522 



COUNTY 



COUP 



88; Southampton, 100; Stafford, 100; Suffolk 

 ( Eastern Division ), 76 ; Suffolk ( Western Division ), 

 64 ; Surrey, 76 ; Sussex ( Eastern Division ), 68 ; 

 Sussex ( Western Division ), 60 ; Warwick, 72 ; 

 Westmoreland, 56; Wilts, 80; Worcester, 76; 

 York (East Riding), 68 ; York (North Riding), 80 ; 

 York (West Riding), 120. Wales Anglesey. 56 ; 

 Brecknock, 60 ; Cardigan, 64 ; Carmarthen, 68 ; 

 Carnarvon, 64 ; Denbigh, 64 ; Flint, 56 ; Glamor- 

 gan, 88 ; Merioneth, 56 ; Montgomery, 56 ; Pem- 

 broke, 64 ; and Radnor, 32. These are distinct 

 from the aldermen and councillors in boroughs, 

 \vho take no part in county administration. 



The powers and duties which are given to the 

 county councils by the Local Government Act, 

 1888, relate to county finance, rating and assess- 

 ment, county buildings, bridges, lunatic asylums, 

 reformatories, registration and polling of parlia- 

 mentary electors, contagious diseases (animals), 

 the appointment of coroners, maintenance of high- 

 ways, preventing the pollution of rivers, and 

 numerous minor matters. The control of the police 

 is vested in the courts of quarter sessions and the 

 county councils jointly. As regards its finances, 

 each county council is empowered to make and levy 

 county and other rates, and it will also receive its 

 share of the income derived from certain license 

 duties collected by the imperial government, to- 

 gether with a proportion of the probate duty col- 

 lected in the United Kingdom. 



County Rate. The county rate is made under 

 an Act 15 and 16 Viet. chap. 81, and is assessed, 

 not on individual properties, but on the various 

 parishes, and a precept is issued to the guardians 

 of each union requiring them to pay to the county 

 treasurer the aggregate amount of the sums pay- 

 able by the parishes in their union. It can be 

 expended only for ' county purposes,' which the 

 county council is required to provide funds for in 

 the execution of its powers as above enumerated. 



County Boroughs. By the Local Government 

 Act, certain boroughs are exempted from the juris- 

 diction of the county councils of the counties in 

 which they are situated, and are enabled to retain 

 their independence, subject to certain special regu- 

 lations for the adjustment of their financial rela- 

 tions with the counties. These boroughs are called 

 'county boroughs,' and are such as either were 

 counties in themselves before the passing of the 

 Local Government Act, 1888, or on the 1st of June 

 1888 had a population of not less than 50,000. 

 They are as follows : Barrow, Bath, Birkenhead, 

 Birmingham, Blackburn, Bolton, Bootle-cum-Lin- 

 acre, Bradford, Brighton, Bristol, Burnley, Bury, 

 Canterbury, Cardiff, Chester, Coventry, Croydon, 

 Derby, Devonport, Dudley, Exeter, Gateshead, 

 Gloucester, Halifax, Hanley, Hastings, Hudders- 

 field, Hull, Ipswich, Leeds, Leicester, Lincoln, 

 Liverpool, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Newcastle- 

 upon-Tyne, Northampton, Norwich, Nottingham, 

 Oldham, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Preston, Reading, 

 Rochdale, St Helens, Salford, Sheffield, South- 

 ampton, South Shields, Stockport, Sunderland, 

 Swansea, Walsall, West Bromwich, West Ham, 

 Wigan, Wolverhampton, Worcester, Yarmouth, 

 and York. 



County Courts are sixty tribunals which have 

 been established in the different counties of Eng- 

 land for the hearing of cases of a minor importance 

 relating to civil matters only. They are now regu- 

 lated by the County Courts Consolidation Act, 

 1888, and under that statute can exercise jurisdic- 

 eion in questions of law and of equity. Since their 

 establishment in 1846 their powers have been 

 gradually enlarged, and the tendency is to transfer 

 cases in which the matters in dispute are not great 

 from the higher courts to these courts. The 

 registrar has power to take all undefended and 



admitted cases by leave of the judge. In eveiy 

 action or suit of whatever nature where more than 

 5 is claimed, and in all other actions, by leave of 

 judge, a jury may be demanded. The number of 

 jurymen to "try a cause in county courts is five. 

 There is a right of appeal in all cases where more 

 than 20 is claimed, and by leave of judge in all 

 other cases. The judge only may commit to prison 

 in cases where he is satisfied the debtor has the 

 means to pay the debt or instalment thereof. There 

 is no other ground of imprisonment for debt in 

 county courts. A debtor may be committed for 

 any period not exceeding forty-two days, and can 

 be imprisoned only once for the same default. 



In Scotland the tendency of the constitution 

 under the feudal system was towards English 

 methods of administration, and this brought about, 

 among other innovations, the division into counties 

 or shires. Its introduction seems to have begun 

 early in the 12th century, and to have proceeded 

 northwards. The crown at an early period adopted 

 the practice of appointing Sheriffs ( q. v. ) in Scot- 

 land, and local judges for each county, and the sys- 

 tem of appointing justices of the peace was intro- 

 duced by James VI. There are now thirty-three 

 counties in Scotland. The county organisation 

 comprises a sheriff-principal (see SHERIFF), sheriff- 

 substitutes, and justices of the peace. A system of 

 local government by county councils essentially 

 similar to that of England was extended to Scot- 

 land in 1889 ; superseding commissioners of supply, 

 road trustees, &c. See SCOTLAND. 



In Ireland the division into counties was begun 

 in the time of King John, and it was not completed 

 till that of James I. There are now thirty-two 

 counties, each of which is divided into baronies. 

 Its county organisation comprises the sheriff, the 

 grand jury, justices of the peace, and officials. 

 The grand jury consists of twenty-three persons, 

 and is appointed under the Act 6 and 7 Will. IV., 

 chap. 116. It is the principal county authority for 

 purposes of local government, and its powers end 

 with each of the assizes. The system of county 

 government is thus seen not to be based on popular 

 representation, as is the case in England and, to 

 some extent, in Scotland. See JURY. 



In the United States the county is a creation of 

 the legislature of each state, and is not a thing of 

 gradual growth, as in England. Each county is 

 invested with certain corporate rights and powers 

 to enable it to perform the duties required of it in 

 the machinery of government, and its affairs are 

 managed by a board of commissioners or super- 

 visors, who can levy and collect taxes and hold real 

 and personal property for the benefit of the inhab- 

 itants. In every county there is a sheriff, coroner, 

 treasurer, recorder of deeds, and registrar of wills. 

 All officers are elected by the people. New coun- 

 ties are created by the subdivision of the existing 

 counties. County courts exist in each county, but 

 their powers vary according to the state they are 

 in, some having very extensive common-law and 

 equity jurisdiction, while others can deal only with 

 small suits, and are limited to chancery jurisdiction 

 and matters affecting trust properties. 



For authorities, see Stubbs, Constitutional History 

 (1874_78) ; Hallam, Constitutional History (1827; new 

 erl. 1866) ; Freeman, Norman Conquest ( 1867-79 ) ; Gneist, 

 English Constitution (trans. 1886) ; also LOCAL GOVERN- 

 MENT, and works there cited. 



Coup is a French word signifying ' a stroke,' 

 used in certain phrases that have become current 

 in Europe. A coup d'etat ( ' stroke of state ' ) means 

 an arbitrary encroachment suddenly effected by the 

 governing authorities upon the constitution of the 

 state, altering or setting aside the prerogatives of 

 other parts of the body politic. The term is applied 

 particularly to the treacherous but successful attack 



