th of February 1876, was made, whereby the circuit system was
remodelled. A new circuit, called the North-Eastern circuit, was
created, consisting of Newcastle and Durham taken out of the old
Northern circuit, and York and Leeds taken out of the Midland circuit.
Oakham, Leicester and Northampton, which had belonged to the Norfolk
circuit, were added to the Midland. The Norfolk circuit and the Home
circuit were abolished and a new South-Eastern circuit was created,
consisting of Huntingdon, Cambridge, Ipswich, Norwich, Chelmsford,
Hertford and Lewes, taken partly out of the old Norfolk circuit and
partly out of the Home circuit. The counties of Kent and Surrey were
left out of the circuit system, the assizes for these counties being
held by the judges remaining in London. Subsequently Maidstone and
Guildford were united under the revived name of the Home circuit for the
purpose of the summer and winter assizes, and the assizes in these towns
were held by one of the judges of the Western circuit, who, after
disposing of the business there, rejoined his colleague in Exeter. In
1899 this arrangement was abolished, and Maidstone and Guildford were
added to the South-Eastern circuit. Other minor changes in the assize
towns were made, which it is unnecessary to particularize. Birmingham
first became a circuit town in the year 1884, and the work there became,
by arrangement, the joint property of the Midland and Oxford circuits.
There are alternative assize towns in the following counties, viz.:--On
the Western circuit, Salisbury and Devizes for Wiltshire, and Wells and
Taunton for Somerset; on the South-Eastern, Ipswich and Bury St Edmunds
for Suffolk; on the North Wales circuit, Welshpool and Newtown for
Montgomery; and on the South Wales circuit, Cardiff and Swansea for
Glamorgan.

According to the arrangements in force in 1909 there are four assizes in
each year. There are two principal assizes, viz. the winter assizes,
beginning in January, and the summer assizes, beginning at the end of
May. At these two assizes criminal and civil business is disposed of in
all the circuits. There are two other assizes, viz. the autumn assizes
and the Easter assizes. The autumn assizes are regulated by acts of 1876
and 1877 (Winter Assizes Acts 1876 and 1877), and orders of council made
under the former act. They are held for the whole of England and Wales,
but for the purpose of these assizes the work is to a large extent
"grouped," so t