High Court of Constabulary
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Related on Lably
Through Judge, Riot and De facto and de jure
History
Much of the history belonging to the High Court of Constabulary comes from records kept by the Earls of Erroll, who hold the position of Lord High Constable as a hereditary right. However, the burgh magistrates (the Lord Provost and bailies) of Edinburgh appear to have objected to the jurisdiction of the Constabulary Court, and from the 16th century it appears that the Earls of Erroll appointed the burgh magistrates as Constables-depute. The Lord High Constable continued to claim his jurisdiction into the 19th century, and from then the Sheriff of Edinburgh and the burgh magistrates of Edinburgh were appointed as Constables-depute whenever the Monarch of the United Kingdom was resident at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
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Remit and jurisdiction
Established in the late 13th century the Court was empowered to judge all cases of rioting, disorder, bloodshed, and murder if such crimes occurred within four miles of the King of Scots, the King's Council, or the Parliament of Scotland. Following James VI's move to England, the jurisdiction of the Lord High Constable was defined in terms of the "resident place" appointed for the Council.