The verge was an area of radius around the court of the

monarch of England This list of kings and reigning queens of the Kingdom of England begins with Alfred the Great, who initially ruled Kingdom of Wessex, Wessex, one of the heptarchy, seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms which later made up modern England. Alfred styled ...

, and later Britain, that was subject to special legal jurisdiction in some aspects. A Court of the Verge heard legal cases arising from within the verge or pertaining to members of the Royal Household. The Coroner of the Household held jurisdiction for the investigation of deaths within the verge. The Clerk of the Market held powers over markets held within the verge. The

Board of Green Cloth The Board of Green Cloth was a board of officials belonging to the Royal Household of England and Great Britain. It took its name from the tablecloth of green baize that covered the table at which its members sat. It audited the accounts of the R ...

originally issued

arrest warrant An arrest warrant is a warrant issued by a judge or magistrate on behalf of the state, which authorizes the arrest and detention of an individual, or the search and seizure of an individual's property. Canada Arrest warrants are issued by a j ...

s within the verge but later developed a role as a licensing authority.

Description

In mediaeval times, the English

royal court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word "court" may also be appl ...

was

itinerant An itinerant is a person who travels habitually. Itinerant may refer to: *"Travellers" or itinerant groups in Europe *Itinerant preacher, also known as itinerant minister *Travelling salespeople, see door-to-door, hawker, and peddler *Travelling sh ...

, frequently moving via royal progresses around the realm. The

Knight Marshal The Knight Marshal is a former office in the British Royal Household established by King Henry III in 1236. The position later became a Deputy to the Earl Marshal from the reign of King Henry VIII until the office was abolished in 1846. The Knig ...

, a senior member of the Royal Household, accompanied the monarch on his or her travels. The Knight Marshal carried a wand of office, known as the wand of peace or the verge wand, which signified royal justice. An area known as the verge, located within a circle of around the wand became subject to special legal jurisdiction. Some sources discussing this era state that the measurement was a circumference (or a "perimeter" or measured "round" the wand), which would give a circle of radius. Other sources state the distance was measured as a radius extending from the wand and this was the definition applied for the jurisdiction of the verge after the court was considered to have settled at London permanently. The term "verge" was also used to describe the court as a whole with individuals within it described as "vergours". It is derived from the definition of verge as a "circle or rim", as in the bounds of the jurisdiction.

Special jurisdictions

Court of the Verge

English subjects could request a hearing from the royal court for any offences committed within the verge. To hear these legal cases, a Court of the Verge was typically called by the

Lord Steward The Lord Steward or Lord Steward of the Household is an official of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom, Royal Household in England. He is always a peerage, peer. Until 1924, he was always a member of the Government. Until 1782, the offic ...

, another senior member of the Royal Household. As well as offences committed within the verge the court had jurisdiction over any cases involving members of the Royal Household. The Knight Marshal had a role in the court, taking custody of any prisoners. The court was assisted by a Clerk of the Verge. Unusually, In 1290

Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal o ...

fined himself for a

breach of the peace Breach of the peace, or disturbing the peace, is a legal term used in constitutional law in English-speaking countries and in a public order sense in the several jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It is a form of disorderly conduct. Public ord ...

after striking one of his squires on the head with a rod during the wedding festivities for his daughter

Margaret Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian. Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular througho ...

. After the royal court became fixed at London, the Court of the Verge developed into the

Marshalsea Court The Marshalsea Court (or Court of the Marshalsea, also known as the Court of the Verge or the Court of the Marshal and Steward) was a court associated with the Royal Household in England. Associated with, but distinct from, the Marshalsea Court ...

, of fixed address in

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

Coroner of the Household

The Coroner of the Household held jurisdiction over deaths in the verge. By law

county coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into the manner or cause of death, and to investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within the coroner's juri ...

s were not permitted to carry out enquiries into deaths within the verge. In practice the Coroner of the Household often worked with the country coroner to investigate deaths. After the royal court more or less became fixed at Westminster in the late sixteenth century the person appointed as Coroner of the Household was also often the coroner of

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

, the county within which the court resided, resolving most questions of jurisdiction.

Clerk of the Market

The

Clerk of the Market A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record keeping, filing, staffing service c ...

originally superintended the markets held at the gates of the residence then occupied by the king, for the purposes of supplying the Royal Household. From 1290 the clerk was authorised to travel the verge to visit other markets as the court travelled. The law required that, in the markets he visited, the clerk's preferred

weights and measures A unit of measurement is a definite magnitude of a quantity, defined and adopted by convention or by law, that is used as a standard for measurement of the same kind of quantity. Any other quantity of that kind can be expressed as a multip ...

were to be enforced. The clerk had the power to levy fines or to prevent a non-compliant market from meeting. The clerk earned a significant income from fines and bribes. By the early 17th century the clerk's jurisdiction had been extended beyond the verge but it was restricted to it again by an act of parliament of 1641.

Board of Green Cloth

The

was originally responsible for issuing

s within the verge. Into the 21st century the Board retained a role in granting liquor, betting and gaming licences in premises under the control of the

royal palaces A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

, until its abolition by the

Licensing Act 2004 A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

References

{{reflist British royal court Political history of medieval England