Skip to Main Content

English Medieval Legal Documents Database

A Compilation of Published Sources from 600 to 1535

Palatine Courts

These were special jurisdictions in which the King's writ did not run. The Palatinate of Chester was a portion of the Earldom of Chester, the Palatinate of Durham was presided over by the Bishop of Durham, and the Duchy of Lancaster was created from the Earldom of Lancaster, when the Earl became Duke in 1351. Each palatinate had its own administration and kept its own records. The published sources are listed in Graves' 1975 bibliography(29). Only the published plea rolls of the courts are listed below.

29. Graves, Edgar B., and Charles Gross, comps. A Bibliography of English History to 1485: Based on The Sources and Literature of English History From the Earliest Times to About 1485 by Charles Gross. Oxford, Eng.; New York: Clarendon Press, 1975 at pp.475-80.

Palatine Courts

USC Digital Accessibility