 The Court of Common Pleas and Court of King 's Bench were two of the central common law courts in England and Wales from the 13th century until their dissolution in 1875 . The Common Pleas ' jurisdiction was over " common pleas , " cases where the king had no interest . This in practice meant cases between subject and subject , including all actions taken under <unk> to recover debts or property , which made up the vast majority of civil cases . The Jurisdiction of the King 's Bench , on the other hand , was over " pleas of the crown " ; cases which involved the king in some way . With the exception of revenue matters , which were handled by the Exchequer of Pleas , the King 's Bench held exclusive jurisdiction over these cases . Crucially , it retained some criminal jurisdiction over all cases in Middlesex , the county where it sat . 
