The bicentenary of the establishment of Newfoundland’s supreme “court of civil jurisdiction” marks the emergence of a statutory regime from which the present Judicature Act, court system, jurisdiction, procedures, and officers have evolved. In light of the modest material, demographic, institutional and experiential base upon which the Act of 1791 was erected, the process of tailoring and adapting a system of law to new, often unforeseen, demands over 200 years marks a considerable achievement. This essay traces the emergence of the Act of 1791 from earliest times.