Growth of the powers of the House of Commons 1295 to 1450

To ths student of.English history, the period from the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries, during .whichoccurred the origin.andgrowth into mature power of that peculiarly English institution, the House of Commons, must .everbe of surpassing interest.In the local administration, the representative principle had hitherto long been employ ■ ed.The full county court contained, besides the archbishop, bishops, abbots, priors, earls, barons, knights, and freeholders ths reeve and four m en from each township and twelve citizens from each borough.'In practice, however, the regular monthly court was.attended by only thoseIho had business before tha court and by the officers and the representatives of the township.At extraordinary sessions as at ths visit of the itinerant .judges,o j special summons was Issued and a full assemblage was held.This court transacted' the judicial and military business of the county and assessed and collected, through its representatives, the levies made by the officers of the exchequer upon tha county.Thar;,.wars,in general:,two types of borough government in England; that in which the ad ministration was in the hands of a ruling body of magistrates, and that in .which the towns-people in general retained the power.Under both those* systems, however, boroughs .wereobliged to send representatives to meet ths itinerant justices in the county court.But they generally had power to compound for their taxss Independently of the action of the county officials.