Quarter Sessions from Queen Elizabeth to Anne, Illustrations of Local Government and History, Drawn from Original Records

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1878. Excerpt: ... THE JURISDICTION OF THE LORD WARDEN OF THE STANNARIES IN THE TIME OF SIR WALTER RALEIGH. (read At Ashburton, July, 1876.) Reprinted from the Transactions of the Devonshire Association for the Advancement of Science, Literature, and Art. 1876. In the reign of Queen Elizabeth a conflict of jurisdiction arose between the deputy-lieutenants and justices of Devon on one side, and the officers of the Stannaries on the other. Among the county records is a copy of a letter from the Queen, Given under our signet at Nonesuch, the 27th day of June, in the 31st year of our reign, mentioning that the privileges, liberties. and immunities of the tinners and duchy tenants of Devon and Cornwall had been of late infringed by some that had intermeddled with the government of the tinners, and had by foreign authority charged and rated them for divers payments without consent of their warden. The letter proceeds to confirm in the fullest manner the ancient customs and privileges of the Stannaries, and commands that no sheriff, commissioner, or other officer whatsoever, do from henceforth muster, rate, or charge any of our tinners, or duchy tenants, or otherwise offer any grief, molestation, or disturbance to the jurisdiction of the Duchy or Stannaries; neither do convent, precept, or compel any bailiff or officer of the Stannaries, or any of the tinners or duchy tenants, to answer for any abuses arising or growing within the said Stannaries, determinable there. I should quote this letter at length, but I find that it has been already printed in Westcote's View of Devonshire, p. 87. I have found among the county records some other matters bearing upon this conflict of jurisdiction, which I propose to bring before the Association. The first is a letter from Sir W...