in Roman antiquity, was used for the senate-house. There were several curiae in Rome; as the curia calabra said to be built by Romulus; the curia hostilia by Tullus Hostilius, and the curia pontica by Pompey the Great.

Curia, also denoted the places where the curiae used to assemble. Each of the 30 curiae of old Rome had a temple or chapel assigned to them for the common performance of their sacrifices, and other offices of their religion; so that they were not unlike our parishes. Some remains of these little temples seem to have subsisted many ages after on the Palatine hill, where Romulus first built the city, and always resided.

Curia, among the Romans, also denoted a portion, or division of a tribe. In the time of Romulus, a tribe consisted of ten curiae, or a thousand men; each curia being one hundred: that legislature made the first division of his people into thirty curiae. Afterwards, curia, or domus curialis, became used for the place where each curia held its assemblies. Hence, also, curia palled to the senate-house; and it is from hence the moderns come to use the word curia, court, for a place of justice, and for the judges, &c. there assembled.

our ancient customs.—It was usual for the kings of England to summon the bishops, peers, and great men of the kingdom, to some particular place, at the chief festivals in the year: and this assembly is called, by our historians, curia; because there they consulted about the weighty affairs of the nation: whence it was sometimes also called, solemnis curia, generalis curia, augustalis curia, and curia publica, &c. See Witenagemot.

Curia Baronum. See Court-Baron.

Curia Claudenda, is a writ that lies against him who should fence and enclose the ground, but refuses or defers to do it.