cut costs leaving court expensive limited king bench faster cheaper varied jurisdiction troubles period best illustrated case medieval common law claims seeking debt matters pursued writ debt common pleas problematic archaic process lawyers succeeded creating method enforced bench action technically legal fiction failing pay promising defendant committed liable conservative court court chamber began decisions king bench causing friction courts case chief justice king bench deliberately provoked common pleas bringing action higher court justices king bench vote allowing common pleas establish main contractual action death activist chief justice common pleas briefly led revolutionary struggle continued point granted respite abolished fines original hurting king bench fines reinstated attorneys common pleas carried business king bench common pleas attempted reverse pushing act parliament abolish based legal forbidding special bail case true cause action expressed process king bench got act process true court continued use legal simply ensuring true cause action expressed process regardless correct bill disclosed true cause action satisfying statute require valid complaint caused severe friction court system chief justice common pleas eventually reached compromise allowing legal common pleas king bench dissolution outcome end charles_ii reign common law courts similar jurisdiction common pleas similar processes 18th century customary speak justices courts distinguishing cases shared equally complained jurisdiction bench example originally confined pleas crown extended actions violence actions force actions walls medium legal fiction adopted purpose authority person sued custody marshal court proceeded personal cause actions degrees court drawn actions belong able obtain peculiar subject king bench jurisdiction crown pleas adopted similar course originally confined trial revenue cases means fiction everybody sued crown pay debt party pay opened doors drawn right trying cases intended placed jurisdiction purpose speech illustrate courts identical jurisdiction unnecessary create situation best judges lawyers cases eventually court body leaving near useless actions brought king bench common pleas pleas surprisingly king bench judges common pleas judges fully occupied term engaged vacation barons comparatively little occupied term vacation response report committee investigating slow pace formed given wide investigate reform courts law legal profession reports issued march july dealing formation single considered influential report disposed previous idea merging common law equity instead suggested single supreme_court capable lord chancellor lord attempted bring recommendations law act parliament trouble consulting judiciary leader conservatives controlled house_of_lords bill ran strong opposition lawyers judges particularly replaced lord september second bill introduced consultation judiciary lines far detailed act finally passed supreme_court act merged common pleas king bench body divisions courts remain king bench ceased exist holding session july king bench division high_court existence courts unified head constitutional law prevented compulsory retirement chief justices sheer chance chief justice common pleas chief baron died allowing abolition december high_court reorganised divorce admiralty division king bench queen bench division remains day lord jurisdiction misunderstanding sir england academics thought long time king bench primarily criminal court incorrect indictment tried king bench january record court ordering death penalty found halfway reign court criminal jurisdiction royal ordinance directing conspiracy cases brought king bench court judges acting commissions country history english legal institutions defines early king bench jurisdiction correct crimes amounted breach peace king courts end 14th century criminal jurisdiction declined court maintained criminal jurisdiction cases middlesex county westminster hall stood king bench main jurisdiction pleas crown cases involved king way exception revenue matters handled pleas king bench held exclusive jurisdiction cases bench act body hearing appeals circuits courts local courts court resort records sent parliament signed creation created court king bench decisions appealed expansion chamber jurisdiction king bench ceased court thanks bill westminster legal king bench gained common pleas jurisdiction common pleas remained sole place real property claims brought officials head court chief justice king bench position established 14th century onwards chief justice appointed writ latin english chief justice senior judge superior courts having superiority chief justice common pleas chief baron master rolls unlike chief justices appointed serve appointment chief justice king bench usually specify particular tenure practice ended chief justices appointed serve good behaviour initial salary year additional increase total ordinance set fixed salary increased finally peaked year pension arrangements peaking year position remains day dissolution bench chief justice instead lord chief justice england wales head wales chief justice king bench assisted work number justices king bench occasionally appointed number fluctuated considerably number fixed provisions fourth established fifth following dissolution bench remaining justices justices queen justices originally paid year increasing ordinance increased salary peaking chief justice pension arrangements formally organised starting year peaking
Court of King's Bench (England)