Our Legal Heritage: King AEthelbert - King George III, 600 A.D. - 1776: June 2011 (Sixth) EditionReilly, S. A.
History
Our Legal Heritage: King AEthelbert - King George III, 600 A.D. - 1776: June 2011 (Sixth) Edition
Reilly, S. A.
Law -- England -- History
The royal household translated the royal will into action. In the early
1100s, there had been very little machinery of central government that
was not closely associated with the royal household. There was a Chief
Justiciar for legal matters and a Treasurer. Royal government was
largely built upon what had once been purely domestic offices. Kings had
called upon their chaplains to pen letters for them. By Henry II's
reign, the Chancery was a highly efficient writing office through which
the King's will was expressed in a flow of writs, and the Chancellor an
important and highly rewarded official, but he was still responsible for
organizing the services in the royal chapel. Similarly, the chamberlains
ran the household's financial departments. They arranged to have money
brought in from a convenient castle treasury, collected money from
sheriffs or the King's debtors, arranged loans with the usurers, and
supervised the spending of it. It was spent for daily domestic needs,
the King's almsgiving, and the mounting of a military campaign. But they
were still responsible for personal attendance upon the king in his
privy chamber, taking care of his valuable furs, jewels, and documents,
and changing his bed linens. There were four other departments of the
household. The steward presided over the hall and kitchens and was
responsible for supplying the household and guests with food supplies.
The butler had duties in the hall and cellars and was responsible for
the supply of wine and ale. The marshall arranged lodgings for the
King's court as it moved about from palaces to hunting lodges, arranged
the pay of the household servants, and supervised the work of ushers,
watchmen, fire tenders, messengers and huntsmen. The constable organized
the bodyguard and escorts, arranged for the supply of castles, and
mustered the royal army. The offices of steward, constable, chamberlain,
butler were becoming confined to the household and hereditary. The
Justiciar, Chancellor, and Treasurer are becoming purely state offices.
They were simply sold or rented, until public pressure resulted in a
requirement of ability.
Henry's council included all his tenants-in-chief, which included
archbishops, bishops, abbots, priors, earls, barons, knights and socage
tenants of the crown, whether they made payments directly to him or
through a sheriff. The higher ones were served with a writ addressed to
them personally. Knights and below were summoned by a general writ to
the sheriff.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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