Custos Rotulorum — literally, "Keeper of the Rolls". At least from the fifteenth century one Justice of the Peace chosen for his wisdom, served as the Chief of the County Bench with the title Custos Rotulorum. The "Rolls" were the records of the Court of Quarter Sessions, an administrative as well as judicial body. It was the Custos Rotulorum who appointed the Clerk of the Peace, the professional lawyer who advised the County Bench on points of law and originally led for the Crown in criminal trials.
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Last modified 29 April 2002