The king would achieve this by sending out circuit judges to consult with local juries—assemblies of sworn ‘best people’—to examine evidence in disputed cases and reach reasoned decisions, which would then be recorded in writing, so that they could act as guidance for future cases. 55 This procedure proved very popular, so much so that in the end the royal judges could not cope, and had to hand back some powers to local elites to act as Justices of the Peace—an institution which has survived to the present day.
Oath in a nutshell
