| Description | The Assembly debated the arrest, within the City, of Henry Hunt upon two actions brought against him in the Mayor's Court by Richard Hockenhull, esq. Hunt had come to the City a little before to prosecute his suit in the Exchequer, and, on his arrest, a writ of privilege was awarded by the Exchequer, directed to the Mayor and Sheriffs, for superseding the suit in the Mayor's Count and discharging Hunt from prison. Several writs of contempt were issued out of the Exchequer against the Sheriffs and attempts were made to arrest John Witter, apothecary, one of the late Sheriffs, by virtue of a Commission of rebellion issued out of the Exchequer directed to the Sheriff and Bailiff Itinerant of the County of Chester and to other special bailiffs. As the Sheriffs were liable to further prosecution for the supposed contempt, it was ordered that the business of the writ of privilege should be a City's cause defended at the City's charge.
It was ordered that the Mayor, Recorder and Sheriffs should nominate four persons to be attornies in the City Courts, besides the officers who were now allowed to practice as attornies, and that these persons should be approved by the next Assembly. After the death or removal of any of the officers of the City who were then allowed to practice as attornies in the City Courts, no persons chosen as officers to the Mayor and Sheriffs should in future practice as attornies there. |