Court of Husting

According to John Stow, the Court of Husting was located in the Guildhall (Stow 1633, sig. F6r). The word, husting, comes from the Icelandic, hus-ping, meaning a court or council held in a house, a description meant to contrast courts that were held in the open air (Harben). At one time, the Court of Husting was the sole court for the settlement of disputes between citizens of London, evidenced by it being called the Husting of London of the Common Pleas in 1305 (Harben). The court’s specific purview was the enrolment of deeds and wills relating to the property of the citizens (Harben).