370 C L E 
William the Conqueror, finding the bishop- 
rics so rich, created them into. baronies, each 
barony containing thirteen knight’s fees at 
least : but since the Reformation the bishop- 
rics are much impoverished. The revenues 
of- the inferior clergy, in general, are small ; 
a third part of the best benefices being 
antiently, by the pope’s grant, appropriated 
to monasteries, upon the dissolution thereof 
became a lay-fee. 
Clergy, benefit of, is an antient privi- 
lege, whereby one in orders claimed to be 
delivered to his ordinary, to purge himself of 
felony. This, purgation was to be by his own 
oath, affirming his innocence, and the oath 
of twelve compurgators, as to their belief of 
it, before a jury of twelve clerks: if the clerk 
failed in his purgation, he was deprived of 
his character, whereby he became a mere 
layman, or he was to be kept in prison till a 
pardon was obtained; but if he purged him- 
self, he was set at liberty. This was formerly 
admitted, even in cases of murder; but the 
antient course of the law is much altered 
'upon this head. By the statute of 18 Eliz. 
cap. vii. clerks are no more committed to 
their ordinary to be purged; but every man 
to whom the benefit of clergy is granted, 
though not in orders, is put to read at the 
bar, after he is found guilty and convicted 
of such felony, and so burnt in the hand, and 
set free for the first time, if the ordinary or 
deputy standing by, do say, Legit ut clericus,: 
otherwise he shall suffer death. 
It appears by our law-books, that laymen 
that could read had the privilege of the cler- 
gy ever since 25 Edw. III. which allowance 
never was condemned in parliament, but ra- 
ther approved of. 
CLERK, a word originally appropriated 
to the clergy, from the Greek 
(chosen), whence it was afterwards applied 
to denote a learned man, or man of 
letters: in law it is still the designation 
of a clergyman, or a person in holy or- 
ders; in former. times the nobility and gentry 
being usually bred up to the exercise of arms, 
and none left but the ecclesiastics to cultivate 
the sciences. 
Clerk of the acts, an officer in the navy 
office, appointed for recording all orders, 
contracts, bills, warrants, &c. transacted by 
the lords of the admiralty and commissioners 
of the navy. 
Clerk of the affidavits, the officer, in the 
court of chancery, who files all affidavits made 
use of in court. 
Clerk of the assise, the person who writes 
all things judicially done by the justices of as- 
size in their circuits. 
, Clerk of the baits, an officer in the court 
of king’s bench, whose business it is to file all 
bail-pieces taken in that court, where he al- 
ways attends. 
Clerk of the crown, an officer, in the 
king’s bench, who frames, reads, and records, 
all indictments against offenders, there ar- 
raigned or indicted of any public crime. 
He is likewise termed clerk of the crown- 
office, in which capacity he exhibits infor- 
mations by order of the court, for divers of- 
fences. 
Clerk of the crown, in chancery, an of- 
ficer whose business it is constantly "to attend 
the lord-chancellor, in person or by deputy, 
to write and prepare for the great seal, spe- 
cial matters of state by commission, both or- 
6 
C L E 
dinary and extraordinary, viz. commissions of 
lieutenancy, of justices of assise, oyer and 
terminer, gaol-delivery, and of the' peace ; 
ail general pardons, granted either at the 
king’s coronation, or iii parliament : the 
writs of parliament, with the names of the 
knights, citizens, and burgesses, are also re- 
turned into his office. He also makes out 
special pardons, and writs of execution on 
bonds of statute-staple forfeited. 
Clerk of the declarations, he that files all 
declarations after they are engrossed, in 
causes depending in the court of kind’s 
bench. 
Clerk of the deliveries, an officer of tlie 
I ower, whose function is to take indentures 
for all stores and ammunition issued from 
thence. 
Clerk of the errors, in the court of com- 
mon pleas, an officer wdio transcribes and 
certifies into the king’s bench, the tenor of 
the record of the action on which the writ of 
error, made out by the cursitor, is brought 
there to be determined. In the king’s bench, 
the clerk of the errors transcribes and cer- 
tilies the records of causes, bv bill in that 
court, into the exchequer. And the business 
of the clerk of the errors in the exchequer, is 
to transcribe the records certified thither out 
of the king’s bench, and to prepare them for 
judgment in the exchequer-chamber. 
Clerk of the essoins, in the court of com- 
mon pleas, keeps the essoin-roll, or enters 
essoins: he also provides parchment, cuts it 
into rolls, marks the number on them, deli- 
vers out all the rolls to every officer, and 
receives them again when written. 
Clerk of the estreats, an officer in the 
exchequer, who every term receives the 
estreats out of the lord-treasurer’s remem- 
brancer’s office, and writes them out, to be 
levied for the crown. 
Clerk of the hamper or hanaper, an of- 
ficer in chancery, whose business is to receive 
all money due to the king for the seals of 
charters, letters patent, commissions, and 
writs: also fhe fees due to the officers for 
enrolling and examining them. 
Clerk of the enrolments, an officer of the 
court of common pleas, that enrols and ex- 
emplifies all fines and recoveries, and returns 
writs of entry. 
Clerk of the juries, an officer of the 
common pleas, who makes out the writs 
called habeas-corpus and distringas, for juries 
to appear either in that court, or at the assizes, 
after the pannels are returned upon the venire 
facias. He likewise enters into the rolls the 
awarding these writs, and makes all the conti- 
nuances till verdict is given. 
Clerk controler of the king's household, 
an officer of the king’s court, authorized to 
allow or disallow the charges of poursuivants, 
messengers of the green cloth, &c. to inspect 
and control all defects of any of the inferior 
officers ; and to sit in the Counting-house with 
the lord-steward and other officers of the 
household, for regulating such matters. 
Clerk of the king's silver, an officer of 
the common pleas, "to whom every fine is 
brought, after it has passed the office of the 
custos brevium ; and who enters the effect of 
writs of covenant, into a book kept for that 
purpose, according to which all the fine's of 
that term are recorded in the rolls of the 
court. 
Clerk of the king’s great wardrobe, an of- 
CLE 
ficer who keeps an account of all things be- 
longing to the wardrobe. 
Clerk oj the market, an officer of the 
king’s house, to whom is given the charge of 
the king’s measures and weights, the stand- 
ards of those that ought to be used all over 
England. 
Clerk ofthe nichils, or nihils, an officer 
of the exchequer, who makes a roll of all. 
such sums as are nichilled by the sheriffs upon 
their estreats of green wax, and delivers 
them in to the remembrancer of the treasury, 
to have execution done upon them for the 
king. 
Clerk of the ordnance, an officer that re- 
gisters all orders concerning the king’s ord- 
nance in the Tower. 
Clerk of the outlawries, an officer of the 
common pleas, and deputy to the attorney- 
general, for making out all writs of capias ut- 
legatum after outlawry, to which there must 
be the king’s attorney’s name. 
Clerk oj the paper-office, an officer be- 
longing to the king’s bench, whose business 
is to make up the paper-books of special 
pleadings in that court. 
Clerk of the parliament-rolls, an officer 
in the house of lords, and likewise in the 
house of commons, who records all transac- 
tions in parliament, and engrosses them fairly 
in parchment rolls. 
Clerk of the peace, an officer belonging 
to the sessions of the peace, whose business 
is to read indictments, enrol the proceedings, 
and draw the process ; he likewise certifies 
into the king’s-bench, transcripts of indict- 
ments, outlawries, attainders, and convictions, 
had before the justices of peace, within the 
time limited by statute, under a certain pe- 
nalty. r ! his office is in the gift of the custos 
rotulorum, and may be executed by de- 
puty- 
Clerk of the pells, an officer that belongs 
to the exchequer, whose business is to enter 
every teller’s bill into a parchment roll called 
poll is receptorum, and to make another roll 
of payments, called pellis exituum. 
Clerks oj the petty bag, officers of the 
court of chancery, of which there are three, 
the master of the rolls being the chief: then- 
business is to record the return of all inquisiti- 
ons out of every shire, to make out patents of 
customers, gaugers, controlers, &c. liberates 
upon extents of statute-staple, conge-d’elire s 
for bishops ; summons of the nobility, clergy, 
and burgesses to parliament ; and commissions 
directed to knights and others, of every shire, 
for assessing subsidies and taxes. 
Clerk of the pipe, an officer of the ex- 
chequer, whp having the accounts of all debts 
due to the king, delivered out of the remem- 
brancer’s office, charges them in a great roll, 
folded up like a pipe. He writes out war- 
rants to sheriffs, to levy the said debts on the 
goods and chattels of the debtors ; and ifthev 
have no goods, then he draws them, down to 
the treasurer’s remembrancer, to write es- 
treats against their lands. 
Clerk ofthepleas, an officer of the ex- 
chequer, in whose office all the officers of 
the court, having special privilege, ought to 
sue, or be sued, in any action. In this office 
also actions at law may be prosecuted by 
other persons, but the plaintiff ought to be 
tenant or debtor to the king, or some way ac- 
countable to him. The under-clerks are at- 
torneys hi all suits. 
