290 C O U 
in other counties in the king’s, and all offences were faid 
to be done againft their peace, and not, as in other places, 
contra paccm domini regis. a. Injl. 204. And indeed by the 
ancient law, in all peculiar jurifdiftions, offences were 
faid to be done againft his peace, in whofe court they 
were tried; in a court-leet, contra paccm domini-, in the 
court of a corporation, contra paccm ballivorum ; in the 
fheriff’s courts or towns, contra paccm vicccomit is. Seld. in 
Heng. Magna. c. 2. 
The palatine privileges, (To fimilar to the regal inde¬ 
pendent jurifdictions ufurped by the great barons on the 
continent, during the weak and infant ftate of the firft 
feudal kingdoms in Europe,) were in all probability ori¬ 
ginally granted to the counties of Chefter and Durham, 
because they bordered upon the then inimical countries, 
Wales and Scotland : in order that the inhabitants, hav¬ 
ing juftice adminiftered at home, might not be obliged 
to go out of the county, and leave it open to the enemy’s 
incurlions; and the owners, being encouraged by fo 
large an authority, might be the more watchful in its 
defence. And upon this account alfo there were for¬ 
merly two other counties palatine, Pembrokeftiire, and 
Hexhamffiire; the latter now united with Northumber¬ 
land ; but thefe were abolifhed by parliament, theformer 
in 27 Hen. VIII. the latter, in i4Eliz. And in the time 
of Hten. VIII. Iikewife, the powers before-mentioned of 
ownersof countiespalatine were abridged by 27 Hen.VIII. 
c. 24. though ftill all writs are witnelfed in their names, 
and all forfeitures for treafon by the common law accrue 
to them. 4 Injl. 205. 
Of the three counties palatine, that of Durham is 
now the only one remaining in the hands of a fubjedt. 
For the earldom of Chefter, as Camden teftifies, was 
united to the crown by Hen. III. and has ever fince given 
title to the king’s cldeft fon. And the county palatine 
or duchy of Lancafter, was the property of Henry Bo- 
lingbrcke, fon of John of Gaunt, at the time when he 
wrefted the crown from Richard II. and affumed the title 
of Henry IV. But he was too prudent to fuffer this to 
be united to the crown; left if he loft one, he fhould 
lofe the other alfo. For as Plowden, and fir Edward 
Coke obferve, he knew he had the duchy of Lancafter 
by lure and indefealible title, but that his title to the 
crown was not fo aftured; for that after the deceafe of 
Richard II. the right of the crown was in the heir of 
Lionel duke of Clarence, lecond 1'on of Edward III. 
John of Gaunt, father to this Henry IV. being but tire 
fourth fon ; and therefore he procured an aCt of par¬ 
liament, in the firft year of his reign, ordaining that the 
duchy of Lancafter, and all other his hereditary eftates, 
with all their royalties, and franchifes, fhould remain to 
him and his heirs for ever ; and fliould remain, defeend, 
be adminiftered, and governed, in like manner as if he 
never had attained the regal dignity ; and thus they de- 
feended to his fon and grandfon, Henry V. and Henry VI. 
many new territories and privileges being annexed to 
the duchy by the former, at different periods. Henry VI. 
being attainted in 1 Edw. IV. this duchy was declared in 
parliament to have become forfeited to the crown; and 
at the fame time an aft was made to incorporate the 
diichy of Lancafter, to continue the county palatine ; 
(which might othervvife have determined by the at¬ 
tainder, 1 Ventr. 157.) and to make one and the fame 
parcel of the duchy : and, farther, to veft the whole in 
Edward IV. and his heirs, kings of England, for ever; 
but under a feparate guiding and governance from the 
other inheritances of the crown. And in 1 Hen. VII. 
another aft was made, to refume fuch part of the duchy 
lands as had been difmembered from it in the reign of 
Eldward IV. and to veft the inheritance of the whole in 
the king and his heirs forever; as amply and largely, 
and in like manner, form, and condition, feparate from 
the crown of England and poifeffion of the lame, as the 
Three Henrys’, and Edward IV. or any of them, had and 
held the lame. 
C O V 
. The Ifle of Ely is not a county palatine, thotigh fome- 
times. erroneoufly called fo, but only a royal franchife, 
the bilhop having, by grant of Henry the Firft, jura rc - 
ovz/ww’ithin the Ifle of Ely; whereby he exerciles a ju- 
rifdiftion over all caufes, as well criminal as civil. 2 
Injl. 220. 
The counties palatine are reckoned among the fupe- 
rior courts: and are privileged as to pleas, fo as no in¬ 
habitant of fuch counties (hall be compelled by any- 
writ to appear ov anfwer out of the fame; except for 
error, and in cafes of treafon, See. and the counties pala¬ 
tine of Chefter and Durham, are by prefeription, w here 
the king’s writ ought not to come, but under the leal of 
the counties palatine ; unlefs it be writs of proclama¬ 
tion. Cronip. JuriJ. 137. But certiorari lies out of the 
king’s-bench to juftices of a county palatine, to remove 
indictments, and proceedings before them. 2 Hawk. P. C. 
c. 27. 'I here is alfo a court of chancery in the counties 
palatine of Lancafter and Durham, over which there are 
chancellors; that of Lancafter is called chancellor of 
theduchy. And there is acourt of exchequer at Chefter, 
of a mixed nature, for law and equity, of which the cham¬ 
berlain of Chefter is judge. There is alfo a chief juftice 
of Chefter; and other juftices in the other counties pa¬ 
latine, to determine civil aftions and pleas of the crown. 
1 he bilhop of Durham has that county palatine ; and 
if any erroneous judgment be given in the courts of the 
bifhoprick of Durham, a writ of error ftrall be brought 
before the bilhop himfelf; and if he give an erroneous 
judgment thereon, a writ of error ftiall be fued out re¬ 
turnable in the court of king’s bench. 4 Injl. 218. In¬ 
fants in counties palatine are enabled to convey by order 
of the relpeftive courts belonging to thofe counties. 4 
Geo. III. c. 1 0 . The king may make a county palatine, 
by his letters patent, without parliament. 4 Injl. 201. 
Counties corporate, are certain cities and towns, 
fome with more, fome with lefs, territory annexed to 
them, to which, out of fpecial favour, the kings of 
England have granted the privilege to be counties of 
themlelves, and not to be comprized in any other county ; 
but to be governed by their own lherifts and other ma- 
giftrates, fo that no officers of the county at large have 
any power to intermeddle therein. The ftat/. s’Geo. 1 . 
c. 15. for the regulation of the office of iherifts, enume¬ 
rates twelve cities, and five towns, which are counties of 
themlelves, and which have confequently their own Ihe- 
rifts. The cities are, London (by grant of Hen. I.) 
Chefter (42EHZ.) Briftol, Coventry, Canterbury, Exe¬ 
ter, Gloucefter, Lichfield, Lincoln, Norwich, Worcefter, 
York, (32 Hen. VIII.) The towns are, Kingfton-upon- 
Hull, Nottingham, Newcaftle-upon-Tyne, Poole, and 
Southampton. To thefe Cirencefter is added in Impey’s 
Sheriff; but on what authority doqs not appear. 
COUN'TY-RATE, f. In law, an affeflment peculiar 
to a county. By 12 Geo. II. c. 29, juftices of peace at 
their quarter-felfions, and by 13 Geo. II. c. 18. juftices 
of liberties and franchifes not fubjedt to tire County 
contmiffioners, may make one general rate, to anfwer all 
former diftindt rates, which ftrall be alleffed on every pa- 
riftr, and colledted and paid by the high conftables of 
hundreds to treafurers appointed by the juftices; which 
money ftrall be deemed the public county ftock, and be 
laid out in repairing bridges, gaols, or hotifes of correc¬ 
tion, on prelentnrent made by the grand jury at the af- 
fizes or quarter-feffions, of their wanting reparation ; 
but appeal lies by the church-wardens and overfeers of 
the poor of the parilhes to the juftices at the next fef- 
fions, againft the rate on any particular parilli. See ftat.. 
22 Geo. III. c. 17. 
CO'VOLO, a fortrefs and village of the Tyrolefe, on 
the Brenta, and borders of the Veronefe, where the 
Auftrians were defeated by the French Republican army, 
in September, 1796 : twenty miles north of Vicenza, 
and twenty-three eaft of Trent. 
CO'VORDEN, a city of the Netherlands,.in Overyflel, 
the. 
