Soke of Peterborough

Administration
Status:	Administrative county
HQ:	Peterborough
History
Created:	1889
Abolished:	1965
Succeeded by:	Huntingdon and Peterborough
Population
1901:	41,122
1961:	74,758

The Soke of Peterborough is an historic area of England that is traditionally associated with the City of Peterborough and Diocese of Peterborough, but considered part of Northamptonshire. It was also described as the Liberty of Peterborough, or Nassaburgh hundred and comprises, besides Peterborough, about 30 parishes. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... An administrative county is an administrative area in the British Isles. ... Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority in the East of England, with an estimated population of 161,000 as of 2006. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Huntingdon and Peterborough was a short-lived administrative county in England. ... The term soke (in Old English: soc, connected ultimately with secan (to seek)), at the time of the Norman Conquest of England generally denoted jurisdiction, but due to vague usage probably lacks a single precise definition. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification  -  by Athelstan 967  Area... Peterborough is a city in the East of England. ... The Diocese of Peterborough forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. ... Northamptonshire (abbreviated Northants or Nhants) is a landlocked county in central England with a population of 629,676 (2001 census). ... A Liberty was a local government unit in England. ... A hundred is a geographic division used in England, Scandinavia, and some parts of the USA, which historically was used to divide a larger region into smaller administrative units. ...

During the Saxon period the lord of the hundred had the power, or liberty, of holding a court and administering justice within its boundaries, and this system was subsequently continued by the Abbots of Peterborough, who either enforced in person, as lords, the observance of the ancient socage laws and customs, or appointed a deputy to act for them. On the establishment of Quarter Sessions in 1349-50, the separate jurisdiction of the Soke was still maintained as distinct from that of the county of Northampton; and, except for parliamentary purposes and matters relating to the militia, it was entirely independent of that county. Quarter Sessions for the liberty were held at the Sessions House in Peterborough, and petty sessions at the same place. The famous parade helmet found at Sutton Hoo, probably belonging to King Raedwald of East Anglia circa 625. ... For other uses, see Abbot (disambiguation). ... Socage was one of the forms of land tenure in the feudal system. ... The Courts of Quarter Sessions or Quarter Sessions were periodic courts held in each county and county borough in England and Wales until 1972, when together with the Assize courts they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court of England and Wales. ... Northampton Guildhall, built 1861-4, E.W. Godwin, architect Northampton is a large market town and a local government district in central England on the River Nene, and the county town of Northamptonshire, in the English East Midlands region. ... A magistrates court or petty sessions is the lowest kind of court in England and Wales and other common law jurisdictions. ...

The civil government of the liberty was vested in the Marquess of Exeter, as Lord Paramount of Peterborough and custos rotulorum; around 40 magistrates appointed by the crown; and a high bailiff of the city appointed by the dean and chapter of Peterborough Cathedral.^[1] The Soke had its own magistrates, who were appointed by the Lord Paramount, acting under a commission of oyer and terminer, and gaol delivery, as well as under the ordinary commission, and the magistrates for the liberty retained the power of hanging a criminal in cases of murder, which in fact they exercised so late as the year 1812. The Local Jurisdictions Act 1820, though giving the liberty bench the power to commit (for murder only) to the county Assizes, did not abridge their full rights of gaol delivery. The Soke had also a separate rate, out of which all payments were made, and a separate police force, the Liberty of Peterborough Constabulary, appointed by and under the control of the magistrates of the Soke. In the provisions of the County and Borough Police Act 1856, the Weights and Measures Act 1878 and the Contagious Diseases (Animals) Act 1878, the Liberty of Peterborough, like that of the Isle of Ely, was in each instance treated as a separate county.^[2] The title of Marquess of Exeter was created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1801 for the Earl of Exeter. ... Custos rotulorum, (keeper of the rolls) the keeper of the English county records, is by virtue of that office the highest civil officer in the county. ... A magistrate is a judicial officer. ... Peterborough Cathedral Plan Peterborough Cathedral is dedicated to Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Andrew, and is very unusual amongst mediæval cathedrals in Britain because of its triple front (dominated by the statues of the three saints) and overall asymmetrical appearance. ... Oyer redirects here. ... The Courts of Assize, or Assizes, were periodic criminal courts held around England and Wales until 1972, when together with the Quarter Sessions they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court. ... Rates are a type of taxation system in the United Kingdom and elsewhere, such as New Zealand, historically used to fund local government. ... The County and Borough Police Act 1856 (19 & 20 Vict. ... The Isle of Ely in Cambridgeshire, England, is a traditional region around the city of Ely. ...

Quarter Sessions

The liberty justices in Quarter Sessions had long held powers in excess of those of most other Quarter Sessions. They could try and decide many serious crimes, including treason and murder, which normally could only be heard and determined in a Court of Assize, and in view of the special powers of the liberty justices, a Judge of Assize had no power to act in the Soke of Peterborough. Until the time of the dissolution of the monasteries, the abbot had been empowered to appoint Justices of the Peace for the Hundred, or Liberty, of Nassaburgh. When Peterborough Monastery was dissolved in 1539 Abbot Chambers was made the first Bishop of Peterborough, and the following year Henry VIII granted three Commissions of the Peace to the coterminous Liberty of Peterborough. They were: dissolution see Dissolution. ... A Justice of the Peace (JP) is a magistrate appointed by a commission to keep the peace, dispense summary justice and deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions. ... The Bishop of Peterborough is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Peterborough in the Province of Canterbury. ... Henry VIII (28 June 1491 - 28 January 1547) was King of England and Lord of Ireland, later King of Ireland, from 22 April 1509 until his death. ...

• The Commission of the Peace for the appointment of Justices to sit in Petty Sessional Courts and exercise the ordinary duties of the magistracy;
• The Commission for Gaol Delivery, and
• The Commission of Oyer and Terminer, that is to hear and determine, which empowered the Justices of the Liberty to hear assize offences at Quarter Sessions.

The last commission gave to the justices of the liberty, power to enquire more fully "... by the oath of good and lawful men of the Liberty of Peterborough, by whom the truth of the matter may be better known and by other ways, means and methods by which they shall or better know, of the treasons ... insurrections ... rebellions, counterfeitings, clippings, wastings, false comings ... murders, felonies, manslaughters ... and many other grave offences mentioned therein which in other counties are only triable by a Judge of Assize, and the Justices are commanded at days appointed for this purpose to make diligent enquiries into and to hear and determine the above mentioned offences."

In 1877 Queen Victoria confirmed these commissions and endorsed the ancient privileges of jurisdiction of the liberty justices and at the same time excluded the High Sheriff of the County of Northampton from exercising his authority in the Soke. The commissions of oyer and terminer and gaol delivery were not renewed by the monarchs immediately succeeding Queen Victoria and in 1920 the Court of Criminal Appeal squashed a conviction recorded at Peterborough Quarter Sessions. It was held that three of the liberty magistrates adjudicating at the hearing were not in order, as the assize authority of the court then derived from commissions granted during the reign of Queen Victoria. The three justices in question had been appointed to the commission of the peace subsequent to her death and only justices appointed during her reign were in order in adjudicating at such a court. This resulted in a renewal of the commissions in continuation of the ancient assize jurisdiction, and an announcement was made at the Easter Quarter Sessions in 1921 that "whatever may have happened as a result of a recent case in the Court of Criminal Appeal by authority of this Commission now granted, this Court will continue to exercise this ancient jurisdiction in the same manner as it has done under similar commissions since the days of Charles I." In fact, the justices of the liberty did not exercise their full powers, although they were always jealous of their special and historic privileges. Victoria Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Empress of India Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria) (24 May 1819–22 January 1901) was a Queen of the United Kingdom, reigning from 20 June 1837 until her death. ... The High Sheriff is, or was, a law enforcement position in Anglosphere countries. ... The Court of Criminal Appeal was an English appellate court for criminal cases established by the Judicature Act 1873. ... Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. ...

In 1949, the Marquess of Exeter moved an amendment in the House of Lords to the Justices of the Peace Bill. This was necessary to safeguard the special position of the liberty jurisdiction as the new Bill provided there should be a separate commission of the peace for every administrative county and county borough and not for any other area. Accordingly, an amendment was accepted by the Lord Chancellor and the following paragraph was included in the Act:— William Thomas Brownlow Cecil, 5th Marquess of Exeter KG CMG TD (October 27, 1876–1956) was the son of Brownlow Cecil, 4th Marquess of Exeter. ... The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is also commonly referred to as the Lords. The Sovereign, the House of Commons (which is the lower house of Parliament and referred to as the Commons), and the Lords together comprise the Parliament. ... County borough was a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom to refer to a borough or a city independent of county administration. ... The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor and prior to the Union the Chancellor of England and the Lord Chancellor of Scotland, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom, and its predecessor states. ...

SAVING FOR SOKE OF PETERBOROUGH: The Justices for the Soke of Peterborough shall, by virtue of the Commission of the Peace and without any further commission, have within the county the same jurisdiction as before the coming into force of Section 10 of this Act the Justices for the Liberty of Peterborough had within the Liberty by virtue of the commissions of oyer and terminer and gaol delivery customarily issued to those Justices, but as respects any matters within their competence as Justices of the Peace, shall act as such and not as Justices of Oyer and Terminer or Justices of Gaol Delivery.

In accepting the amendment the Lord Chancellor said that in murder cases this ancient jurisdiction had survived all these years only because it had never been exercised and he added, "if the justices ever appear to act upon the powers they possess, I shall be the first to come and remove those powers for them."^[3]

The Courts of Assize and Quarter Sessions were eventually abolished in England and Wales by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court. Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification  -  by Athelstan 967  Area... This article is about the country. ... The Courts Act 1971 is a UK Act of Parliament reforming and modernising the courts system. ... Crown Court and County Court in Oxford. ...

Administrative County

Under an amendment by Lord Exeter^[4] to the Local Government Act 1888, the Soke became a separate administrative county in its own right, distinct from the remainder of Northamptonshire. An elected county council, consisting of a chairman, 10 aldermen, and 30 councillors, took over the administrative functions of the Quarter Sessions and had its meetings at the Guildhall; but this formal change hid a great deal of continuity, as Justices of the Peace were often elected councillors, the Clerk of the Peace became the Clerk to the Council and so on.^[5] During its life the county council gradually acquired more powers, such as taking over the functions of school boards in 1902, boards of guardians in 1930 and various town planning and housing responsibilities from 1949. The Most Honourable William Alleyne Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Exeter PC (April 30, 1825–July 14, 1895) was the son of Brownlow Cecil, 2nd Marquess of Exeter. ... The Local Government Act 1888 (51 & 52 Vict. ... An administrative county is an administrative area in the British Isles. ... In the British Isles, a county council is a council that governs a county. ... An alderman is a member of a municipal legislative body in a town or city with many jurisdictions. ... A councillor is a member of a council (such as a city council), particularly in the U.K. and its former colonies. ... Boards of Gurdians were committees elected after the Poor Law Amendment Act by those who had to pay a poor rate. ... Urban, city, or town planning, deals with design of the built environment from the municipal and metropolitan perspective. ...

The Soke county council was granted a coat of arms by the College of Arms in 1950.^[6] The design placed the crossed keys of Saint Peter from the arms of the Diocese of Peterborough on the silver and blue barry field of the arms of the Cecil family, Marquesses of Exeter, who held the chairmanship of the council for most of its existence. The crest was an ermine lion from the Cecil arms rising from a mural crown emblematic of local government. The lion held two wheatears, symbolising agriculture. The Latin motto adopted by the council was Cor Unum, part of the Cecil motto Cor Unum, Via Una or One Heart, One Way.^[7] A modern coat of arms is derived from the medi val practice of painting designs onto the shield and outer clothing of knights to enable them to be identified in battle, and later in tournaments. ... The entrance of the College of Arms. ... Saint Peter, also known as Simon ben Jonah/BarJonah, Simon Peter, Cephas and Kepha — original name Simon or Simeon (Acts 15:14) — was one of the Twelve Apostles whom Jesus chose as his original disciples. ... The Diocese of Peterborough forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. ... First version of the Coat of Arms of Italy. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ... A motto (from Italian) is a phrase or a short list of words meant formally to describe the general motivation or intention of an entity, social group, or organization. ...

The Local Government Act 1894 divided the Soke into three districts; the existent city (1541) and municipal borough (1874) of Peterborough, and the two rural districts of Peterborough and Barnack. The administrative county had an area of approximately 83 ½ square miles (216.37 km²) with only one, minor, boundary change in its lifetime. The county's population, as recorded at the ten-yearly censuses,^[8] was as follows: The Local Government Act 1894 (57 & 58 Vict. ... The districts of England are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government. ... Historically, city status in England and Wales was associated with the presence of a cathedral, such as York Minster. ... A borough is a political division originally used in England. ... In local government on the British Isles, a rural district was a predominantly rural area used for local government. ... Peterborough was a rural district near Peterborough in England from 1894 to 1974. ... Barnack was a rural district in the Soke of Peterborough and later Huntingdon and Peterborough from 1894 to 1974. ...

Because of the Second World War, there was no census taken in 1941. However, following the passage into law (on 5 September) of the National Registration Act 1939, a population count was carried out on 29 September, which was, in effect, a census. Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ...

The Soke had a very small population for a county and so, in 1965, the administration was merged with that of the neighbouring small county of Huntingdonshire, to form the slightly more viable administrative county of Huntingdon and Peterborough.^[9] Under the Local Government Act 1974 Huntingdon and Peterborough became part of the non-metropolitan county of Cambridgeshire and an area broadly corresponding to the Soke, called the City of Peterborough, became one of its six districts. When the new Cambridgeshire county council was granted arms in 1976 it included references to those of the Soke; two keys around the neck of the dexter supporter and the motto, Corde Uno Sapientes Simus, or With One Heart Let Us Be Men of Understanding.^[10] Huntingdonshire (abbreviated Hunts) is a part of England around Huntingdon, which is currently administered as a local government district of Cambridgeshire. ... Huntingdon and Peterborough was a short-lived administrative county in England. ... The Local Government Act (1974) of New Zealand restructured local governance from territorial local authorities to regional and district council bodies. ... A shire county or non-metropolitan county in England, is a county level entity which is not a metropolitan county. ... Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs) is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west. ... The districts of England are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government. ...

In 1998 the City of Peterborough became a unitary authority, but it continues to form part of that county for ceremonial purposes.^[11] Because of intervening development and a new town project in Peterborough, the present district has a much larger population than the Soke had. A unitary authority is a type of local authority, which has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area. ... The traditional counties as usually portrayed. ... The Ceremonial counties of England are areas of England that are appointed a Lord-Lieutenant, and are defined by the government with reference to the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England. ... A new town, planned community or planned city is a city, town, or community that was designed from scratch, and grew up more or less following the plan. ...

Politics

For parliamentary purposes, the city formed a parliamentary borough returning two members from 1541, with the rest of the Soke being part of Northamptonshire parliamentary county. The Great Reform Act did not affect the borough, while the rural portion of the Soke was included in the northern division of Northamptonshire. The borough's representation was reduced to one member under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885. In 1918 a new borough constituency was formed including the whole of the Soke and neighbouring parts of the administrative county of Northamptonshire and in 1948 the boundaries of the constituency were adjusted to correspond to those of the Soke.^[12] The Houses of Parliament, as seen over Westminster Bridge The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories. ... Parliamentary boroughs are boroughs that are entitled to representation in a Parliament. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... Northamptonshire (abbreviated Northants or Nhants) is a landlocked county in central England with a population of 629,676 (2001 census). ... The British Reform Act of 1832 (2 & 3 Will. ... The Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 (48 & 49 Vict. ... A borough constituency (in Scotland, a burgh constituency) is a type of parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom. ... Peterborough is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ...

In the unreformed House of Commons in order to be either a candidate or an elector for a county seat, a man had to own (not rent) freehold property valued for the land tax at two pounds a year (women could neither vote nor stand for election). This was known as the 40 shilling freehold. The franchise for borough seats varied enormously. Peterborough was one of 37 boroughs in which suffrage was restricted to those paying scot and lot, a form of municipal taxation. In 1800 there were 2,000 registered voters in Northamptonshire and 400 in Peterborough. By 1835 this had risen to 576.^[13] The Fourth Reform Act widened suffrage by abolishing practically all property qualifications for men and by enfranchising women over 30 who met minimum property qualifications. This system, known as universal manhood suffrage, was first used in the 1918 general election. British House of Commons Canadian House of Commons The House of Commons is the elected lower house of the bicameral parliament in the United Kingdom and Canada. ... Freehold is a term used in real estate or real property law, land held in fee simple, as opposed to leasehold, which is land which is leased. ... Land Value Taxation (LVT) is the policy of raising state revenues by charging each landholder a portion of the assessed site-only value of the unimproved land. ... Scot and lot (0. ... The Representation of the People Act 1918 was an Act of Parliament passed to reform the electoral system in the United Kingdom. ... Universal manhood suffrage is a form of voting rights in which all adult males within a nation are allowed to vote, regardless of income, property, religion, race, or any other qualification. ... The United Kingdom general election of 1918 held on 14th December 1918, after the Representation of the People Act 1918. ...

The Cathedral Church of St. Peter, St. Paul and St. Andrew (1118 - 1238) Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1536x2048, 1479 KB) Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Peterborough Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to create or digitize it. ...

Burghley House, ancestral seat of the Marquesses of Exeter (1555 - 1587) Image File history File links Burghley1. ...

The Guildhall, Peterborough (1669 - 1671) Image File history File links Pbguildhall. ...

The Town Hall, Peterborough (1930 - 1933) Image File history File links PB_TownHall. ...

References

May 23 is the 143rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (144th in leap years). ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... August 7 is the 219th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (220th in leap years), with 146 days remaining. ... Year 1888 (MDCCCLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Letters Patent by Queen Victoria creating the office of Governor-General of Australia Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of an open letter issued by a monarch or government granting an office, a right, monopoly, title, or status to someone or some entity such as... November 10 is the 314th day of the year (315th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 51 days remaining. ... 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... May 8 is the 128th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (129th in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the CE era. ... The Local Government Commission for England was established by the Local Government Act 1958 to review the organisation of local government, and make such proposals as are hereinafter authorised for effecting changes appearing to the Commissions desirable in the interests of effective and convenient local government. The Act also provided... May 12 is the 132nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (133rd in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the CE era. ... Map showing counties and unitary authorities from 1998. ...

See also

• City of Peterborough
• Diocese of Peterborough
• Peterborough (UK Parliament constituency)
• Huntingdon and Peterborough
• History of Northamptonshire

Peterborough is a city in the East of England. ... The Diocese of Peterborough forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. ... Peterborough is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... Huntingdon and Peterborough was a short-lived administrative county in England. ... At some time in the 7th century the district which is now Northamptonshire suffered a simultaneous invasion by the West Saxons from the south and the Anglian tribes from the north, and relics discovered in the county testify to a mingling of races, at the same time showing that West...

External links

• Peterborough City Council
• Diocese of Peterborough