justices of the peace

justices of the peace The forerunners of the justices of the peace were the conservators of the peace, first appointed in the reign of Richard I. In the 13th cent. conservators of the peace, consisting of knights and gentry of the county, served on the commissions of assize, oyer and terminer, and gaol delivery. In the reign of Edward III, they were given powers to punish offenders and in 1344 to hear and determine criminal cases. A new function was entrusted to the conservators when, after the Black Death had decimated the population, the statutes of Labourers provided for the fixing of wages by the justices.

From that time onwards, the legislature increasingly extended the role of the justices of the peace. Their judicial function remained a vital part of the administration of criminal justice. In addition to their judicial and peacekeeping duties, they were used to administer the Poor Laws and, through the quarter sessions, to oversee the whole of local government. The magistrates' courts remain a vital part of the administration of criminal justice in England and Wales, trying most criminal cases.