International Social Science Journal (Chinese Edition)

No.3, 2024

The Justices of the Peace and Rise of the State Governance in Early Modern Britain

(Abstract)

Chu Qingdong

The English state governance relied on support and cooperation of justices of the peace in transition from traditional society to modern society. Justices of the peace were selected from local men, mainly from the gentry. Justices of the peace had no salary, and they were amateur bureaucrats. The rise of justices of the peace met the requirements of the state governance in early modern Britain. In order to maintain social order, the central government delegated power of local governance to the justices of the peace. State governance in early modern Britain was not only the result of central government’s control of justices of the peace, but also active participation in state governance of justices of the peace. Justices of the peace made use of courts to enforce their duties, which reflected the characteristic of administrative judicialization of English state governance.