In the field of jurisprudence, equity is the particular body of law, developed in the English Court of Chancery, with the general purpose of providing legal remedies for cases wherein the common law is inflexible and cannot fairly resolve the disputed legal matter. Conceptually, equity was part of the historical origins of the system of common law of England, yet is a field of law separate from common law, because equity has its own unique rules and principles, and was administered by courts of equity.
Legal equity: The Court of Chancery, in early 19th-century London.
The Court of Chancery was a court of equity in England and Wales that followed a set of loose rules to avoid a slow pace of change and possible harshness of the common law. The Chancery had jurisdiction over all matters of equity, including trusts, land law, the estates of lunatics and the guardianship of infants.
The Court of Chancery in the reign of King George I
Edward I, during whose reign the chancellor's jurisdiction was established
Westminster Hall, where the Court sat almost continuously from the reign of Edward III until its dissolution in 1875
Lord Ellesmere, who worked to maintain the Chancery's ability to override the common law courts as lord chancellor
