Letters Patent - Commission of Assize [undated]

Letters Patent - Commission of Assize [undated]

Courts

Ceremonial

Letters Patent of Queen Elizabeth II empowering judges to hold Assizes.

Queen Elizabeth II

Dvora Liberman, "Custodians of continuity in an era of change:
An oral history of the everyday lives of Crown Court clerks
between 1972 and 2015," (PhD diss., London School of Economics, 2017), 287-288.

Undated, but likely reflects the form of the instrument that was in use at the time of the Assizes' abolition in 1972.

Jason Loch

ELIZABETH THE SECOND by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Our other Realms and Territories Queen Head of the Commonwealth Defender of the Faith to Our well beloved and faithful Counsellor the

Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain

Our beloved and faithful Counsellor the Lord President of Our Council

Our most dear Cousin and Counsellor the Lord Keeper of Our Privy Seal

Our well beloved and faithful Counsellor the Lord Lieutenant of the County

Our well beloved and faithful Counsellor the Lord Chief Justice of England

Our Judges for the time being of Our Supreme Court of Judicature

such of Our Counsel learned in the Law as are for the time being authorised by Our Royal Warrant or by the Warrant of Our Lord High Chancellor to be of the Commission and the Clerk of Assize and Circuit Officers of the Circuit

GREETING KNOW YE that We have assigned you and any two of you of whom one of Our Judges of Our Supreme Court of Judicature or one of Our said Counsel learned in the Law shall be one OUR JUSTICES to enquire more fully the truth by the oath of good and lawful men of Our Counties of all offences and injuries whatsoever within our said Counties and to hear and determine the premises and to deliver the Gaols of Our said Counties of the Prisoners therein being and to take all the Assizes Juries and Certificates before whatsoever Justices arraigned within Our said Counties.

AND THEREFORE WE COMMAND you that at certain days and places which you shall appoint for this purpose you and any two of you as aforesaid shall make diligent enquiries about the said injuries and offences and hear and determine the same within Our said Counties and deliver the Gaols of Our said Counties of the prisoners therein being and take all those Assizes Juries and Certificates within Our said Counties doing therein what to justice does appertain according to the laws and customs of England saving to Us the amerciaments and other things from thence to Us accruing AND WE COMMAND AND EMPOWER you to do in the execution of this Commission all things which have heretofore been lawfully done in obedience to Our Commissions of Oyer and Terminer General Gaol Delivery Assize and Association and Our Writs of Association and Si non omnes AND WE WILL that this Commission shall be deemed to be a Commission of Oyer and Terminer a Commission of General Gaol Delivery and a Commission of Assize.

IN WITNESS whereof We have caused these Our Letters to be made Patent WITNESS Ourself at Westminster

This text is taken from a transcript of the document published in a PhD dissertation so it may not reflect the formatting of the original.

The date and the warranty are missing.

This commission would be read at the opening of the Assizes. It replaced a number of discrete instruments, including Commissions of Gaol Delivery, and Oyer and Terminer as well as Writs of Association and Si non omnes. 

The commission demonstrates the complex membership of the Assizes. In addition to the judges of the Supreme Court of Judicature (i.e., the body now known as the Senior Courts of England and Wales) and the Lord Chief Justice, it included certain Queen's Counsel, the Lord Lieutenant of the county, the Lord Privy Seal, the Lord President of the Council, and the Lord Chancellor even though many of these individuals only served ex officio and would have played no role in the day-to-day running of the Assizes.

When the Courts Act 1971 abolished the Courts of Assize, new Letters Patent were issued and are now read at the start of every legal year.