C L E 
.pie powder is to determinfe all difputes relating to private 
or civil property. It is the mod inferior court of criminal 
jurifdiftion in the kingdom. 4 Comm. 275. 
Clerk Marfhal of the King's Hot] j.—An officer that at¬ 
tends the marfhal in his court, and records all his pro¬ 
ceedings. 
Clerk of the Nichiis, or Niki Is. —An officer of the court of 
exchequer, who makes a roll of all fuch fums as are ni- 
hiled by the fheriffs upon their eftreats of green w'ax ; and 
delivers the fame into the remembrancer’s office, to have 
execution done upon it for the king. Stat. 5 R. II. c. 13. 
Nihils are iffues by way of fine or amercement. 
Clerk of the Ordnance. —An officer in the Tower who re- 
gifters all orders touching the king’s ordnance. 
Clerk of the Outlawries. —An officer belonging to the 
court of common pleas, being the fervant or deputy to 
the king’s attorney-general, for making out writs of ca¬ 
pias utlagatum,after outlawry, the king’s attorney’s name 
being to every one of thofe writs. 
Clerk of the Paper Office. —An officer in the court of 
King’s-bench that makes up the paper-books of fpecial 
pleadings and demurrers in that court. 
Clerk of the Papers. —An officer in the common pleas, 
who hath the cultody of the papers of the warden of flie 
fleet, enters commitment* and difcharges of prifoners, 
delivers out day-rules, See. 
Clerk of a Parijh. —Is the lowed officer of the church. 
They were formerly clerks in orders, and their bufi- 
nefs was at firft to officiate at the altar, for which they 
had a competent maintenance by offerings ; but now they 
are laymen, and have certain fees .with the parfon, on 
chriftenings, marriages, burials, See. befides wages, for 
their maintenance. They are to be twenty years of age 
at lead, and known to be of honed converfation, fuffi- 
cient for their reading, Tinging, &c. And their bufinefs 
confids chiefly in refponfes to the minifler, reading lef- 
fons, finging pfalms, &c. In the large parifhes of Lon¬ 
don fome of them have deputies, to difpatch the bufinels 
of their places, which are more gainful than common rec¬ 
tories. The law looks upon them as officers for life; 
they are regarded by the common law as perfons who 
have freeholds in their offices ; and, therefore, though 
they may be puniffied, yet they cannot be deprived, by 
ecclefiaflical cenfures. 1 Comm. 395. And they are gene¬ 
rally appointed by the minider, unlefs there is a cudom 
for the parifliioners or churchwardens to choofe them ; in 
which cafe the canon cannot abrogate fuch cudom ; and, 
when cholen, it is to be fignified to, and they are to be 
fworn into their office, by the archdeacon. Cro. Car. 589. 
And, if fuch cudom appears, the court of King’s-bench 
will grant a mandamus to the archdeacon to Iwear him 
in, for the edabliffiment of the cudom turns it into a 
temporal or civil right. 1 Comm. 395. lie may make a 
deputy without licence of the ordinary; and cannot fue 
in the fpiritual court for fees, as being a temporal officer, 
a Strange 1108. 
Clerk of the Parliatnent Rolls. —An officer who records 
all things done in the high court of parliament, and in- 
groffeth them in parchment rolls, for their better preferva- 
tion to poderity : of thefe officers there are two, one in the 
lords’ lioufe, and another in the houfe of commons. 
Clerk of the Patents, or of the letters patent under the 
great feal of England.—An office erefted 18 Jac. I. for the 
cudody of all patents granted by the crown. 
Clerk of the Peace.— An officer belonging to the leffions 
of the peace; his duty is to read indiftments, inrol the 
proceedings, and draw the procefs; he keeps the counter¬ 
part of the indentureof armour; records the proclamation 
of rates for fervants wages 5 has the cudody of the regider- 
book of licences given to badgers of corn ; of perfons li- 
cenfed to kill game, &c. Alfo he certifies into the King’s- 
bench tranferipts of indiftments, outlawries, attainders, 
and convictions, had before the judices of peace, within 
the time limited. The cuffos rotulorum of the county 
hath the appointment of the clerk of the peace, who may 
Von. IV. No. 
R K. 665 
execute his office by deputy, to be approved of by the 
cudos rotulorum to hold the office during good beha¬ 
viour. Stats. 37 H. VIII. c. 1. 1 W. Sc M. c. 21. By dat. 
22 Geo. II. c. 46. no clerk of the peace, or his deputy, 
(hall aft as folicitor, attorney, or agent, at the feffions 
where he afts as clerk or deputy, on penalty of fifty pounds, 
with treble cofts. If a clerk of the peace mifdemeans him- 
felf, the juftices of peace in quarter leffions have power to 
difeharge him ; and the cudos rotulorum is to choole an¬ 
other, refident in the county; or, on his default, the fef¬ 
fions may appoint one; the place is not to be fold, on 
pain of forfeiting double the value of the dim given by 
each party, and difability to enjoy their l’efpeftive offices, 
&c. Stat. 1 IF. 8 c M. c. 21. 
Clerk of the Pell. —A clerk belonging to the exchequer, 
whole office is to enter every teller’s bill into a parch¬ 
ment roll or Ikin, called pellis receptorum-, and alfo to 
make another roll of payments, which is termed pellis exi - 
tuum, wherein he lets down by what warrant the money 
was paid. Stat. 22 & 23 Car. II. c. 22. 
Clerk of the Petty Bag. —An officer of the court of chan¬ 
cery. There are three of thefe ofiicers, of whom the 
mailer of the rolls is the chief. Their offide is to record 
the return of all inquifitions out of every lliire; to make 
out patents of cudomers, gaugers, controllers. See. all conge 
d'elires forbifhops, the fummons of the nobility, and bur- 
gelles to parliament; commidions direfted to knights and 
others of every (hire, for affeffing fubfidies and taxes; alt 
offices found pof mortem are brought to the clerks of the 
petty bag to be filed ; and by them are entered all plead¬ 
ings of the chancery concerning the validity of patents 
or other things which pals the great feal; they alfo make 
forth liberates upon extents of ftatutes-daple, and re¬ 
covery of recognizances forfeited, and all elegits upon 
them ; and all fuits for or againd any privileged perfon 
are profecuted in their office, &c. 
Clerk of the Pipe. —An officer in the exchequer, who, 
having the accounts of debts due to the king, delivered 
and drawn out of the remembrancer’s offices, charges 
them down in the great roll, and is called clerk of the. pipe 
from the lhape of that roll, which is put together like a 
pipe; he alfo writes out warrants to the ffieriffs to levy 
the faid debts upon the goods and chattels of the debtors; 
and, if they have no goods, then he draws them down 
to the lord treafurer’s remembrancer, to write edreats 
againd their lands. The ancient revenue of the crown 
dands in charge to him, and he fees the lame anfvvered 
by the farmers and ffieriffs; he makes a charge to all 
fheriffs of their fummons of the pipe, and green wax, and 
takes care it be anfwered on their accounts. And he hath 
the drawing and ingroffing of all leafes of the king’s lands, 
having a fecondary and leveral clerks under him. In the 
reign of Henry VI. this officer was called ingroffiator magni 
rotuli. Stat. 33 Hen. VIII. c. 22. 
Clerk of the Pleas. —An officer in the court of exchequer, 
in whofe office all the officers of the court, upon fpecial 
privilege belonging unto them, ought to fue or be fued in 
any aftion, See, The clerk of the pleas has under him a 
great many clerks, who are attornies in all luffs com¬ 
menced or depending in the court of exchequer. 
Clerks of the Privy Seal. —Thefe are four of the officers 
which attend the lord privy leal; or, if there be no lord 
privy feal, the principal lecretary offtate; writing and 
making out all things that are lent by warrant from the 
ffgnet to the privy feal, and which are to be puffed to the 
great leal; alfo they make out privy feals, upon a fpecial 
occaiion of his majefty’s affairs, as for loan of money, and 
the like. He that is now called lord privy feal, feeins to 
have been, in ancient times, called clerk of the privy feal; 
bat, notwithffanding, to have been reckoned in the num¬ 
ber of the great officers of the realm. Stats. 12 R. II. c. it. 
27 H. VIII. c. 11. 
Clerk of the Remembrance. —An officer in the exchequer, 
who is to fit againft the clerk of the pipe, to fee the dif- 
charge* made in the pipe, &c. Stfd, 37 Ed, III. c. 4.. The 
8 G clerk 
