Huddersfield, HD1 (Queen St)

Image: © David Hallam-Jones Taken: 2 Jul 2012

A glance along Queen Street, in the direction of Cross Church Street, reveals the former Court of Requests building, complete with its crest above the porch. This is currently a restaurant. Courts of this nature were created following an order by the Lord Privy Seal. They became an independent tribunal with some Privy Council elements under Henry VII, with jurisdiction mainly over matters of equity. This national-style court became increasingly popular due to the absence of any cost in bringing a case to it and the speed at which matters were processed, in contrast with the slow and expensive common law courts. The court entourage originally followed the Monarch on his trips around England. Towards the end of Henry VIII's reign, the Court took on a more professional attitude with the appointment of two professional "Masters of Requests Ordinary" to act as judges, rather than simply relying on the Lord Privy Seal as was previously the case. An additional two "Masters of Requests Extraordinary" were appointed under Elizabeth I to allow two judges to accompany her on her travels around England. Under James I of England, two more Ordinary Masters were appointed. However, despite this this peripatetic court began to be criticised over the backlog of cases due to its increasing workload. When the Court formally became an independent body in the 16th century, free of Privy Council control, it immediately became vulnerable to attack by the common-law courts, which asserted that it had no formal jurisdiction and that the Court of Chancery was an appropriate equitable body for cases.

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