county

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One of the civil divisions of a country for judicial and political purposes. 1 Bl. Comm. 113. Etymologically, it denotes that portion of the country under the immediate government of a count. Id. 116. The United States are generally divided into counties. Counties are, in many of the states, divided into townships or town3. In the New England states, however, towns are the basis of all civil divisions, and the counties are rather to be considered as aggregates of towns, so far as their origin is concerned. In Pennsylvania, the state was originally divided into three counties by William Penn. See Proud, Hist. vol. 1, p. 234; Id. vol. 2, p. 258. In the English law, this word signifies the same as "shire," — county being derived from the French, and shire from the Saxon. Both these words signify a circuit or portion of the realm into which the whole land is divided, for the better government thereof, and the more easy administration of justice. There is no part of England that is not within some county; and the shirereeve (sheriff) was the governor of the province under the comes, earl or count.

One of the civil divisions of a Country for judicial and political purposes. l Bla. Com. 113. Etymologically, it denotes that portion of the country under the immediate government of a count. 1 Bla. Com. 116. The states are generally divided into counties. Counties are. in many of the states, divided into townships or towns. In the New England states, however, towns are the basis of all civil divisions, and the counties are rather to be considered as aggregates of towns, so far as their origin is concerned. In Pennsylvania, the state was originally divided into three counties by William Penn. See Proud's Hist. Pa. 234: 2 id. 258. In some states, a county is considered a corporation; Coles v. Madison County, Breese (111.) 154, 12 Am. Dec. 1G1; in others, it is held a quasi corporation; Inhabitants of County of Hampshire v. Franklin County, 10 Mass. ST; Emerson v. Washington County, 9 Greenl. (Me.) 88; Jackson v. Cory, 8 Johns. (N. Y.) 385; Boykin's Devisees v. Smith, 3 Munf. (Va.) 102. In regard to the division of counties, see Drake's Adm'r v. Vaughan, 6 J. J. Marsh. (Ky.) 147; State v. Jones, 9 N. J. L. 357, 17 Am. Dec. 4S3; Gary v. People, 9 Cow. (N. Y.) 640; Walsh v. Com.. S9 Pa. 419, 33 Am. Rep. 771; Blount County v. Loudon County, 8 Baxt. (Tenn.) 74; Stuart v. Bair, id. 141; Newton v. Commissioners, 100 U. S. 548, 25 L. Ed. 710; Eagle v. Beard, 33 Ark. 497; Cocke v. Gooch, 5 Heisk. (Tenn.) 294. A county may he required by act of legislature to build a public work outside the county limits, where it is of special interest to the people of the county; Carter v. Bridge, KM Mass. 236; Talbot County Com'rs v. County Com'rs, 50 Mil. 245. A state has a greater latitude of control over a county, than over a town or city, as the latter had a two Cold character— public. as an agency of the state, and private, as affecting matter of local concern; State v. county" are, or may be, used Interc ably: St. Louis County Court v. Griswold, 58 Mo. 175. In the English law. this word signifies the same as shire, — county from the French, and shire from the S Both these words signify a circuit or the realm into which tin- n vided, for the better go Venuni: I i" and the more easy administration of ji There is no part of England that is not within -Mine county; and the shirereeve was the governor of the province, under the comes, earl, or count.

The name given to the prin--cipal subdivisions of the kingdom of England and of most of the states of the American Union, denoting a distinct portion of territory organized by itself for political and judicial purposes. The etymology of the word shows it to have been the district anciently governed by a count or carl. In modem use, the word may denote either the territory marked off to form a county or the citizens resident within such territory, taken collectively and considered as invested with political rights or the county regarded as a municipal corporation possessing subordinate governmental powers or an organized jural society invested with specific rights and duties. Patterson v. Temple, 27 Ark. 207; Eagle v. Beard, 33 Ark. 501; Wooster v. Plymouth, 62 N. H. 208.

— County bridge. A bridge of the larger class, erected by the county, and which the county is liable to keep in repair. Taylor v. Davis County, 40 Iowa, 295; Boone County v. Mutchler, 137 Ind. 140, 36 N. Bl 534.

— County commissioners. Officers of a county charged with a variety of administrative and executive duties, but principally with the management of the financial affiairs of the county, its police regniadons, and its corporate business. Sometimes the local laws give them limited judicial powers. In some states they are calied "supervisors." Com. v. Krickbaum, 199 Pa. 351, 49 Atl. 68.

— County corporate. A city or town, with more or less territory annexed, having the privilege to be a county of itself, and not to be comprised in any other county; such as London, York, Bristol, Norwich, and other cities in England. 1 Bl. Comm. 120.

— County conrt. A court of high antiquity in England, incident to the jurisdiction of the sheriff. It is not a court of record, but may hold pleas of debt or damages, under the value of forty shillings. The freeholders of the county (anciently termed the "suitors" of the court) are the real judges in this court, and the sheriff is the ministerial officer. See 3 Bl. Comm. 35, 36; 3 Steph. Comm. 395. But in modem English law the name is appropriated to a system of tribunals established by the statute 9 & 10 Viet. c. 95, having a limited jurisdiction, principally for the recovery of small debts. It is also the name of certain tribunals of limited jurisdiction in the county of Middlesex, established under the statute 22 Geo. II. c. 33. In American law. The name is used in many of the states to designate the ordinary courts of record having jurisdiction for trials at nisi prius. Their powers generally comprise ordinary civil jurisdiction, also the charge and care of persons and estates coming within legal guardianship, a limited criminal jurisdiction, appellate jurisdicton over justices of the peace, etc.

— County jail. A place of incarceration for the punishment of minor offenses and the custody of transient prisoners, where the ignominy of confinement is devoid of the infamous character which an imprisonment in the state jail or penitentiary carries with it. U. S. v. Greenwald (D. C.) 64 Fed. 8

— Connty officers. Those whose general authority and jurisdiction are confined within the limits of the county in which they are appointed, who are appointed in and for a particular county, and whose duties apply only to that county, and through whom the county performs its usual political functions. State v. Burns. 38 Fla. 367, 2l South. 290; State v, Glenn, 7 Heisk. Senn.) 473; In re Carpenter, 7 Barb. (N. Y.) ; Philadelphia v. Martin, 125 Pa. 583, 17 All. 507.

— County palatine. A term bestowed upon certain counties in England, the lords of which in former times enjoyed especial privileges. They might pardon treasons, murders, and felonies. All writs and indictments ran in their names, as in other counties in the king's; and ali offenses were said to be done agninst their peace, and not, as in other places, oontra pacem domini regis. But these privileges have in modem times nearly disappeared.

— County rate. In English law. An imposition levied on the occupiers of lands, and applied to many miscellaneous purposes, among which the most important are those of defraying the expenses connected with prisons, reimbursing to private parties the costs they have incurred in prosecuting public offenders,'and defraying the expenses of the county police. See 15 & 16 Viet & 8L

— Connty road. One which lies wholly within one county, and which is thereby distinguished from a state road, which is a road lying in two or more counties. State v. Wood County, 17 Ohio, 186.

— County-seat. A county-seat or county-town is the chief town of a county, where the county buildings and courts are located and the county business transacted. Williams v. Reutzel, 60 Ark. 155, 29 S. W. 374; In re Allison, 13 Colo. 525, 22 Pac. 820, 10 In R. A. 790, 16 Am. St. Rep. 224 ;' Whallon v. Grid-ley, 51 Mich. 503, 16 N. W. 876.

— County sessions. In England, the court of general quarter sessions of the peace held in every county once in every quarter of a year. Mozley & Whitley.

— County-town. The county-seat; the town in which the seat of government of the county is located. State v. Cates, 105 Tenn. 441, 58 S. W. 649.

— County warrant. An order or warrant drawn by some duly authorized officer of the county, directed to the county treasurer and directing him to pay out of the funds of the county a designated sum of money to a named individual, or to his order or to bearer. Savage v. Mathews, 98 Ala. 535, 13 South. 328; Crawford v. Noble County, 8 Okl. 450, 58 Pac. 616; People v. Rio Grande County, 11 Colo. App. 124, 52 Pac. 748.

— Foreign county. Any county having a judicial and municipal organization separate from that of the county where matters arising in the former county are called in question, though bath may lie within the same state or country.

A civil division of a state or kingdom, cial purposes, formerly governed in England from whom it derived its name, — the same the corresponding term in Saxon; the count}ciently so called. County court: a court of land of which the freeholders were the real to whose jurisdiction the court was incident cer,— a court not of record and now fallen in the United States, courts of record of held by judges expressly appointed or elected estimation, v. Conteneto plead. Countcra: prisons now demolished, — counter. afildavlt: an affidavit affidavit Counter bond: in writing, executed has been conveyed by an on payment of a cerof something, but withwith a view to defraud, an order made contrary or suspending it instrument; a duplicate or is executed in parts, interchangeably executed, usually called the original parties execute every part, incidental to the main demand of oyer. by an officer as a check old European law. An counted for his client, orally pleaded his cause. which a jury is summoned summoned. for political and judiby the earl or count with shire, which was court, sometimes angreat antiquity in Engjudges, and the sheriff, was the ministerial offimto comparative disuse; inferior jurisdiction, and for the purpose. comprised in any other county, such as London, York, and other cities. County palatine: a'county distinguished by peculiar privileges; and so called from palatium, a. palace, because its owner, whether duke or earl, had in such county royal prerogatives, as fully as the king had in his palace. There were originally three, Chester, Durham and Lancaster, but they are now in the hands of the crown. County sessions: the general quarter sessions of the peace for each county, which are held four times a year.

The name given to the principal subdivisions of the kingdom of England and of most of the states of the Ameriand judicial purposes. The etymology of the word shows it to have been the district anciently governed by a count or ear], In modern use, the word may denote either the territory murked off to form a county, or the citizens resident within such territory, taken collectively and considered as invested with political rights, or the county regarded as a municipal corporation possessing subordinate governmental powers, or an organized jural society invested with specific rights and duties.

[L. Fr. counie; L. Lat. comitatus.] A civil division of a state or kingdom, for political and judicial purposes, formerly governed in England by the earl or count, from whom it derived its name. Termes de la ley. 1 Bl. Com. 113, 116. Crabb's Hist. Eng. Law, 16. Co, Litt. 109 b. It is the same with shire, (scyre,) which was the corresponding term in Saxon. 1 Bl. Com, 116. The county court was sometimes anciently termed the county, Termes de la ley. Mirr. c. 1, sect. 15. 9 Co. pref. See U. S. Digest and Supplement, County. U, S, Ann. Dig. h. t.