Circuits

Circuits. These are the routes taken by the several judges of the Supreme Court in holding the assizes. Considerable alterations in them were made by the Judicature Act, 1875, and by the orders in council made pursuant to such Act on Feb. 5 and May 7, 1876, and June 26, 1884. They now are as follows: -

1. The Northern Circuit, comprising the counties of Westmoreland, Cumberland, and Lancaster; the Assize towns being Appleby, Carlisle, Lancaster, Manchester, and Liverpool.

2. The North-Eastern Circuit, comprising the counties of Northumberland, Durham, and York, and counties of the town of Newcastle-on-Tyne and city of York; the assize towns being Newcastle, Durham, Leeds, and York.

3. The Midland Circuit, comprising the counties of Lincoln, Nottingham, Derby, Warwick, Leicester, Northampton, Rutland, Buckingham, and Bedford. the counties of the city of Lincoln and town of Nottingham; the assize towns being Lincoln, Nottingham, Derby, Warwick, Leicester, Northampton, Oakham, Aylesbury, and Bedford.

4. The South-Eastem Circuit, comprising the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Huntingdon, Cambridge, Hertford, Essex, Kent, and Sussex, and county of the city of Norwich; the assize towns being Norwich, Bury St. Edmunds, or Ipswich, Huntingdon, Cambridge, Hertford, Chelmsford, Maidstone, and Lewes.

5. The Oxford Circuit, comprising the counties of Berks, Oxford, Worcester, Stafford, Salop, Hereford, Monmouth, Gloucester, and counties of the cities of Worcester and Gloucester; the assize towns being Reading, Oxford, Worcester, Stafford, Shrewsbury, Hereford, Monmouth, and Gloucester.

6. The Western Circuit, comprising the counties of Southampton, Wilts, Dorset, Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, and counties of the cities of Exeter and Bristol; the assize towns being Winchester, Devizes or Salisbury, Dorchester, Exeter, Bodmin, Taunton, or Wells, and Bristol.

7. The North and South Wales Circuit, comprising North Wales Division, the counties of Montgomery, Merioneth, Carnarvon, Anglesea, Denbigh, Flint, and Chester. South Wales Division: Counties of Glamorgan, Carmarthen, Pembroke, Cardigan, Brecknock, and Radnor, and counties of the borough of Carmarthen and town of Haverfordwest; the assize towns being Welshpool, or Newtown, Dolgelly, Carnarvon, Beaumaris, Ruthin, Mold, Chester, Cardiff, or Swansea, Carmarthen, Haverfordwest, Cardigan, Brecon, and Presteign. The places, and also, as far as may be, the days for holding assizes, are fixed, and various other regulations as to circuits made by the "Circuits Order, 1884" above referred to.

The Circuit Courts of Justiciary in Scotland are very similar in constitution to the Assizes in England in criminal matters, but in civil causes their jurisdiction is limited to the hearing of appeals from local tribunals. There are three circuits in Scotland (the north, south, and west).