Justices of the Peace

From the fourteenth century justices for each county in England were given power to bring cases before the court and hear them. This system was introduced to Powys with the setting up of Quarter Sessions for each of the three old counties of Montgomeryshire, Radnorshire and Brecknock in the sixteenth century. Over the years the legal and civil responsibilities of the justices grew and thus the number of justices needed in each county. Among their duties were -

Like the jurors, justices had to meet a property qualification. They had to swear on oath that their estates were worth at least �100 a year and thus could only be appointed from the propertied classes only.


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Text and documentation supplied by Powys County Council Archive Department