The London Centre for International Commercial Mediation and Arbitration in the Reign of Elizabeth Ⅰ

摘要

This article has made use of just a handful of examples, taken from only two volumes of the Acts of the Privy Council, with one or two other sources, but enough perhaps to provide answers to these questions: what kinds of dispute were handled; who were the arbitrators; what law did they apply; what procedure did they follow; how were awards enforced? The most striking characteristics of all aspects of the Privy Council's work were its omnivorous reach and its flexibility, with no effort spared to provide tailor-made responses to whatever needs the petitioner could substantiate. Though most appointments contained the same elements, no standard forms were ever adopted, despite the bureaucratic pressures there must have been to save trouble by creating them.