Chester's Great Charter Key Points

• City of Chester to be separate from the Shire of Chester
• Provision for 24 aldermen and 40 councilmen
• One of the aldermen to be chosen as the Recorder by the mayor, sheriffs and councilmen (a new office)
• Mayor to be chosen each year and to be Escheator and Clerk of the Market
• The Mayor and the Commonalty to constitute the Commonalty of the City of Chester and answer or be answered, plead or implead as a legal entity  (incorporation of the City)
• Two sheriffs to be chosen each year
• Procedures:
  • Mayor Citizens (freemen of the City) to gather without let or hindrance at the Common Hall on the Friday after 9 October (St Dennis' day) and name 2 of the 24 aldermen who have either have been mayor or Sheriff previously or else have had no business with the sheriffship in the past 3 years
  • Mayor then chosen by a majority of the aldermen and sheriffs from 2 nominees chosen by the freemen.  In a tie the outgoing mayor to have the casting vote
  • Sheriffs Mayor, sheriffs, aldermen and other citizens (freemen) to meet Friday after St Dennis' day.  Mayor, sheriffs and aldermen to choose 1 sheriff and the citizens to choose the other to serve for a year
  • Once appointed all these officers to swear oath in person before the outgoing officials in the accustomed form
    
• Authority of the mayor, escheator, clerk of markets and sheriffs confirmed and to be the only ones with jurisdiction in the City
• Two sheriffs courts a County Court on Mondays and a weekly court Tuesday, Thursday and Friday (probably the Pentice Court) as they have been accustomed to do confirmation
• Regalia The Mayor is entitled to have a sword borne point upwards before him unless the king or his heirs are there, even in the presence of nobles and lords of royal blood, outside the immediate royal family
  The sergeants of the mayor and Sheriffs entitled to bear silver/gilt maces with the Royal arms even in the royal presence
• Mayor to chose 2 coroners from amongst the citizens (freemen) each year who will take an oath and have the same powers as coroners in shires or county palatines
• Mayor and Citizens (freemen) to elect 2 Murengers  or Overseers of the Walls confirmation of an existing situation with power to collect Murage for the maintenance and building of the City Walls
• Exclusion of officers of the King's Household from any interference with the City or its citizens
• If no custom, ordinance or present remedy available the mayor, aldermen and sheriffs empowered, with the advice of the 40 councilmen to arrive at one power to make byelaws
• Jurisdiction over pleas within the City and its suburbs precincts etc to hear all pleas with only Chester Castle and the Gloverstone (near the Castle) exempt.  Effectively sets up the City Quarter Sessions, held first in the common Hall and held in the City until abolished 1971 with introduction of crown courts
• No citizen (freeman) to be implead or sued outside the City
• Mayor's and sheriffs' sergeants have right of arrest and of committal to the gaol
• The City to have a "proper Jayle & prison" at Northgate Tower as in the past confirmation
• Portmote and Crownmote courts existence confirmed
• Citizens (freemen) exempt from summons on juries outside the city unless the matter affects the King
• Right of confiscation of goods of felons, fugitives etc
• Exempt from all customs except iron and wine
• Right to forfeited victuals
• Right to the sergeancy of the River Dee from Iron Bridge (Aldford?) to Arnold Sherre (Arnold's eye near Hoylake on the Wirral)
• Right seize confiscate and destroy nets, equipment to preserve fry
• Right to fine and punish in connection with fisheries violations
• Trenches within the waters of the Dee forbidden and carriage of dung or filth in boats and vessels forbidden under pain of forfeiting the vessel and a fine
• Proceeds of fines and forfeits granted to the City
• Market Mayor sheriffs Citizens and Commonalty granted right to specify designated place for the wholesale selling of fish or flesh enforceable by forfeit and fine
• Justices of the Peace The current mayor, current recorder and aldermen who have been mayor to be JPs so long as they are aldermen Cheshire did not have JPs until 1536.  Obligation to uphold statute law, ordinances and keep the peace etc
• Quorum to consist of 4 justices including the current Mayor and Recorder with powers to try
• Citizens (freemen) to appoint sheriffs under officers as in the City of London
• Confirmation of existing Customs
• Tenure of City under £20 fee farm annually payable in 2 equal parts at Easter and Michaelmas.
• The Charter ends with "Witness ourself at Chester" suggesting that the King was actually at Chester himself to sign the Charter.