Venue [fr. visne, vicinetum, visnetum, Lat.], the place whence a jury are to come for trial of causes. See Co. Litt. 125 a, and Hargrave's note (2).
Local actions must, before the Jud. Act, have been brought in the county in which the cause of action arose; but transitory actions in any county at the plaintiff's option; and no venue could be changed without a special order of the Court or a judge, unless by consent of the parties, R.H.T. 1853, r. 18.
It is, however, provided by (English) R.S.C. 1883, Ord. XXXVI., r. 10, that there shall be no local venue for the trial of any action, except where otherwise provided by statute, but in every action in every Division the place of trial shall be fixed by the Court or a judge; and r. 1, the order made on the summons for directions, fixes the place of trial, but this can be subsequently altered for sufficient cause.
Very numerous statutes have from time to time provided that any actions for anything done in pursuance of them should be brought in the county where the cause of action arose; but the (English) Public Authorities Protection Act, 1893 (see PUBLIC AUTHORITIES), has repealed, in any proceeding to which that Act applies, so much of any public general Act as enacts that the proceeding is to be commenced in any particular place.
As to County Courts, see s. 99 of the (English) County Courts Act, 1934, and Rules of Procedure made thereunder.
In criminal cases, the rule of the Common Law is that the venue shall be co-extensive with the jurisdiction of the Court.
By the (English) Judicature Act, 1875, s. 23 (4) (replaced by (English) Jud. Act, 1925, s. 72 (1) (g)), the King may by Order in Council from time to time provide for the regulation, so far as may be necessary for carrying into effect any order made under the other parts of that s., of the venue in all cases, civil and criminal, triable on any circuit or elsewhere.
The proper or a possible place for trial of a lawsuit, usually because place has some connection with the events that have given rise to lawsuits, Black's Law Dictionary, 7th Edn., p. 1553.