The Custos Brevium was an official in the English court system: in the
Court of Common Pleas
A court of common pleas is a common kind of court structure found in various common law jurisdictions. The form originated with the Court of Common Pleas at Westminster, which was created to permit individuals to press civil grievances against one ...
and
Court of King's Bench
The King's Bench (), or, during the reign of a female monarch, the Queen's Bench ('), refers to several contemporary and historical courts in some Commonwealth jurisdictions.
* Court of King's Bench (England), a historic court court of common ...
. The post was abolished by Act of Parliament in 1830.
In the Court of Common Pleas the Custos Brevium served as Chief Clerk, in charge of the officials that supported the Justices of the Common Pleas in their business.
[Baker (2003) p.127] In practice the position was a royal favour, and the actual clerking was done by the Custos Brevium's Deputy.
The Custos Brevium of the King's Bench is a much more obscure figure because he was not appointed by the King. The office of Custos Brevium of the King's Bench was combined with the
Clerk of the Treasury and
Clerk of the Warrants by the 17th century, and there is enough evidence to suggest this had probably occurred by the middle of the 15th century.
List of Custodes Brevium of the Court of Common Pleas
In the reign of Edward IV, the post was held by
John Fogge.
On the
English Restoration
The Restoration of the Stuart monarchy in the kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland took place in 1660 when King Charles II returned from exile in continental Europe. The preceding period of the Protectorate and the civil wars came to ...
of 1660, the remuneration was set at £80. The post was given to
William Thursby, who held it to his death in 1701. During much of the 18th century, to 1776, the custos was from the Lee family of the
Earl of Lichfield
Earl of Lichfield is a title that has been created three times, twice in the Peerage of England (1645 and 1674) and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom (1831). The third creation is extant and is held by a member of the Anson family.
Hi ...
,
Edward Lee, 1st Earl of Lichfield
Edward Henry Lee, 1st Earl of Lichfield (4 February 1663 – 14 July 1716) was an English peer, the son of a baronet, who at 14 years of age married one of the illegitimate daughters of King Charles II, Charlotte Lee, prior to which he was made ...
having been given the post in 1700 (?). The second, third and fourth Earls occupied the position, which had been attached to the title, and which typically brought in £1000 annually.
The post was later held by
Sir William Eden, 6th and 4th Baronet
''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...
(1803–1873).
List of Custodes Brevium of the Court of King/Queen's Bench
References
Bibliography
*
* {{cite book, last=Baker, first=J.H, title=The Reports of Sir John Spelman Vol. II, publisher=Selden Society, year=1978
Historical legal occupations