Today I learnt about the origins of the Court of Chancery (now the Chancery Division of the High Court). Back in Plantagenet days, if people felt they could not receive justice through the common law courts, they would appeal to the King to hear their complaints and provide a remedy. In the fifteenth century, this task was delegated to the Chancellor and because he heard so many petitions a court was established that dealt exclusively with matters of equity, the Court of Chancery.
I read this in Geoffrey Rivlin's fascinating book Understanding the Law (Oxford University Press):
http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/9780199547203.do
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