Editing Writ (section)

===Origins===
Sometime before the [[History of Anglo-Saxon England|tenth century]], officials in England began utilizing writs to convey orders.<ref>Harper-Bill, Christopher. [https://books.google.com/books?id=FaI5tE6z07gC ''Anglo-Norman Studies, XXVII: Proceedings of the Battle Conference, 1994.''] Boydell Press (1995). 114-116.</ref> A "writ" was simply a short written command issued by a person in authority. It was customary for the sender to [[Great Seal of the Realm|seal]] such a command as proof of its authenticity. In the days when writing was a rare art, a writ was revered because the person receiving the command was unlikely to deny or question its legitimacy.<ref>Jenks, Edward. [http://digitalcommons.law.yale.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2956&context=ylj ''The Prerogative Writs in English Law''.] The Yale Law Journal 32.6 (1923): 523-534.</ref> The [[Norman Conquest of England]] in 1066 led to the establishment of a strong, centralized monarchy. The first [[Normans|Norman]] [[King of England]], [[William the Conqueror]], modified writs to become mainly framed in Latin, increased the number of writs to cover additional royal commands, and established the ''[[Curia Regis]] '' in England.<ref name="William the Conqueror">{{cite book |last1=Douglas |first1=David C. |title=William the Conqueror The Norm |date=1967 |publisher=[[University of California Press]] |location=Berkeley, California |isbn=9780520003507 |page=293 |url=https://www.abebooks.co.uk/William-Conqueror-Norm-Douglas-David-C/32165762736/bd |access-date=9 April 2025 |language=English}}</ref> The ''Curia Regis'', a Latin term meaning "royal council", consisted of the King of England and his loyal advisors. The ''Curia Regis'' accompanied the King as he travelled. This council administered all of the King's governmental activities, including judicial matters.<ref name="English Law History">Holdsworth, William Searle. [https://books.google.com/books?id=gTJLAAAAYAAJ ''A History of English Law.''] Vol. 1. Methuen, 1922. p 32-41.</ref>

One of the most important members of the ''Curia Regis'' was the [[Lord Chancellor]]. The Lord Chancellor led the chancery. [[Chancery (medieval office)|Chancery]] is a general term for a [[Middle Ages|medieval]] writing office that was responsible for the production of official documents.<ref>Corèdon, Christopher, and Ann Williams. [https://books.google.com/books?id=RxJlQgAACAAJ ''A Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases'']. Cambridge, England: D.S. Brewer, 2004. p. 66.</ref> The Lord Chancellor wrote writs on behalf of the King, maintained all official documents, and acted as the keeper of the [[Great Seal of the Realm|royal seal]]. This position, in effect, placed the Lord Chancellor as the head of the English legal system. The King, however, was the ultimate leader of the kingdom; therefore, the Lord Chancellor issued writs under the guidance of what he believed to be in the best interests of the King. Between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, the Lord Chancellor had a large control over the issuance of all original writs. In this history of English common law, original writs began a legal proceeding, while a judicial writ was issued during a legal proceeding.<ref name="English Law History" />

The writ was a unique development of the [[Anglo-Saxon monarchs|Anglo-Saxon monarchy]] and consisted of a brief administrative order, authenticated (innovatively) by a [[Seal (contract law)|seal]].<ref name="Medieval Foundations">{{cite book |last1=Sayles |first1=G.O. |title=The Medieval Foundations of England |date=1950 |publisher=[[University of Pennsylvania Press]] |location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |isbn=9781512820980 |page=174 |url=https://www.abebooks.co.uk/Medieval-Foundations-England-Sayles-G-O/30753372163/bd |access-date=9 April 2025 |language=English}}</ref> Written in the [[vernacular]], they generally made a [[land grant]] or conveyed instructions to a local court. In the beginning, writs were the documents issued by the King's Chancellor against a landowner whose [[vassal]] complained to the King about an injustice, after a first summon by the sheriff to comply had been deemed fruitless.<ref name="Medieval Foundations" /> [[William the Conqueror]] took over the system unchanged, but was to extend it in two ways: first, writs became mainly framed in Latin, not Anglo-Saxon; second, they covered an increasing range of royal commands and decisions.<ref name="William the Conqueror" /> Writs of instruction continued to develop under his immediate successors, but it was not until [[Henry II of England|Henry II]] that writs became available for purchase by private individuals seeking justice, thus initiating a vast expansion in their role within the common law.<ref name="Medieval Foundations" />

Writs could take two main forms: '[[letters patent]]', which were open for all to read, and 'letters close' for one or more specified individuals alone.<ref name="Community of Realm" />