† 1. orig. A court held periodically by the sheriff of a county for the execution of certain judicial and administrative functions, the nature of which has varied much at different periods; it is the historical survival of the old folkmoot, shiremoot, or shire court, and was formerly styled simply comitatus, le counté, or the county: see COUNTY1 4 for earlier references. Now only Hist.
[1535–6. Act 27 Hen. VIII., c. 26 And that the countie or shire court of and for the said countie or shire of Denbigh shall be holden and kept the first time at the said toune of Denbigh.]
1548. Act 2–3 Edw. VI., c. 25. The saide Countye Courtes are holden from Sixe Wekes to Sixe Wekes.
a. 1626. Bacon, Max. & Uses Com. Law (1635), 7. The Countie Court … wherein men may sue monethly for any debt or dammages under 40s.
1688. Sir J. Bramston, Autobiog., 346. On whom the gentlemen at the countie court on which an election should have been made, had agreed for knights.
1768. Blackstone, Comm., III. 35. The county court is a court incident to the jurisdiction of the sheriff. It is not a court of record, but may hold pleas of debt or damages under the value of forty shillings.
1875. Stubbs, Const. Hist., § 203. The county court in its full session, that is, as it attended the itinerant justices on their visitation, contained the archbishops, bishops, abbots, priors, earls, barons, knights, and freeholders, and from each township four men and the reeve, and from each borough twelve burghers…. It contained thus all the elements of a local parliament.
2. Now, in England, a local judicial court for civil actions, chiefly for the recovery of small debts; established in 1846 (mainly as a re-constitution of the earlier court, sense 1); often attrib., as in county court district, judge, summons.
Since its establishment the powers of this court have been constantly extended.
1846. Act 9–10 Vict., c. 95.
1858. Penny Cycl., 2nd Suppl. 158/2. The new County Courts first established for the recovery of claims not exceeding 20l. in amount, in 1846, but whose jurisdiction has since been considerably extended.
1882. Serjt. Ballantine, Exper., ii. 24. Justice was slow and expensive. There were no county courts.
attrib. 1862. Sala, Seven Sons, I. i. 15. The balance … exceeded the salary of a county court judge.
3. U.S. A judicial court having jurisdiction in a county.
1888. Bryce, Amer. Commw. (1889), I. xlii. 480. Local courts…. We hear of … quarter sessions, hustings’ courts, county courts, etc. etc.
