Commission of Assize granting authority to five Justices in Northern Ireland to hear cases brought within the six counties of Northern Ireland, on behalf of George VI, signed by the Governor of Northern Ireland, on 3 February 1944.  Courts of Assize were periodic courts held throughout the United Kingdom until 1972, when the The Courts Act 1971 modernized the UK court system and established the Crown Court, with district courts throughout the United Kingdom.