County Court venues in England and Wales date back to the County Courts Act 1846, which received Royal Assent on 28 August 1846 and was brought into force on 15 March 1847. England and Wales (with the exception of the City of London, which was outside the scope of the Act) were divided into 60 circuits, with a total of 491 county courts within these circuits. Lord Cottenham, then Lord Chancellor, wanted everyone to be within seven miles (11 km) of a court, and the final scheme came close to that aim. The system of 60 circuits was abolished in 1970. Over time, while new courts have been opened in various locations, there has been an overall reduction in the number of locations where a county court is held. From 22 April 2014, the Crime and Courts Act 2013 replaced the previous system of county courts for different localities with one County Court that operates throughout England and Wales, sitting in multiple locations simultaneously. In July 2015, further proposals to close nineteen County Court venues were announced. (Full list...)