Legit imación de Iniciat ivas

4 . Putnam, 'Transformation o f the Keepers o f the P eace', 23. 5. Beard, O ffice o f J u s tic e o f the Peace. 28-30.

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W inchester, to hold in q u ir ie s by sworn in q u est o f fe lo n ie s and tr e s ­

p asses, to a rrest those in d ic te d and imprison them u n t il a d eliv ery , to impose p e n a ltie s on those who refu sed ‘to aid the keepers, to command the s h e r iff to summon ju rors, and to im prison offenders already arrested . In 1328 th e S tatu te of Northampton added only r e s p o n s ib ility over other lo c a l o f f i c i a l s and the enforcement o f a new p rovision a g a in st arms. In the commissions o f the peace of 18 May 1329 keepers were given the extra power to determine fe lo n ie s and tresp a sse s. Keepers o f co u n ties were appointed on 16 March 1332; th ey were to be aided by the keepers o f the peace and the s h e r iffs and by lo c a l o f f i c i a l s in carrying out array and

in p u rsu it o f 'su sp e c ts'. They were a lso to hear and determine fe lo n ie s and tresp a sse s. In March 1336 an agreement or 'ordinance' was made to la s t only u n t il the next parliam ent. A number o f commissions were issu ed authorizing the a rrest, in a lim ite d area, of those 'n o to rio u sly suspec­ ted* o f fe lo n ie s and m isdeeds. The parliam ent o f 23 September extended the agreement and widened i t s scope. Commissions of I 6 October fo r a ll counties included f u l l powers to hear and determ ine fe lo n ie s and tresp as­ ses.^ In 1337-8 parliam ent provided fo r th e assignment o f good and law­ f u l men to hear and determine a l l offen ces again st the p eace. This transformed 'keepers' to 'j u s t ic e s ' fo r the th ird time in Edv/ard I I I ' s

2 reign .

In 1343 parliam ent requested th at both houses be allowed to choose keepers o f the peace; th at th e j u s t ic e s be bone gents et lo ia lx , queux ne sont mye meyntenours de m alveis b a retz, m ieultz vau etz. des plu i s

1, Putnam, 'Transform ation o f the Keepers o f the P ea c e', 25-27, 29 and 31-32.

2. Beard, O ffice o f J u s tic e o f the Peace, 39; Putnam, 'Transformation o f the Keepers o f th e P eace', 34.

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sag.es e t plu i s d e sc r e tz , and de bone fame et de bone con d icion . ^ By

1348 th e comnions d ecla red 'th a t the b e st way to keep th e peace was by the e le c tio n by G-entz des Counteez o f s ix men, two magnates, two k n igh ts, and tv/o men o f law, on th e grounds th a t 'r esid en ts are b e st f it t e d to

2

deal w ith lo c a l n eed s'. As they were, by the fif te e n t h century, per­

manent resid en ts of th e ir cou n ties, th ey possessed the necessary i n t i ­ mate knov/ledge o f p eople and p la ces which f a c ilit a t e d b e tte r adm inistra­

tio n , ^

On 20 February 1350 a h ig h ly s ig n ific a n t commission fo r the develop­ ment o f the keepers of the peace was issu ed . To the u su a l cla u ses were added the power to inquire o f n eg lig en t o f f i c i a l s and to determine tr e s ­

passes, hom icides, and f e lo n ie s . The quorum was required ■f'cr* the two

la s t .^ T his marked the transform ation o f the keepers to j u s t ic e s . From 1351 they had povrer to determ ine offen ces again st the labour law s. ^

In 1361 a sta tu te was passed which gave to the ju s tic e s ju r is d ic tio n over returning so ld ie r s.^ They were given the r ig h t o f summary a rrest o f certa in oth er types o f su sp ects, and the rig h t to hear and determ ine a l l fe lo n ie s and tresp a sses.^ I t a ls o added w eigh ts and measures to th e ir ju r is d ic tio n .^ In 1362 they were to ld to take s u r e tie s from men

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