The aucthoritie of al iustices of peace, with diuers warrants, presentments, and indictments thereunto annexed
Subtitle: Whereunto is added a verie perfect fourme for kepinge of court leetes, and court barons
By: newely set forth by Iohn Kitchin, of Graies Inne an apprentice of the lawe, with many booke cases concerninge the same. Also the booke called Noue additiones. The booke for keepinge of court hundredes. And the booke called Returna breuium. With seuerall tables for the ready findinge of any thinge contained in the same
Publisher: Richard Tottell
Published: 1580
Place of publication: London
Language: eng; lat; roa
Number of pages: 250
Subjects: Justices of the peace; Handbooks, manuals; Early works to 1800; Criminal law; Courts baron and courts leet; England and Wales. Hundred Courts
Other titles: Modus tenendi Curiam Baronis.; Modus tenendi unum Hundredum sive curiam de recordo.; Returna brevium.; Carta feodi.; Le court leete, et court baron.
Work titles: Book for a justice of peace
Notes: In 2 parts; 2nd part with separate title page: Le court leete, et court baron, collect per Iohn Kytchin de Greys Inne vn apprentice en le ley, et les cases et matters necessarie pur seneschals de ceux courts a scier, pur les students de les measons de Chauncerie.

Colophon: Imprinted at London in the Fleetestrete, within Temple Barre, at y[e] signe of the Hand [and] Starre, by Richard Tottell, the 10. day of April. 1580.

"Cum priuilegio ad imprimendum solum." --foot of colophon.

Collation: A-L⁸ ²B-³H⁸ [$4 signed; L2 blank]

Errors in foliation: in 1st group leaf 35 printed 37; in 2nd group leaves 3, 5, 7, 54, 109 and 130 printed 5, 7, 9, 45, 106 and 132; leaves 137-192 and 217-242 printed 139-194 and 225-250.

In predominantly black letter type; some Roman and italic type.

Initials, some historiated.

Side notes in part 2.

Table at end.

A variant of STC 14886, the February 16, 1579 [i.e. 1580] edition of the same title. STC (2nd ed.) notes that the 2nd part of this work, reprinted in STC 15017 and subsequent editions, was possibly planned as a separate publication; the text begins on ²B1 recto but in copies of this and STC 14886 the preliminaries are on L4-L8 of the 1st part.

Book for a justice of peace is sometimes attributed erroneously to Sir Anthony Fitzherbert, whose Loffice et auctoryte des iustices de peas (STC 10968) and The newe boke of iustices of peas (STC 10969) were first printed in 1538. --Cf. Bertha H. Putnam, Early treatises on the practice of the justices of the peace.

STC (2nd ed.) 14887

Beale, J.H. Engl. law (suppl.) T366a

Received Dec. 15, 1936; rebound.

Text in English, Latin and Law French.