 Witenagemot was an early equivalent to the Privy Council of England . During the reigns of the Norman monarchs , the English Crown was advised by a royal court or curia regis , which consisted of magnates , ecclesiastics and high officials . The body originally concerned itself with advising the sovereign on legislation , administration and justice . Later , different bodies assuming distinct functions evolved from the court . The courts of law took over the business of dispensing justice , while Parliament became the supreme legislature of the kingdom . Nevertheless , the Council retained the power to hear legal disputes , either in the first instance or on appeal . Furthermore , laws made by the sovereign on the advice of the Council , rather than on the advice of Parliament , were accepted as valid . Powerful sovereigns often used the body to circumvent the Courts and Parliament . For example , a committee of the Council — which later became the Court of the Star Chamber — was during the 15th century permitted to inflict any punishment except death , without being bound by normal court procedure . During Henry VIII 's reign , the sovereign , on the advice of the Council , was allowed to enact laws by mere proclamation . The legislative pre @-@ eminence of Parliament was not restored until after Henry VIII 's death . Though the royal Council retained legislative and judicial responsibilities , it became a primarily administrative body . The Council consisted of forty members in 1553 , but the sovereign relied on a smaller committee , which later evolved into the modern Cabinet . 
