Court of the Marshalsea and Court of the Verge: Plea Rolls

Plea rolls of the Court of the Marshalsea and Court of the Verge transferred from the Exchequer, Treasury of Receipt.

Both courts successively dealt with the pleas arising within the verge of the King's household, an area of twelve miles around wherever the King was resident. The records in the rolls consist of pleas of trespass arising within the verge of the King's household, or cases of contract or covenant involving members of the household, brought by bill. Except for the trial of the rebels against Henry IV in 1400, no records of Crown cases have survived, and most of the records of both courts have been lost. Those for the Marshalsea survive only for some of the years between 1316 and 1359, although it kept rolls from at least 1276 and existed until 1611; only four rolls of the Court of the Verge survive, although it existed from 1611 to 1630.

A plea roll of the Court of the Verge is in

PALA 6

The court of the Marshalsea of the Household of the sovereign of England was presided over by the steward and marshal. It was instituted to administer justice in cases involving domestic servants of the Crown occurring within the verge of the court (12 miles from the King's lodging). By the early 17th century its jurisdiction had become uncertain and in 1611 a separate Court of the Verge of the King's Palace was established by James I for cases of trespass and other personal actions where neither party was a royal servant. Due to doubts about the jurisdiction of this new court it was replaced in 1630 by the Palace Court which was set up for the trial of personal pleas and actions arising within 12 miles of the palace of Westminster which did not fall within the jurisdiction of the city of London or other liberties.