Court of Requests

The Court of Requests was a minor equity court in England and Wales. It first became a formal tribunal with some Privy Council elements under Henry VII, hearing cases from the poor and the servants of the King. It quickly became popular on account of the low cost of bringing a case and the rapid processing time, earning the disapproval of the common law judges. Two formal judges, the "Masters of Requests Ordinary", were appointed towards the end of Henry VIII's reign, with an additional two "Masters of Requests Extraordinary" appointed under Elizabeth I to allow two judges to accompany her on her travels around England. Two more Ordinary Masters were appointed under James I of England, with the increasing volume of cases bringing a wave of complaints as the Court's business and backlog grew.

The Court became embroiled in a dispute with the common law courts during the late 16th century, who were angry at the amount of business deserting them for the Court of Requests. During the 1590s they went on the offensive, overwriting many decisions made by the Requests and preventing them imprisoning anyone. It is commonly accepted that this was a death-blow for the Court, which, dependent on the Privy Seal for authority, died when the English Civil War made the Seal invalid.

The precise origins of the Court of Requests are unknown. Spence traces it back to the reign of Richard II,Leadam claims there is no record of the Court's existence before 1493,Pollard writes (based on documents discovered after Leadam's work) that it was in existence from at least 1465, while Alexander writes that it first appeared during the reign of the House of York, and Kleineke states that it was created in 1485 by Richard III. Whatever its origin, the Court was created as part of the Privy Council, following an order by the Lord Privy Seal that complaints and cases brought to the Council by the poor should be expedited. This was as part of the Privy Council; it first became an independent tribunal with some Privy Council elements under Henry VII, with jurisdiction mainly over matters of equity. The Court became increasingly popular due to the lack of cost in bringing a case to it and the speed at which it processed them, in contrast with the slow and expensive common law courts, arousing the ire of common law lawyers and judges.

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