" the lord lieutenant was the king’s man and from him came all things great and small. Or, to be explicit, what came from him were appointments to be justice of the peace, and to be a JP meant to be the possessor of undisputed local power. For good or ill the JPs ruled, unchecked by Privy Council or the public purse. "

― Winston Graham , Demelza (Poldark, #2)