Westminster Court of Burgesses

The Westminster Court of Burgesses was established by act in 1585 and abolished in 1900. It formed part of the local government of the City and Liberty of Westminster, England.^[1]

Court of Burgesses
City and Liberty of Westminster
Coat of arms of Westminster from 1601
Type
Type	Manorial court
History
Established	1585
Disbanded	1900
Succeeded by	Westminster City Council
Leadership
Chairman	High Steward of Westminster Abbey
Seats	12 burgesses 12 assistant burgesses
Elections
Voting system	Annual nomination
Meeting place
Westminster

The act was continued until the end of the next session of parliament by the Continuance, etc. of Laws Act 1586 (29 Eliz. 1. c. 5), the Continuance, etc. of Laws Act 1586 (29 Eliz. 1. c. 5), the Continuance, etc. of Laws Act 1588 (31 Eliz. 1. c. 10) and the Continuance, etc. of Laws Act 1592 (35 Eliz. 1. c. 7).

The court was set up following the dissolution of the monasteries, filling a power vacuum created by Westminster Abbey ceasing to exert control over the area.

Initially it had the powers to deal with nuisances and adjudicate the prosecutions of some minor criminal offences. The parishes that made up the city continued to have self governance through their vestries. After justices of the peace were set up for Westminster in 1618, the court dealt with lesser cases such as offences relating to weights and measures.^[2]

The Westminster area was incorporated as the Metropolitan Borough of Westminster in 1900 and the court, as well as the parish vestries, were replaced by Westminster City Council.