The Justices of Peace

The position of Justice of the Peace originated in England in about the 12th Century, believed to be from a Royal Edict issued by King Richard I and the Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 1195. The title was first known as Custodes Pacis, but was later changed to Justices of the Peace. An act concerning Justices of the Peace was passed in 1489. It required that justices devote part of every quarter session to acknowledgment of the areas in which they themselves are particularly weak. The same act provided the general populace with the right to complain about the actions of justices directly to the monarch or his council. The appointment of the justices by the Lord Chancellor at irregular annual intervals allowed for the possible removal of uncooperative gentlemen at the next annual re-issue of the commissions.