Justiciar of North Wales
Encyclopedia
The Justiciar of North Wales was a legal office concerned with the government of the three counties in north-west Wales
created by Edward I of England
out of the Kingdom of Gwynedd
under the Statute of Rhuddlan
in 1284. He was responsible for the counties of Anglesey
, Caernarfonshire
and Merioneth. The criminal law administered was English
, but in other matters Welsh law
was allowed to continue.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
created by Edward I of England
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
out of the Kingdom of Gwynedd
Kingdom of Gwynedd
Gwynedd was one petty kingdom of several Welsh successor states which emerged in 5th-century post-Roman Britain in the Early Middle Ages, and later evolved into a principality during the High Middle Ages. It was based on the former Brythonic tribal lands of the Ordovices, Gangani, and the...
under the Statute of Rhuddlan
Statute of Rhuddlan
The Statute of Rhuddlan , also known as the Statutes of Wales or as the Statute of Wales provided the constitutional basis for the government of the Principality of North Wales from 1284 until 1536...
in 1284. He was responsible for the counties of Anglesey
Anglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
, Caernarfonshire
Caernarfonshire
Caernarfonshire , historically spelled as Caernarvonshire or Carnarvonshire in English during its existence, was one of the thirteen historic counties, a vice-county and a former administrative county of Wales....
and Merioneth. The criminal law administered was English
English law
English law is the legal system of England and Wales, and is the basis of common law legal systems used in most Commonwealth countries and the United States except Louisiana...
, but in other matters Welsh law
Welsh law
Welsh law was the system of law practised in Wales before the 16th century. According to tradition it was first codified by Hywel Dda during the period between 942 and 950 when he was king of most of Wales; as such it is usually called Cyfraith Hywel, the Law of Hywel, in Welsh...
was allowed to continue.
List of Justiciars
- Otton de GrandsonOtton de GrandsonOtto de Grandson was a medieval Savoyard knight long in the service of the English crown under Edward I. He was the closest personal friend of Edward, his exact contemporary, and shared the king's many interests....
, 1284–1294 - Robert Tibetot, 1295–1301
- Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of ArundelRichard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of ArundelRichard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel and 8th Earl of Surrey was an English nobleman and medieval military leader.- Lineage :...
, 1334–1352 - Arundel sold the office to Edward the Black Prince in 1352
- John de Beauchamp, 1st Baron BeauchampJohn de Beauchamp, 1st Baron Beauchamp (fourth creation)Sir John de Beauchamp, 1st Baron Beauchamp of Kidderminster was an administrator and landowner. He came from Holt, Worcestershire, and belonged to a cadet branch of the great family of Beauchamp, whose head was the Earl of Warwick. He was the son of another John , whom he succeeded in the 1360s...
1385–1388 - Henry PercyHenry PercySir Henry Percy, also called Harry Hotspur KG was the eldest son of Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, 4th Lord Percy of Alnwick. His mother was Margaret Neville, daughter of Ralph Neville, 2nd Baron Neville de Raby and Alice de Audley. His nickname, 'Hotspur', is suggestive of his impulsive...
1399?–1403?