council of the north
Council of the North. Hist. A body used by the Tudors to administer the northern parts of England (esp. Yorkshire) during the 16th and 17th centuries. • The council probably predated the Tudors, but Henry VIII revived it. In addition to enforcing Crown policy in the northern territories, the appointees (many of whom were lawyers) exercised wide criminal and civil jurisdiction. The Council disbanded ca. 1640.