Justice of the Peace

A local judicial officer appointed by the Crown to preserve the peace and exercise specified judicial and administrative functions. In nineteenth-century England and Wales, Justices of the Peace, commonly called magistrates, were usually unpaid local gentlemen, often landowners, sitting individually or in petty sessions. They dealt with minor criminal matters, licensing, and various local administrative duties. The office remains current, with lay magistrates continuing to hear cases in magistrates’ courts.