The Exchequer of Chester was a fiscal court based in the
County Palatine of
Chester
Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
. In 1071 the
Earldom of Chester was created, and due to the Earldom's size it ruled Chester almost entirely independently as a County Palatine. This arrangement necessitated a large number of officials, including several "barons" who specialised in the financial administration of the County. These gradually became a fiscal court, made up of the "Barons of the Exchequer", in a similar arrangement to
that at Westminster. The earliest records of this organisation come from 1121, when the Earl granted various charters to
Chester Abbey. The Exchequer continued working after
The Crown took over the County in 1237, mainly concerning itself with collecting the rent from local tenants. The Exchequer's supreme jurisdiction over Chester was confirmed by the
Court of Common Pleas in 1568, and it continued operating until 1830, when it was abolished and its powers transferred to the Exchequer and
Court of Chancery.
[Stewart-Brown (1942) p.297]
References
Bibliography
*
{{English Exchequer
Exchequer offices
1830 disestablishments
1830 in British law
1830 in England
History of Cheshire