quo warranto proceedings

quo warranto proceedings. The quo warranto inquiry was instituted by Edward I when he succeeded to the throne in 1272. He instituted proceedings whereby his royal justices investigated the claim of every lord who claimed to have a franchise of a hundred court—a court leet—inquiring ‘by what warrant’ the lord made such a claim. The lord had to prove that such jurisdiction had been granted. However, Edward allowed lords to show that they had acquired the franchise by prescription ‘from time immemorial’.