The Cinque Ports {7} have their own coroner. The Dean and Chapter of
Westminster have their own coroner, who by their appointment, is coroner
of the city and liberties of Westminster. The Wardens are coroners of
the Stannaries in Cornwall. The Master of the Crown Office, or Clerk of
the Crown, is Coroner of the Queen’s Bench, and has jurisdiction over
matters arising within the prison of that court and Marshalsea. He holds
his office by letters patent, under the great seal. In addition to
which, there are many exclusive jurisdictions and corporations, for which
coroners are appointed.
In each of the twelve shires, in Wales, and Cheshire, &c. there are only
two coroners, which are settled by stat. 33 H. 8, c. 13 and 34 H. 8, c.
26.
But the two principal jurisdictions over which by the King’s grant,
coroners may be appointed, are those of the Admiralty and the Verge.
At common law, if any felonies or treasons were committed within any
creek or arm of the sea, which was in the body of the county, the common
law courts had jurisdiction; but by stat. 15 Richard 2, c. 3, it was
provided, that in “case of the death of a man or mayhem, done on great
ships hovering in the main stream of great rivers only beneath bridges
nigh to the sea, the admiral shall have cognizance of the same rivers.”
It is said that his jurisdiction extends only to rivers that are arms of
the sea, namely, that flow and re-flow, and bear great ships. When the
haven, &c. is within the body of the county, the common law tribunals
have a concurrent jurisdiction, and the Coroner of the County as well as
of the Admiralty, may take inquisition of deaths, &c. happening there.
Therefore, when a man-of-war was _infra corpus comitatus_, the land
coroner was holden to have jurisdiction; and if the captain refuse the
coroner admission, on board, the court will grant an information.
Again the Admiralty jurisdiction extends only to such deaths, &c. as
happen in great ships, and not to such as occur in small vessels.
When the jurisdiction of the County and of the Admiralty is concurrent,
the coroner who first seizes the body, is entitled to take the
inquisition; and if he proceed to do so, the authority of the other is
determined.
The other great jurisdiction is the Coroner of the King’s House, usually
called the Coroner of the Verge, who it seems anciently was appointed by
the King’s letters patent, but by stat. 33 H. 8 c. 12, the granting
thereof, is settled in perpetuity in the Lord Steward, or Lord Great
Master of the King’s house for the time being.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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