equity jurisdiction The historical emergence of equity occurred during three significant periods: the medieval period (c13 – 15), the formative period (c16 – 17), and the period of systemisation (c17 – 19). Throughout these periods, equity progressively developed from the Chancellor providing equitable relief at his own ‘conscience’, through to an established and organised body of law whose principles are governed within the courts. Medieval period The Chancery Division was established during the 13th century by the King after the dissemination of the Supreme Court of Judicature. Under the Chancellor’s privilege, the ‘King’s law’ triumphed in local courts. The division did not manage real cases, and instead performed functions affiliated with the King’s secretarial department. Given that the Chancery Division did not function as a court, judicial activity was still present. Limited discretionary power was provided, whereby the validity of the writs issued in courts were determined and only those in consimili casu were permitted. These were enforced only temporarily and could be overridden by the courts of law if they were deemed to be conflicting to the actual law of the land. As the administrative operations of the division began to rise through its implicit control of the King’s residuary influence, the Chancellor became responsible for dealing with the ‘prayers’ and ‘petitions’. This included letters of remedy, reliefs and grants on behalf of the King. During the 14th and 15th centuries the Chancery developed into an independent and boundless bureaucracy. Its formalised role involved originating writs regarding inheritance or the transfer of property, which performed as the justice’s authorization for initiating the claim in the King’s courts. Formative period During the 16th century, the modern system of equity and the Chancellor advanced into a body of recognised judicial features. As a result, the jurisdiction within the courts experienced more autonomy. This involved the Court of Chancery beginning to issue decrees at its own command without association to the King’s Council, the Chancellors becoming competent in the law and a more systematized role in the resolvent of petitions. As it formed into a substantive judicial court with increased power, other common law courts were anxious and defensive towards their jurisdiction. The court was one of specific jurisdiction with distinct procedures to that of the common law courts. For example, the Court of Chancery issued a common injunction in comparison to the common law injunctive relief. Period of systemisation The systemisation