“The counties palatine were Chester, Durham, and Lancaster. Whatever may be the precise date at which these counties became ‘Palatine,’ it seems likely that there was in Saxon times a jurisdiction equivalent to that of the Palatine earl, and originating in usurpation and necessity. The Central Government was too far away both before and after the Conquest to control effectually the administration of the Marches, which were always turbulent and lawless districts.” A.T. Carter, A History of English Legal Institutions 192 (4th ed. 1910).
county palatine
county palatine (pal-[schwa]-tIn or -tin). Hist. A county in which the lord held certain royal privileges, such as the right to pardon a felon or to have indictments recite that offenses were committed against the lord’s — rather than the king’s — peace. • In England, there were three such counties: Chester, Durham, and Lancaster. The separate legal systems in these counties were slowly eliminated; the last vestiges of a separate system were ab-olished by the Courts Act (1971). Cf. proprietary government under GOVERNMENT.
