摘要： 中世纪英格兰地方司法的历史，生动展现了法庭与司法在早期国家治理中的重要角色及其运行机制。围绕中央与地方之间的关系，在英国司法中，始终存在着自上而下的“控制”与地方追求“自治”这两种不同的趋势。这也导致了学界有关“集权”与“分权”的两种不同解读与争论。从法社会学的视角对其加以分析后可以发现，中世纪英格兰各种法庭的兴起与衰弱，实际上都在不同程度地回应着国家的地方治理难题，并随着社会结构的变迁呈现出“控制”与“自治”的相互渗透，预示着从“剧场化”的单向度控制迈向更为多元、隐蔽与高效的国家治理策略的转型。

关键词: 中世纪英格兰, 司法, 地方治理, 巡回法庭, 治安法官

Abstract: The history of local justice in Medieval England reveals the important roles which courts and justice played in the early state governance, and their operating mechanism. Focused on the relations between central government and local government, there were two trends, the top down control and local selfgovernment, in the medieval justice, and two competing explanations about centralization and decentralization in theory. From the perspective of legal sociology, the rise and fall of different types of courts in Medieval England, actually responded to the challenge of local governance, demonstrated the mutual fusion of control and self goverance, and indictated the transformation of state governance from theatralized one dimensional control to the multipledimensional, concealed and high effient governance strategies.

Key words: Medieval England, Justice, Local Goverance, General Eyre and Assizes, Justices of Peace