THE JUSTICES OF LABOURERS 37 



34 geographical counties; (2) 7 divisions of counties, 

 /. e. the three divisions of Lincolnshire and Yorkshire 

 respectively, and the Isle of Wight as distinct from the 

 rest of the county of Southampton; (3) 8 groups of 

 wapentakes within Yorkshire, arranged in varying com- 

 binations; (4) 22 towns, all but 2 being boroughs;' (5) 

 24 franchises in the hands either of individuals or of an 

 ecclesiastical order; (6) 2 counties palatine; total, 97 

 districts. Previous to 1352, in addition to districts in- 

 cluded in the above list,- one separate commission for 

 labourers had been issued for Durham ^ and one for Lan- 

 cashire before it had become a county palatine ; * also 

 joint commissions had been issued on one occasion to 

 Holland and Kesteven classed as a single district,s and to 

 two towns ^ that did not again receive any commissions 

 distinct from those of the county. These few instances 

 belonging to the complicated and changing systems of 

 the first and second periods are not included in the totals 

 under consideration. 



A comparison with the districts receiving commissions 

 of the peace reveals a marked contrast. The counties 

 show some differences; Southampton is never divided 

 and Yorkshire almost never, — the West Riding twice, ^ 



'On the authority of Merevvether and Stephens, Hist, of Boroughs; 

 Newark and Southwell are the exceptions. It should be added that two 

 of the towns comprised in the Cinque Ports group were not made bor- 

 oughs until a little later. 



^A glance at the list in app., 33-35, shows that during the period of 

 the joint commissions the total number of districts was small in com- 

 parison with the figures just given. 



^ See app., 27. *See app., 34. *See app., 2)7)- 



® Newcastle-on-Tyne and York; app., 34. 



'Pat., 27, pt. I, m. 25 d, 8 July {Cal., ix, 450); 30, pt. i, m. 20 d, 13 

 May. 



