Court terms
A layman's guide to the workings of the Royal Court, from Mauger's Guernsey Almanac, 1823, including the Courts of Chief Pleas, Mobiliary, and Plaids d'Heritage.
There are three terms in a year, which open the first Monday after the 15th January; the first Monday after Easter, and the first Monday after the 29th September, and each continues six weeks. On the first day or opening of each term, called the Chef-Plaids¹ or Capital Pleas, bye-laws and ordinances are made which have the immediate effect of law.
The Mobilaire Courts are held on the Monday in which Pleas are determined for moveables or chattels, the parishes being divided into districts; the low Parishes, viz., St Peter's Port, St. Sampson and the Vale, being assigned one Monday, and the High Parishes, which are, St. Saviour's, Torteval, St. Peter's, the Forest, St. Martin's, the Catel and St. Andrew's, the next alternately.
On the Tuesdays following the Monday's Court for the Low Parishes, judgments or final decrees are given, and on the Tuesday next after the Court for the High Parishes, Courts of Heritages are held, termed Plaids d'Heritage, for the determination of all suits relative to inheritance.
The Saturday's Courts are held for the passing of contracts, admiralty causes and criminal informations the other intermediate days, in or out of term, being devoted to the hearing of causes in general. But the Saturday's courts for criminal causes, last from the Chief Pleas of Easter to the middle of July; from Michaelmas to Christmas, and from the 16th January to the Saturday before Holy Week.
¹ The ceremony now now only takes place once a year, which counts as the beginning of the legal year, as Chief Pleas was abolished for all but certain minor matters in 1948. They still get a dinner though!