| Administrative history | The Liberty of Ripon, a jurisdiction of the Archbishops of York, was in existence in the 11th century and the time of the Domesday Survey of 1086. Its jurisdiction lay mainly in the West Riding, but included the parishes of Marton cum Moxby, High and Low Kilburn, Sutton under Whitstonecliff and apparently Felixkirk in the North Riding. The records are concerned with a dispute of 1828, which arose from the conviction in October 1827 of the Overseer of the Poor of Marton cum Moxby for failing to make a return of persons resident in the town qualified as jurors as required by an Act of 1825 (6 George IV cap. 50). The parish claimed exemption from this on the grounds that it was part of the Liberty of Ripon. In January 1828 the dispute was referred to a committee of Justices. This committee's report was printed and circulated following Easter Sessions 1828. The opinion of the committee was that the North Riding Justices had no powers to summon jurors under the 1825 Act, as this laid down that all persons exempt from jury service before should continue to be so. The Justices were considering reference of the matter to one of the superior courts for settlement. According to counsel's opinion obtained by the Justices, Marton cum Moxby claimed exemption because of a charter of King Athelstane (927-939) to the Archbishop of York and later confirmations. Marton had made jury returns until 1823 as well as paying rates while Sutton had made returns until 1815 and Kilburn until 1816. Capital offences from these places had been tried at the Assize and criminals ones at North Riding Quarter Sessions as well as the Sessions for the Liberty of Ripon. The counsel engaged by the Justices considered that Marton had no grounds for this claim. The matter was apparently resolved in favour of the North Riding, but this is not very clear. The Justices ordered at Michaelmas 1828, that the magistrate acting for the division of Bulmer should enforce returns of jurors for Marton cum Moxby and that the Clerk of the Peace was to defend the magistrates in any resulting law-suit. As only Marton cum Moxby was involved, this dispute may have been testing the powers of the Justices to demand jury returns under the 1825 Act.
From 1837 that part of Ripon Liberty in the North Riding was united to it following an Act of that year (7 William IV & 1 Victoria cap. 53, s.8). |