The superior courts, both of law and equity, were for centuries fixed at Westmiuster, an ancient palace of the monarchs of England. Formerly, all the superior courts were held before the kiug’s capital justiciary of Eng-lund, iu the aula regis, or such of his palaces wherein hls royal person resided, and reiuov-ed with his household from one end of the kingdom to another. This was found to occasion great inconvenience to the suitors, to remedy which it was made an article of the great charter of liberties, both of King John and King Henry III., that “common pleas should uo longer follow the kiug’s court, but be held iu some certain place,” lu consequence of which they have ever since been held (a few necessary removals iu times of the plague excepted) lu the palace of west-minster only. The courts of equity also sit at westminster, nominally, during term time, although, actually, oniy duriug the first day of term, for they generally sit in courts provided for the purpose in, or in the neigh-borhood of, Lincoln’s Inn. Brown.
Source: Black’s Law Dictionary 2nd Ed (1910)
