Assize of darrein presentment

An illustration of Henry II of England and his eldest son Henry the Young King (inset, bottom right), from a 13th-century manuscript of Matthew Paris's Historia Anglorum. The assize of darrein presentment was one of the three "petty assizes" introduced by Henry II in 1166.

In English law, the assize of darrein presentment ("last presentation") was an action brought to enquire who was in fact the last patron to present a benefice to a church then vacant, of which the plaintiff complained that he was deforced or unlawfully deprived by the defendant. The action was related to the aristocratic privilege, often associated with a fee, of the right to appoint a parson to a particular parish.^[1] This privilege was known as an advowson.

Together with the assize of mort d'ancestor and the assize of novel disseisin, it was one of the so-called "petty assizes" established by the Assize of Clarendon by Henry II in 1166. Like the other two assizes, it was abolished in 1833.^[2]

References

1. See further "Investiture Controversy#Origins".
2.  Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Assize". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

Further reading

• Sutherland, Donald W. The Assize of Novel Disseisin. Oxford University Press. 21 June 1973. ISBN 0-19-822410-9.
• Pollock, Sir Frederick and Frederic William Maitland. The History of English Law Before the Time of Edward I. The Lawbook Exchange Ltd. 2nd edition. 30 Sept 1996. ISBN 1886363226.