A
clerk of the peace was a
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
office whose responsibility was the records of the
Quarter SessionsThe Courts of Quarter Sessions or Quarter Sessions were periodic courts held in each county and county borough in England and Wales until 1972, when together with the Courts of Assize they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court of England and Wales.The...
and the framing of presentments and indictments. They had legal training, so that the could advise the
justice of the peaceA justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice and deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
. hearth tax returns were lodged with the clerk of the peace between 1662 and 1688. The role was established by 1380 and may have existed before that.
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A
clerk of the peace was a
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
office whose responsibility was the records of the
Quarter SessionsThe Courts of Quarter Sessions or Quarter Sessions were periodic courts held in each county and county borough in England and Wales until 1972, when together with the Courts of Assize they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court of England and Wales.The...
and the framing of presentments and indictments. They had legal training, so that the could advise the
justice of the peaceA justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice and deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
. hearth tax returns were lodged with the clerk of the peace between 1662 and 1688. The role was established by 1380 and may have existed before that.
"Clerks of the peace" also exist in the State of
DelawareDelaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The state takes its name from Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, a British nobleman and Virginia's first colonial governor, after whom Cape Henlopen was originally named.Delaware is located in...
, where they are primarily responsible for issuing marriage licenses, except in Kent County where he or she is also the Clerk of the Levy Court.