STANNARY COURTS. Courts held in the stannaries lu England.
The stannaries were mining districts of Devon and Cornwall. Their exact extent was never defi nitely ascertained. The stannary courts resembled those of the palatine jurisdictions. The earliest charters conferring jurisdiction were in the reign of Richard I and John. Jurisdiction seemed to be only over the miners. A charter of 1305 gave them jurisdiction In all cases except those which touched land, life or limb. In 1640 the jurisdiction was set tled ; it was confined to a territory where a tin works was situated ; tin-workers could sue each other, and could sue foreigners if the case arose in the jurisdiction or concerned tin-work. The chief official was the Lord Warden, who appointed a vice warden and stewards. The courts were held by the stewards ; they had a leet jurisdiction and a gener al common law jurisdiction, except as to land, life and limb. There was a jury of six. An appeal lay to the steward, and thence to the court of the vice-warden, the Lord Warden and the Prince of Waies' Council, successively.
The stannaries each had a parliament consisting of twenty-four persons who mads'and enforced laws. The Devonshire stannary courts seemed to have disappeared, but were reconstituted in 1856. Those of Cornwall had a continuous history. In 1836 the court of the vice-warden was given a concurrent equity and common law jurisdiction extending to ' other metals than tin. Appeals were to the Lord Warden, assisted by three or more members of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. In 1856, his jurisdiction was extended to the stannaries. In 1873 the court of the Lord Warden was merged in the Court of Appeal. In 1896, the jurisdiction of the court of the vice-warden was transferred to such of the county courts as the Lord Chancellor might direct. 1 Holdsw. Hist. E. L. 67.