ppear for trial after a justice has
taken bail from him, a record of such shall be sent to the King.
Up to 1600, the Star Chamber heard many cases of forgery, perjury,
riot, maintenance, fraud, libel, and conspiracy. It could mete out
any punishment, except death or any dismemberment. This included
life imprisonment, fines, pillory, whipping, branding, and
mutilation. Henry VII sat on it. If a Justice of the Peace does
not act on any person's complaint, that person may take that
complaint to another Justice of the Peace, and if there is no
remedy then, he may take his complaint to a Justice of Assize, and
if there is not remedy then, he may take his complaint to the King
or the Chancellor. There shall then be inquiry into why the other
justices did not remedy the situation. If it is found that they
were in default in executing the laws, they shall forfeit their
commissions and be punished according to their demerits.
Justices of the Peace shall make inquiry of all offenses in
unlawful retaining, examine all suspects, and certify them to the
King's Bench for trial there or in the King's council, and the
latter might also proceed against suspects on its own initiative
on information given.
Perjury committed by unlawful maintenance, embracing, or
corruption of officers, or in the Chancery, or before the King's
council, shall be punished in the discretion of the Chancellor,
Treasurer, both the Chief Justices, and the clerk of the rolls.
The Star Chamber, Chancellor, King's Bench and King and council
have the power to examine all defendants, by oath or otherwise, to
adjudge them convicted or attainted. They can also be found guilty
by confession, examination, or otherwise. If a defendant denied
doing the acts of which he is convicted, he was subject to an
additional fine to the king and imprisonment. Violations of
statutes may be heard by the Justices of Assize or the Justices of
the Peace, except treason, murder, and other felony.
Actions on the case shall be treated as expeditiously in the
courts of the King's Bench and Common Pleas as actions of trespass
or debt.
Proclamation at four court terms of a levy of a fine shall be a
final end to an issue of land, tenements, or other hereditaments
and the decision shall bind persons and their heirs, whether they
have knowledge or not of the decision, except for women-covert who
were not parties, persons under the age of twenty-one, in prison,
out of the nation, or
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