Court of Conscience
Preserved but no longer current.
Established for the recovery of small debts in London and other trading places in the reign of Henry VIII. They were also called Courts of Requests, and are now superseded by county courts. Why should not Conscience have vacation, As well as other courts o' the nation?
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Court of Conscience” mean?
Established for the recovery of small debts in London and other trading places in the reign of Henry VIII. They were also called Courts of Requests, and are now superseded by county courts. Why should not Conscience have vacation, As well as other courts o' the nation?
Is “Court of Conscience” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.