Editing Edward I of England (section)

===Administration and the law===
[[File:King Edward I penny London mint.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|alt=Two sides of a long cross penny coin. The left image shows its obverse, with a portrait of King Edward wearing a coronet. The right image, showing the reverse, depicts a cross.|[[Long cross penny]] with portrait of Edward, struck in London]]
Soon after assuming the throne, Edward set about restoring order and re-establishing royal authority after the troubled reign of his father.<ref>{{Harvnb|Morris|2009|pp=116–117}}; {{Harvnb|Hamilton|2010|pp=65–66}}.</ref> To accomplish this, he immediately ordered an extensive change of administrative personnel. The most important of these was the designation of Robert Burnell as chancellor in 1274, a man who would remain in the post until 1292 as one of the King's closest associates.<ref>{{Harvnb|Prestwich|1997|p=92}}.</ref> The same year as Burnell's appointment, Edward replaced most local officials, such as the [[escheat]]ors and [[High sheriff|sheriffs]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Prestwich|1997|p=93}}.</ref> This last measure was taken in preparation for an extensive inquest covering all of England, that would hear complaints about [[abuse of power]] by royal officers. The second purpose of the inquest was to establish what land and rights [[The Crown#Concept|the Crown]] had lost during the reign of Henry&nbsp;III.<ref>{{Harvnb|Morris|2009|p=115}}.</ref>

The inquest produced a set of census documents called the [[Hundred Rolls]].<ref name= Jenks163164>{{Harvnb|Jenks|1902|pp=163–164}}.</ref> These have been likened to the 11th-century [[Domesday Book]],<ref>{{Harvnb|Chancellor|1981|pp=130–131}}.</ref> and they formed the basis for the later legal inquiries called the ''[[Quo warranto]]'' proceedings.<ref>{{Harvnb|Hamilton|2010|pp=64–65}}.</ref> The purpose of these inquiries was to establish by what warrant ({{Langx|la|Quo warranto}}) [[Liberty (division)|liberties]] were held.<ref name=Sutherland1963PP146/>{{Efn|Among those singled out in particular by the royal justices was [[Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford]], who was seen to have encroached ruthlessly on royal rights over the preceding years.<ref name="Sutherland1963PP146">{{Harvnb|Sutherland|1963|pp=146–147}}.</ref>}} If the defendant could not produce a royal licence to prove the grant of the liberty, then it was the Crown's opinion{{Spaced en dash}}based on the writings of the influential 13th-century legal scholar [[Henry de Bracton]]{{Spaced en dash}}that the liberty should revert to the King. Both the [[Statute of Westminster 1275]] and [[Statute of Westminster 1285]] codified the existing law in England.<ref>{{Harvnb|Salzman|1968|pp=204–205}}.</ref> By enacting the [[Statute of Gloucester]] in 1278 the King challenged baronial rights through a revival of the system of general [[eyre (legal term)|eyres]] (royal justices to go on tour throughout the land) and through a significant increase in the number of pleas of quo warranto to be heard by such eyres.<ref>{{Harvnb|Chancellor|1981|pp=138–139}}.</ref>

This caused great consternation among the aristocracy,<ref name=Carpenter2004469>{{Harvnb|Carpenter|2004|p=469}}.</ref> who insisted that long use in itself constituted [[licence]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Sutherland|1963|p=14}}.</ref> A compromise was eventually reached in 1290, whereby a liberty was considered legitimate as long as it could be shown to have been exercised since the coronation of [[Richard the Lionheart]] in 1189.<ref>{{Harvnb|Powicke|1962|pp=378–379}}.</ref> Royal gains from the ''Quo warranto'' proceedings were insignificant as few liberties were returned to the King,<ref>{{Harvnb|Sutherland|1963|p=188}}.</ref> but he had nevertheless won a significant victory by establishing the principle that all liberties emanated from the Crown.<ref>{{Harvnb|Sutherland|1963|p=149}}.</ref>

The 1290 statute of ''Quo warranto'' was only one part of a wider legislative reform, which was one of the most important contributions of Edward's reign.<ref>{{Harvnb|Prestwich|1997|p=267}}.</ref> This era of legislative action had started already at the time of the baronial reform movement; the [[Statute of Marlborough]] (1267) contained elements both of the Provisions of Oxford and the Dictum of Kenilworth.<ref>{{Harvnb|Brand|2003|p=362}}</ref> The compilation of the Hundred Rolls was followed shortly after by the issue of Westminster&nbsp;I (1275), which asserted the [[royal prerogative]] and outlined restrictions on liberties.<ref>{{Harvnb|Plucknett|1949|pp=29–30}}.</ref> The [[Statutes of Mortmain]] (1279) addressed the issue of land grants to the Church.<ref>{{Harvnb|Plucknett|1949|pp=94–98}}.</ref> The first clause of Westminster&nbsp;II (1285), known as ''[[De donis conditionalibus]]'', dealt with family settlement of land, and [[entail]]s.<ref>{{Harvnb|Prestwich|1997|p=273}}.</ref> [[Statute merchant|The Statute of Merchants]] (1285) established firm rules for the recovery of debts,<ref>{{Harvnb|Plucknett|1949|pp=140–144}}.</ref> and the [[Statute of Winchester]] (1285) dealt with security and peacekeeping on a local level by bolstering the existing police system.<ref>{{Harvnb|Prestwich|1997|pp=280–281}}; {{Harvnb|Chancellor|1981|p=139}}.</ref> ''[[Quia emptores]]'' (1290){{Spaced en dash}}issued along with ''Quo warranto''{{Spaced en dash}}set out to remedy land ownership disputes resulting from alienation of land by [[subinfeudation]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Plucknett|1949|pp=45, 102–104}}.</ref> The age of the great statutes largely ended with the death of Robert Burnell in 1292.<ref>{{Harvnb|Prestwich|1997|p=293}}.</ref>