Liberties of the Savoy

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The Liberties of the Savoy were one of several areas in London known as liberties in which the rule of law was different from the rest of London.

In the case of the Liberties of the Savoy, the area was where the Savoy Hotel and Savoy Theatre now stand. The land is owned by the Duchy of Lancaster, which is why the rule of law was different.

The County of Lancaster is a county palatine, which meant that it was ruled by a count palatine (or earl palatine) with special authority and autonomy from the rest of the kingdom. The earl palatine or duke was in this case the Duke of Lancaster, who owned this area of land in London: it was effectively part of the County Palatine of Lancaster. As a consequence of his ownership, the rule of law in this area stemmed from the duke's authority, and not the king's. The king's writs did not run in County of Lancaster until the nineteenth century, and until the 1970s Lancashire had its own Court of Chancery.

As a consequence, someone being pursued for a debt in London could reside in the Liberties of the Savoy without fear of arrest by people acting under the King's authority. This unusual state of affairs is used in the Aubrey-Maturin novels of Patrick O'Brian.