What is "court of requests"

Request \Re*quest"\ (r[-e]*kw[hand]st"), n. [OE. requeste, OF. requeste, F. requ[^e]te, LL. requesta, for requisita, fr. L. requirere, requisitum, to seek again, ask for. See Require, and cf. Quest.]

1. The act of asking for anything desired; expression of desire or demand; solicitation; prayer; petition; entreaty.

   I will marry her, sir, at your request.
   --Shak.

2. That which is asked for or requested. ``He gave them their request.''
   --Ps. cvi. 15.

   I will both hear and grant you your requests.
   --Shak.

3. A state of being desired or held in such estimation as to be sought after or asked for; demand. Knowledge and fame were in as great request as wealth among us now. --Sir W. Temple. Court of Requests.

   1. A local tribunal, sometimes called Court of Consience, founded by act of Parliament to facilitate the recovery of small debts from any inhabitant or trader in the district defined by the act; -- now mostly abolished.

   2. A court of equity for the relief of such persons as addressed the sovereign by supplication; -- now abolished. It was inferior to the Court of Chancery. [Eng.]
      --Brande & C.

      Syn: Asking; solicitation; petition; prayer; supplication; entreaty; suit.

The Court of Requests was a minor equity court in England and Wales. It first became a formal tribunal with some Privy Council elements under Henry VII, hearing cases from the poor and the servants of the King. It quickly became popular due to the low cost of bringing a case and the fast processing time, earning the ire of the common law judges. Two formal judges, the "Masters of Requests Ordinary", were appointed towards the end of Henry VIII's reign, with an additional two "Masters of Requests Extraordinary" appointed under Elizabeth I to allow two judges to accompany her on her travels around England. Two more Ordinary Masters were appointed under James I of England, with the sheer volume of cases bringing a wave of complaints as the Court's business and backlog grew.

The Court became embroiled in a dispute with the common law courts during the late 16th century, who were angry at the amount of business deserting them for the Court of Requests. During the 1590s they went on the offensive, overwriting many decisions made by the Requests and preventing them imprisoning anyone. It is commonly accepted that this was a death-blow for the Court, which, dependent on the Privy Seal for authority, died when the English Civil War made the Seal invalid.