claims by purchase from the first Feoffee but for the Heir to the first Feoffee Contributione facienda COntributione facienda is a Writ that lies where there are divers Parceners and he who hath the part of the eldest makes all the suit to the Lord the others ought to make Contribution to him and if they will not he shall have against them this Writ In some cases the Heir shall have Contribution and in others not but shall be alone charged For if a man be seised of three Acres of Land and acknowledges a Recognizance or Statute c. and infeoffs A. of one Acre and B. of another Acre and the third discends to his Heir if Execution be sued against the Heir only he shall not have Contribution against any Purchasor yet he is charged as Terre-tenant and not as Heir for the Land and not himself is charged Yet if a man be seised of two Acres the one of the nature of Borough-English and binds himself as before and dies having issue two daughters who make partition in this case if the one be charged he shall have Contribution for as one Purchasor shall have Contribution against others and against the Heir of the Conusee also so one Heir shall have Contribution against another Heir for they are in equal degree Also if a man be so bound and after his death some of his Land descends to the Heir of the part of the father and some to the Heir of the part of the mother the one alone shall not be charged but if he be he shall have Contribution In Dower if the Tenant vouches the Heir in ward to three several Lords each of them shall be equally charged If two four or more men be severally seized of Land and they all joyn in a Recognisance in this case the Conusee cannot extend the Land of any of the Conusors alone but all ought equally to be charged for though the Land of the Conusor himself may be only extended when divers men have purchased any of the Land subject to the Recognisance because the Purchasor is in another degree then the Conusor himself yet one of the Conusors shall not be solely charged for he stands in equal degree with the other Conusors Also the tertenant of a Debtor upon an extent shall have contribution of the Heir of the Debtor which see 1 Cro. Eyer against Taunton If Iudgement be given against two Disseisors in Assise for the Land and damages and one Disseisor dies the Execution shall not be awarded against the surviving Disseisor that was party to the wrong but as well the Heir as the Disseisor shall be equally charged But otherwise it is in personal binding as if two are bound in an Obligation there the charge shall survive And where it is said that the one Purchasor shall have Contribution it is not thereby intended that the others shall give or allow unto him any thing by way of Contribution but it ought to be intended that the party that is solely extended for all may by an Audita querela or Scire Facias as the case requires defeat the Execution and thereby shall be restored to all the mean profits and force the Conusee to sue Execution of all the Land so in this manner every one shall be contributory viz. the Land of every Terre-Tenant shall be equally extended Convocation COnvocation is commonly taken for the Assembly of all the Clergy to consult of Exclesiastical matters in time of Parliament And as there are two Houses of Parliament so there are two places called Convocation-houses the one called the Higher Convocation-house where the Archbishops and Bishops sit severally by themselves the other the Lower Convocation-house where all the rest of the Clergy sit Vide Prolocutor Conusance COnusance of Plea is a Priviledge that a City or Tenant hath by the Kings grant to hold Plea of all Contracts and of Lands within the precinct of the Franchise and that when any man is impleaded for any such thing in the Court of the King at Westm the Mayors or Bayliffs of such Franchises or their Atturneys may ask Conusance of the Plea that is to say that the Plea and the matter shall be pleaded a â— d determined before them But if the Court at Westminster be lawfully seised of the Plea before Conusance be demanded then they shall not have Conusance for that Suit because they have neglected their time of demand thereof but this shall be no bar to them to have Conusance in another Action for they may demand Conusance in one Action and omit it in another at their pleasure And note that Conusance lies not in Prescription but it behoves to shew the Kings Letters Patents for it Coparceners COparceners See Parceners Copyhold COpyhold is a Tenure for which the Tenant hath nothing to shew but the Copies of the Rolls made by the Steward of his Lord's Court For the Steward as he inrolls all other things done in his Lords Court so he doth also such Tenants as are admitted in the Court to any parcel of Land or Tenements belonging to the Manor and the Transcript of this is called the Court-Roll the Copy whereof the Tenant takes from him and keeps as his only Evidence Coke l. 4. fol. 25. This Tenure is called a Base Tenure because it holds at the will of the Lord Kitchen fol. 80. Fitzh Nat. Brev. f. 12. b. c. who saith it was wont to be called Tenure in Villenage and that this Copyhold is but a new name Yet it is not simply at the will of the Lord but according to the Custome of the Manor so that if a Copiholder break not the Custome of the Manor and thereby forfeit his Tenure he seems not so much to stand at his Lords courtesie for his right as to be displaced when he pleases The Customes of Manors are infinite varying in one point or other almost in every several Manor First some Copyhold is fineable and some certain That which is fineable the Lord rates at what Fine he pleases when the Tenant is admitted unto it that which is certain is a kind of inheritauce and called in many places Customary because the Tenant dying and the Hold being void the next of bloud paying the customary Fine cannot be denied admittance Secondly some Copyholders have by Custome the Woods growing upon their own Land which by the Law they cannot have Thirdly there are Copy-holders that hold by the Vierge in Ancient demesne and although they hold by Copy yet they are in nature of Free-holders for if such a one commit Felony the King hath the year day and waste as in case of Free-hold Some others hold by Common Tenure called mere Copyhold and if they commit Felony their Land presently escheats to the Lord of the Manor West part 1 l. 2. sect 646. defines a Copyholder thus Tenant by Copy of Court-roll is he who is admitted Tenant of any Lands or Tenements within a Manor which time without
See Yard-land Viscount VIscount is either the name of a degree or State of Honour under an Earl and above a Baron or else the name of a Magistrate and an Officer of great Authority whom we commonly call Sheriff or to speak more truly Shire reve and was at the first called Shire gereve that is the Keeper of the Shire or the Reeve or Ruler of the Shire for Gereve is derived of the Saxon word Gerefa i. a Ruler And hereof comes Portreve or Portgreve a name in old time given to the head Officer of a Town and signifies the Ruler of the Town for that Port coming of the Latine word Portus signifies a Port-town and Greve being derived as aforesaid signifies a Ruler so that Portgreve or as we now shorter speak a Portreve is the Ruler of the Town And thus was the Head Officer or Governor of the City of London long since before they had the name of Mijor or Bayliffs called as it doth appear in divers old Menuments but chiefly in the Saxon Charter of William the Conquerour which begins thus William the King greeteh William the Bishop and Godfrey the Portreve and also the Citizens that in London be c. So also they of Germany from whom we and our Language first came call one Governor Burgreeve another Margreeve and another Lansgreeve with such like c. Thus much is said only to shew the right Etymon and Antiquity of the word Sheriff to which Officer our Common Law hath always given so great Trust and Authority as to be a special Preserver of the Peace And therefore all Obligations that he takes to that end are Recognisances in Law He is a Iudge of Record when he holds the Leets or Turns which are Courts of Record Also he hath the Execution and Return of Writs and impannelling of Iuries and such like c. Uncore prist UNcore prist is a Plea for the Defendant in Debt upon an Obligation who being sued because he did not pay the Debt at the day pleads to save the Forfeiture that he rendred the money at the day and place and that no Body was there to receive it and says over That he is yet ready to pay it And where a man ought to plead over that he is yet ready and where not see in Perkins sect 783 784. Coke 9 book fol. 79. a b in Peyto's Case Volunt VOlunt is when the Tenant holds at the Will of the Lessor or Lord and that is in two manners One is when I make a Lease to a man of Lands to hold at my Will then I may put him out at my pleasure but if he sow the Ground and I put him out then he shall have his Corn with egress and regress till it be ripe to cut and carry it out of the ground Such Tenant at Will is not bound to sustain and repair the House as Tenant for years is But if he make wilful waste the Lessor shall have against him an Action of Trespass Also there is another Tenant at Will of the Lord by Copy of Court-Roll according to the Custome of the Mannor and such a Tenant may surrender the Land into the hands of the Lord according to the Custom to the use of another for Life in fee or in tail and then he shall take the Land of the Lord or his Steward by Copy and shall make Fine to the Lord. But if the Lord put out such a Tenant he hath no remedy but to sue by Petition And if such a Tenant will implead another of the Lands c. he ought to enter a Plaint in the Court and shall declare in the nature of what Writ he will as the case lies Voucher VOucher is when a Praecipe quod reddat of Land is brought against a man and another ought to warrant the Land to the Tenant then the Tenant shall vouch him to Warranty and thereupon he shall have a Writ called Summoneas ad Warrantizandum And if the Sheriff return that he hath nothing by which he may be summoned then there shall go forth a Writ called Sequatur sub suo periculo And when he comes he shall plead with the Demandant And if he come not or if he come and cannot bar the Demandant then the Demandant shall recover the Land against the Tenant and the Tenant shall recover as much Land in value against the Vouchee and thereupon shall have a Writ called Capias ad Valentiam against the Vouchee See more of Voucher before in the Title of Garranty Uses USes of Land had beginning after the Custom of Property began amongst men as where one being seised of Lands in Fee-simple made a Feoffment to another without any Consideration but only meaning that the other should be seised to his Use and that he himself would take the Profits of the Lands and that the feoffee should have the Possession and Franktenement thereof to the same use c. Now after this upon good Considerations and to avoid divers Mischiefs and Inconveniences was the Statute of An. 27 H. 8. c. 10. provided which unites the Use and possession together so that he who hath the Use of the Land hath the Possession thereof according to the Vse he hath therein by virtue of that Statute Usurpation USurpation is most commonly used when any one presents a Rector or Vicar to a Church without a good Title Stat. Westm 2. cap. 5. Co. 6. Rep. 51. 11 Rep. 33. Usury USury is a Gain of any thing above the Principal or that which was lent exacted only in Consideration of the Loan be it as well Corn Meat Apparel Wares or such like as Money And here much might be said and many Cases put concerning Vsury which of purpose I omit only I wish they who account themselves Religious and good Christians would not deceive themselves by colour of the Statute of Usury because the Statute saith that it shall not be lawful for any to take above xi pound in the C. l. for a year c. whereby they gather though falsly that they may therefore take six pounds for the Loan of an Hundred pounds with a good Conscience because the Statute doth after a sort dispense with it because it doth not punish such taking For God will have his Decrees to be kept inviolable who saith Lend looking for nothing thereby c. by which words is excluded either the taking of vi l. v. l. yea or one peny above the Principal But rather let such think that Statute was moved upon like cause that moved Moses to give a Bill of Divorce to the Israelites as namely to avoid a greater mischief and for the hardness of their hearts And the Statute of 21 Jac. cap. 17. hath expresly Ordained That no word in that Law shall be Construed and Expounded to allow the practice of Vsury in point of Religion or Conscience By the Statute of 13 Eliz. c. 8. the Loan of Money was at 10 l. per Cent. by
had the Government of any such Manor or House was called the Commander who had nothing to do to dispose of it but to the use of the Priory and to have only his sustenance from it according to his degree which was usually a Brother of the same Priory who had been made Knight in the Wars against Infidels and they were lately called Knights of the Rhodes or Knights of Malta of the places where their grand Master did dwell See the said Statute and the old Statute intituled De Templariis whose decay was a great increase of this Order And many of these Commandries are called in the Country by the name of Temple Commandam COmmendam is a Benefice that being void is commended to the care of some sufficient Clerk to be supplied untill it may be conveniently provided of a Pastor And the true original of these Commendams was either evident profit or necessity He to whom the Church is commended hath the fruits and profits thereof only for a certain time and the nature of the Church is not changed thereby but is as a thing deposited in the hands of him to whom it is commended who hath nothing but the Custody thereof which may be revoked Commissary COmmissary is a title of Ecclesiastical Iurisdiction appertaining to him that exercises Spiritual Iurisdiction in places of the Diocess so far distant from the chief City that the Chancellor cannot call the Subjects to the Bishop's principal Consistory without their great trouble This Commissary is called by the Canonists Commissary or Officialis foraneus and is ordained to this special end that he should supply the Office and Iurisdiction of the Bishop in the out-places of the Diocess or in such Parishes as are peculiars to the Bishop and exempted from the Archdeacon's Iurisdiction for where by prescription or by composition there are Archdeacons who have Iurisdiction in their Archdeaconries as in most places they have there this Commissary is superfluous and rather to the prejudice then good of the people Commission COmmission is as much in the Common Law as the word Delegate in the Civil and is taken for the Warrant or Letters Patents which all men using Iurisdiction either ordinary or extraordinary have for their power to hear or determine any matter or action Yet this word sometimes extends more largely then to matters of Iudgement as the Commission of Purveyors or Cakers 11 H. 4. c. 28. But with this Epithete High it is most commonly used for the High-Commission Court instituted and founded upon the Stat. of 1 Eliz. c. 1. for the ordering and reforming of all offences in any thing appertaining to the Iurisdiction Ecclesiastical but especially such as are of highest nature or at least require greater puishment then the ordinary Iurisdiction call afford See the Statutes 17 Car. 1. c. 11. and 13 Car. 2. c. 12. by which the said Court is wholly abolished Commission of Rebellion Com̄ission of Rebellion otherwise called a Writ of Rebellion is used when a man after Proclamation made by the Sheriff upon an Order or Process of the Chancery under penalty of Allegeance to present himself to the Court by a day certain appears not And this Commission is directed by way of command to certain persons to the end they three two or one of them shall apprehend or cause to be apprehended the party as a Rebell and contemner of the Kings Laws in what place s ◠ever they shall find him within the Kingdom and bring or cause him to be brought to the Court upon a day therein assigned Committee COmmittee is he or they to whom the consideration or ordering of any matter is referred either by some Court or consent of the parties to whom it appertains as in Parliament a Bill being read is either consented unto and passed or denied and referred to the consideration of some certain man appointed by the House who hereupon are called a Committee But this word is otherwise used by Kitchen f. 160. where the widdow of the Kings Tenant is called the Committee of the King that is one committed by the ancient Law of the Land to the Kings care and protection Common COmmon is the right that a man hath to put his Beasts to Pasture or to use the ground that is not his own And note that there are divers Commons that is Common in grosse Common appendant Cōmon appurtenant and Common because of neighbourhood Common in Gross is where I by my Deed grant to another that he shall have Common in my Land Common appendant is where a man is seised of certain land to which he hath Common in anothers ground only for those beasts which compost the land to which it is appendant excepting Geese Goats and H ◠gs which Common is by prescription and of common right and appendant to arable land only Common appurtenant is of the same nature with Common appendant but with all manner of beasts as well Hogs and Goats as Horses Kine and such as compost the ground And this Common may be made at this day and severed from the land to which it is appurtenant but so cannot Common appendant Common because of neighbourhood is where the Tenants of two Lords are seised of two Mannors adjoyning to each other and the Tenants have time out of mind intercommoned each with other with all manner of beasts commonable Yet the one may not put his Cattel in the others ground for so they of the other Town may distrain them Dammage fesant or have an Action of Trespass but they may put them into their own fields and if they stray into the fields of the other Town there they ough to suffer them And the inhabitants of the one Town ought not to put in as many beasts as they will but with regard to the inhabitants of the other for otherwise it were no good Neighbourhood upon which all this depends Common Fine COmmon Fine is a certain summe of Money which the Resiants in a Leet pay unto the Lord of the Leet and it is called in some places Head-silver in some places Certum Letae and was as it seems first granted to the Lord towards the charge of his purchase of the Leet whereby the Resiants had now an ease to do their Suit royal within the Mannor and not be compelled to go to the Sherifs Tourn to do it And for this Common Fine the Lord must prescribe and cannot distrain for it without a prescription as it appears in Godfrey's Case in 11. Rep. fo 44. b. Common Law COmmon Law is for the most part taken three ways First for the Laws of this Realm simply without any other Law as Customary Civil Spiritual or whatever other Law joyned to it as when it is disputed in our Laws of England what ought of right to be determined by the Common Law and what by the Spiritual Law or Admirals Court or such like Secondly it is taken for the Kings Courts as the Kings Bench or Common Place only
commands and the other doth it rather by a friendly and voluntary Conference or agreement between him or her and the Devil or Familiar to have his or her desires and purposes effected instead of blood or other gift offered him especially of his or her Soul And both these differ from Enchantments or Sorceries because they are personal Conferences with the Devil as is said but these are but Medicines and ceremonial forms of words commonly called Charms without apparition Conservator of the Peace COnservator of the Peace is he that hath an especial charge by virtue of his Office to see the Kings Peace kept Which Peace in effect is defined to be A with-holding or abstinence from that injurious force and violence that unruly and boisterous men are in their natures prone to use towards others were they not restrained by Laws and fear of Punishment Of these Conservators Lambert farther saith That before the time of King E. 3 who first appointed Iustices of Peace there were sundry persons who by the Common Law had interest in keeping of the Peace Of those some had that charge as incident to their Offices and so included within the same and yet notwithstanding were called by the name of their Office only others had it simply as of it self and were thereof named Custodes Pacis Wardens or Conservators of the Peace And both these sorts are again subdivided by Lambert in his Eirenarcha l. 1. c. 3. Conservator of the Truce COnservator of the Truce was an Officer appointed in every Port of the Sea under the Kings Letters Patents and had 40 li. for his yearly stipend at the least His charge was to enquire of all Offences done against the Kings Truce and Sa â— e conducts upon the main Sea out of the Countries and Liberties of the Cinque-Ports of the King as the Admirals have accustomedly done and such other things as are declared Anno 2 H. 5. cap. 6. Touching this matter you may read the other Statute of Anno 4 H. 5. c. 7. Consideration COnsideration is the material cause of a Contract without which no Contract can bind the party This Consideration is either expressed as when a man bargains to give twenty shillings for an Horse or is implied as when the Law it self inforces a Consideration as if a man comes into a common Inne and there staying some time takes meat or lodging or either for himself or his horse the Law presumes he intends to pay for both notwithstanding that nothing be covenanted between him and his Host and therefore if he discharges not the house the Host may stay his horse Also there is Consideration of nature and blood and Valuable Consideration and therefore if a man be indebted to divers others and yet in consideration of natural affection gives all his goods to his son or cousin this shall be construed a fraudulent Gift within the Act of 13 Eliz. c. 5. because this Act intends a Valuable consideration Consistory COnsistory is a word borrowed of the Italians or rather Lombards and signifies as much as Tribunal It is vocabulum utriusque Juris and is used for the place of Iustice in the Courts Christian or Spiritual Consolidation COnsolidation is used for the Combining and uniting of two Benefices in one And this word is taken from the Civil Law where it properly signifies an Vniting of the possession occupation or profit with the property As if a man hath by Legacy usum fructum fundi and after purchases the Property or Fee-simple of the Heir in this case a Consolidation is made of the Profits and Property Vide Brook tit Union Conspiracie COnspiracie notwithstanding that in Latine and French it is used for an Agreement of men to do a good or evil thing yet it is commonly taken in our Law in the evil part and is defined in 34 E. 1. Stat. 2. to be an Agreement of such as confeder or bind themselves by Oath Covenant or other alliance that every of them shall bear and aid the other falsly and maliciously to indict or falsly to move or maintain Pleas and also such as cause Children within age to appeal men of Felony whereby they are imprisoned and sore grieved and such as maintain men in the Country with Liveries and Fees to maintain their malicious enterprises and this extends as well to the takers as to the givers Also Stewards and Bayliffs of great Lords who by their Selgniory Office or power undertake to bear or maintain Quarrels Pleas or Debates that concern other parties then such as touch the Estate of their Lords or of themselves Anno 4 E. 3. c. 11. 3 H. 7. c. 13 And hereof see more 1 H. 5. c. 3. 18 H. 6. c. 12. also in the old Book of Entries word Conspiracie This word in the place before rehearsed is taken more generally and is confounded with Maintenance and Champerty but in a more special signification it is taken for a Confederacy between two or more falsly to indict one or to procure one to be indicted of Felony And the punishment of Conspiracy upon an Indictment of Felony at the Suit of the King is That the party attainted shall lose his frank law so that he shall not be impanelled upon Iuries or Assises or such like imployments for testifying of the truth and if he hath to do in the Kings Court he shall make his Attorney and his lands goods and chattels shall be seised into the Kings hands his lands estreaped his trees digged up and his body committed to prison 27 lib. Assise 59 Crompton 156. b. this is called villanous Judgement But if the party grieved will sue a Writ of Conspiracy then see Fitzh Nat. Brev. 114. d. 115. i. c. Constable COnstable is diversely used in the Common Law And first the Constable of England who is also called Marshal Stanf. Pl. Cor. fol. 65. of whose authority and dignity a man may find many arguments and signs as well in the Statutes as in the Chronicles of this Realm His power consists in the care of the common Peace of the Land in deeds of Arms and matters of War Lamb. Duties of Constables num 4. wherewith agrees the Statute of 13 R. 2. c. 2. Stat. 1. Of this Officer or Magistrate Gwyn in the Preface to his Readings saith to this purpose The Court of the Coustable and Marshal determines Contracts touching Deeds of arms out of the Realm and handles things concerning Wars within the Realm as Combats Blazons of armory and suth like but he hath nothing to do with Battel in appeal nor generally with any other thing that may be tried by the Law of the Land See Fortesc ' cap. 32. This Office heretofore was appertaining to the Lords of certain Manors Jure feudi and why it is discontinued see Dyer 285. pl. 39. Out of this Magistracie saith Lambert were drawn these inferior Constables which we call Constables of Hundreds and Liberties and first ordained by the Statute of
dishonour of the King and his Crown and discredit of the Law that any person by birth and oath obliged to the obedience of the King and his Laws should presume of his own authority by Force and strong hand to resist them both by violent Intrusion into the Possession of another before the Law hath decided his Tttle therein therefore divers Statutes have been made for the restraint and reformation of these Abuses as among others the Stat. of 5 R. 2. ca. 7. where the King defends any Entry into Lands or Tenements but in case where Entry is given by the Law and then not with strong hand or with a multitude of people but onely in a peaceable manner See more of this in Po â— lt de pace Reg. f. 34. 35 c. Degrading DEgrading See Disgrading Delegates ARE Commissioners appointed by Letters Patents to determine Appeals upon things testamentary or matrimonial in which sentence was given Demaines DEmaines or Demesnes generally speaking are all the parts of any Mannor which are not in the hands of Freeholders though they be held by Copy-holders Lessees for years or for life as well as Tenants at will And the reason why Copyhold is accounted Demesnes is because they who are Tenants to it are adjudged in Law to have no other Estate but at the will of the Lord so that it is still reputed to be in a manner in the Lords hands yet in common speech that is ordinarily called Demesnes which is neither free nor copy And this word Demesne is sometimes used in a more special signification and is opposite to Frank-fee as those Lands which were in the possession of Edward the Confessor are called Ancient demesne and all others are called Franck-fee Kitch fol. 98. and the Tenants which hold any of those Lands are called Tenants in Ancient demesn the other Tenants in Frank-fee And no common person hath any Demesnes in the simple acceptation of the word because there is no Land but depends mediately or immediately of the Crown that is of some Honor or other belonging to the Crown and not granted in fee to any inferiour person and therefore when a man in pleading will signifie his Land to be his own he saith That he is or was seised thereof in his Demesne as of Fee Littleton f. 3. whereby it appears that though his Land be to him and his Heirs for ever yet it is not true Demesne but depending upon a superiour Lord and holding by Service or Rent in lieu of Service or by Service and Rent together Demaines according to the common speech are only understood the Lords chief Mannor-place which he and his Ancestors have time out of mind kept in their own hands with all buildings and houses meadows pastures woods arable lands and such like therewith occupied Demand DEmand is a word of art and if one release to another all Demands this is as Littleton fol. 117. a. saith the best Release to him to whom the Release is made that he can have and shall most enure to his advantage for by it not onely all Demands but also all causes of Demands are released And there are two manner of Demands that is in Deed and in Law In Deed as in every Praecipe there is expresse Demand and therefore in real Actions he is called Demandant in personal Plaintiff In Law as every Entry in Land Distresse for Rent Taking or seisure of Goods and such like acts in the Countrey which may be done without any words or demands in Law As a Release of Suits is more large then a Release of Quarrels or of Actions so a Release of Demands is more large and beneficial than either of them for by it is released all that which by the others is released and more By Release of all Demands all Freeholds and Inheritances executory are released By Release of all Demands to the Dissetsor the right of the Entry in the land and all that is contained therein is released By Release of all Demands all Executions are released and he that releases all Demands excludes himself from all Actions Entries and Seisures Littleton fol. 170. holds That if Tenant in tail enfeoffs his Vncle who enfeoffs another in fee with Warranty if after the Feoffee by his Deed releases to the Vncle all manner of Demands by such Release the Warranty which is a Covenant real and executory is extinct and the reason is because that by Release of Demands all the means and remedies and their causes which any hath to Lands Tenements Goods Chattels c. are extinct and by consequence the right and interest it self unto the thing Yet a Release of all Demands doth not extend to such Writs by which nothing is demanded neither in Deed nor in Law but lie only to relieve the Plaintiff by way of Discharge and not by way of Demand as a Release of all Demands is no Bar in a Writ of Error to reverse an Outlawry and so of such like See 18 Edw. 3. 59. Coke lib. 8. fol. 153 154. Demandant DEmandant is he that sues or complains in an Action real for Title of land and he is called Plaintiff in an Assise and in an Action personal for Debt Trespass Deceit Detinue and such like Demurrage IS called the time when a Shi â— lies idle in a Port or Harbour or on the Sea in a Calm Demurrer DEmurrer is when any Action is brought and the Defendant pleads a Plea to which the Plaintiff says that he will not answer for that it is not a sufficient Plea in the Law and the Defendant avers the contrary that it is a sufficient Plea and thereupon both parties submit the Cause to the Iudgement of the Court which is called a Demurrer for that they go not forward in pleading but rest upon Iudgement in that point and is called in Latine Records Moratur in Lege For in every Action the difference consists either in Deed or in Law If in Fact it is tried by the Iury if in Law then the matter is either plain or difficult and rare if it be plain then Iudgment is presently given but when it is hard and doubtfull then is stay made and time taken either to consider farther thereupon by the Iudges to agree if they can or otherwise for all the Iustices to meet together in the Exchequer-Chamber and upon hearing of that which the Serjeants shall say unto both parts to advise and determine what is Law and that which is there concluded on by them shall stand firm without further remedy There is also a Demurrer to Evidence given to a Iury upon Tryal of an Issue Plo. Com. 2. 3 Rast Entr. 607. Half bloud HAlf bloud is when a man marries a wife and hath issue by her a son or daughter and the wife dies and then he takes another woman and hath by her also a son or daughter Now these two sons are after a sort Brothers or as they are termed Half-brothers or Brothers of the half
shall have the Land but for term of life for those words will carry no greater Estate If one will that his son J. shall have his Land after the death of his wife here the wife of the Devisor shall have the Land first for term of life So likewise if a man devise his goods to his wife and that after the decease of his wife his son and heir shall have the House where the goods are there the son shall not have the House during the life of the wife For it doth appear that his intent was that his wife should have the House also for her life notwithstanding it were not devised to her by express words If a Devise be to J. N. and to the Heirs females of his body begotten after the Devisee hath issue a son and daughter and dies here the daughter shall have the Land and not the son and yet he is the most worthy person and Heir to his father but because the Will of the dead is that the daughter should have it Law and Conscience will so also And herein the very Heathens were precise as appears by those Verses of Octavius Augustus which Donatus reports he made after Virgil at his death gave commandment that his Books should be burnt because they were imperfect and yet some perswaded that they should be saved as indeed they happily were to whom he answered thus Let Faith and Law be kept and what last Will Commandeth to be done we must fulfill Devoire DEvoire is as much as to say a Duty It is used in the Statute of 2 R. 2. ca. 3. where it is provided That all the Western Merchants being of the Kings amity shall pay all manner Customs and Subsidies and other Devoires of Caleis See the Stat. 5 Ejusdē Regis cap. 2. Devorce DEvorce or Divorce Divortium dictum est Diversitate mentium quia in diversas partes eunt qui distrahunt Matrimonium or else from the verb Diverto which signifies to return back because after the Devorce between the husband and wife he returns her again to her father or other friends or to the place from whence he had her And though Devorce was never approved of by the Divine Law but contrariwise prohibited as appears by this precept Let no man separate that which God hath joyned together yet in all ages and well-governed Common-wealths it hath been used and permitted As at this day with us there are divers causes for which the husband and wife may be devorced as first causa Praecontractus Therefore if a man marry with a woman precontracted and hath issue by her this issue in Law and in truth bears the surname of his father but if after the husband and wife be devorced for the Precontract there the issue hath lost his surname and is become a Bastard and nullius filius Cok. lib. 6. fol. 66. Devorce may be causa Frigiditatis and therefore if a man be married to a woman and after they are devorced causa Frigiditatis and then the man takes another wife and hath issue by her yet this issue is lawfull because that a man may be habilis inhabilis diversis temporibus and by the Devorce causa Frigiditatis the Marriage was dissolved a vinculo Matrimonii and by consequence either of them might marry again Cok. lib. 5. fol. 98. b. Also a man may be devorced causa Impubertatis or Minoris aetatis and in this case if two are married infra annos nubiles and after full age Devorce is had between them this dissolves the Marriage and the woman may arraign an Assise against the Husband for the Lands or Tenements given with her in Frank-marriage 19 lib. Assise Pla. 2. So Devorce may be had causa Professionis causa consanguinitatis causa Fornicationis and for many other causes too long to be now recited It is requisite that in the sentence of Devorce the Cause thereof be shewed because some Devorce dissolves the Matrimony that is to say a vinculo Matrimonii bastards the issue and barrs the wife of Dower and some a mensa thoro the which dissolves not the Matrimony nor barrs the Woman of Dower nor bastards the issue Devorce is a Iudgement spiritual and therefore if there be cause ought to be reversed in the Spiritual Court See Cok. lib. 7. Kenns Case If a Woman Copiholder of certain Land durante viduitate sua according to the Custome of the Mannor sows the Land and before the severance of the Corn takes a husband the Lord shall have the Emblements and not the husband But if a Lease be made to the husband and wife during the Coverture and the husband sows the Land and afterward they are devorced causa Praecontractus the husband shall have the Emblements and not the Lessor Dicker DIcker is a word used in the Statute of 1 Jacobi cap. 22. and it signifies the quantity of Ten Hides of Leather And it seems to come from the Greek word Decas which signifies Ten. Diem clausit extremum DIem clausit extremum is a Writ that lies where the Kings Tenant that hold in Chief dies then this Writ shall be directed to the Escheator to enquire of what Estate he was seised who is next Heir and his age and of the certainty and value of the Land and of whom it is holden and the Inquisition shall be returned into the Chancery which is commonly called The Office after the death of that persō And there is another Writ of Diem clausit extremum awarded out of the Exchequer after the death of an Accountant or Debtor of his Majestie to levy the Debt of his Heir Executor Administrators lands or goods Dietus datus DIes datus is a Respite given to the Tenant or Defendant before the Court Brook Tit. Continuance Dieta rationabilis DIeta rationabilis is sometimes used for a Reasonable Days journey as Bract. l. 3. patt 2. cap. 16. It hath in the Civil Law other significations which need not be here mentioned See Vocabul utriusque Juris Dieu son act DIeu son act these are words oftentimes used in our Law and it is a Maxime That the Act of God shall prejudice no man And therefore if a House fall down by Tempest or other Act of God the lessee for life or years shall not only be quit in an Action of Waste brought against him but hath by the Law a special interest to take timber to build the House again if he will for his habitation Cok. lib. 4. 63. lib. 11. 82. a. In like manner when the Condition of an Obligation consists of two parts in the disjunctive and both are possible at the time of the Obligation made and afterwards one of them becomes impossible by the Act of God the Obligor is not bound to perform the other part for the Condition shall be taken beneficially for him Coke lib. 5. 22. Dignitie Ecclesiastical DIgnitie Ecclesiastical is a phrase of speech used in the Statute of 26 Hen. 8.
punishes her Officers as Serjeants Pleaders Philizers Exigenters Attornies and others so she renounces and condemns all acts of greatest importance if they be intermixt with Disceit and falshood As if a Fine be levied by Disceit and five years past by the Statute of 4 H. 7. c. 24. all persons and their rights shall be barred thereby yet for that it was by Disceit th â— Fine shall be avoided as is a â—â— dged in Cok. lib. 3. fol. 77. 〈◊〉 the same manner if one â—â— cover Land by Disceit the â—â—â— overy for this shall be fru â—â—â— ated and made void 3 Ed. 3. 2 â— So if a woman that hath good cause to be endowed will by Disceit have the Tenant to be disseised and after recovers her Dower by a Writ of Dower against the Disseisor yet she shall be adjudged in possession against the Disseis â— e but as a Disseisoresse in respect of the Disceit Cok. lib. 5. fol. 35. There is another manner of Writ of Disceit where Land which is auncient demesn is impleaded by the Kings Writ at Westm Then the Lord of the Mannor may have this Writ and reverse all the former proceedings and Iudgment as it appears Rast Ent. 100 221. 2 R. 3. 1 11 H. 4. 36. Discent DIscent or Descent is in two sorts either lineal or collateral Lineal Discent is when a Discent is conveyed in the same Liue of the whole bloud as grandfather father son sons son and so downward Collateral Discent is out in another branch drawn from above of the whole bloud as grandfathers brother fathers brother and so downward Note that if one die seised in fee or in tail of Land in which another hath right to enter and that discends to his Heir such Discent shall take away the Entry of him who hath right to enter for that the Heir hath it by Discent from his father and so by act of the Law and he that hath right cannot put him out by entring upon him but is put to sue his Writ to demand the Land according to the nature of his Title See hereof in Littl. lib. 3. cap. 6. and Stat. 32. H. 8. cap. 33. Disclaimer DIsclaimer is where the Lord distrains his Tenant and he sues a Replevin and the Lord avows the taking by reason he holds of him if the Tenant say that he disclaims to hold of him this is called a Disclaimer and if the Lord thereupon bring in a Writ of Right sur Disclaimer and it be found against the Tenant he shall lose his Land Also if one brings a Praecipe against two others for the Land and the Tenant disclaims and saith that he is not thereof Tenant nor claims any thing therein then the other shall have the whole Land but if the Praecipe be brought against one alone and he disclaims as aforesaid the Writ shall abate yet the Demandant may enter in the Land and hold it in his rightfull estate though his Entry was not lawful And after the Tenant in an Action brought against him disclaims he shall not have a Writ of Error against his own Disclaimer because by it he hath barred himself of his right to the Land for the words of the Disclaimer are He hath nothing neither claims he to have in the Land neither at the day of the bringing of the Original Writ aforesaid c. had or claimed but any thing in the same Land to have he disavows and disclaims and against this he shall not have Restitution by a Writ of Error See Cok. lib. 8. fol. 62. So if a Lord in case where he may disclaims his Seigniory in Court of Record his Seigniory by this is extinct and the Tenant shall hold of the Lord next above him that so disclaimed Lit. sect 146. If Lands be given to the husband and wife in tail or in fee and the husband dies the wife cannot devest the Freehold cut of her by any verbal Waver or Disclaimer in the Countrey as if before any Entry made by her she saith that she altogether waves and disclaims the said Estate and will never take nor accept thereof yet the Free-hold remains in her and she may enter when she pleases So a Charter of Feoffment was made to four and Seisin was delivered to three in the name of all and after the Seisin was delivered the fourth coming sees the Deed and saith by word that he will have nothing of the Land nor agree to the Deed but disclaims and it was adjudged that this Disclaimer by word in the Countrey shall not devest the Freehold out of him Cok. lib. 3. fol. 26. Discontinuance DIscontinuance is when a man alienates to another Lands or Tenements and dies and another hath right to the same Lands and may not enter into them because of this Alienation as if an Abbot alien the Lands of his House to another in fee fee-tail or sor life or if a man alien the Lands that he hath in right of his wife or if Tenant in tail makes of the Lands given to him and the Heirs of his body any Feoffment Gift in tail or Lease for life not warranted by the Statute 32 Hen. 8. by Fine or Livery of seisin then such Alienations are called Discontinuances for such Estates passe away by Livery and seisin In these cases the Successors of the Abbot or the woman after the death of her husband or the issue in tail after the death of the Tenant in tail and they that have any Remainder or Reversion after the end of the Estate-tail may not enter but every of them is put to his Action And as there is Discontinuance of Possession as is said before so also is there Discontinuance of Process or Plea and this is when the instant is lost and may not be regained but by a new Writ to begin the Suit afresh for to be discontinued and to be put without day is all one and nothing else but finally to be dismissed the Court for that time West part 2. tit Fines sect 115. So Crompton in his Jurisdictions fol. 131. uses it in these words If a Justice-seat be discontinued by the not coming of the Justices the King may renew it by his Writ And if the Iustices of any Court do not meet at the day and place appointed then the Cause shall be discontinued unto another day as in Cok. lib. 1 fol. 38. So if a man hath an Action in the Court of the Marshalsea and the King removes forth of the Vierge the Pleas shall be discontinued Cok. lib. 10. fol. 73. See more hereof in Litt. lib. 3. cap. 11. and 32 H. 8. cap. 28. which takes away Discontinuances by the husband seised in right of his wife Disgrading DIsgrading or Degrading is when a man having taken upon him a Dignity temporal or spiritual is afterwards thereof deprived be he Knight Clerk or other Whereof if a Clerk be delivered to his Ordinary and cannot clear himself of the Offence whereof he is convicted by the
the Statute of Mag. Charta cap. 14. speaks And therefore if a man be outragiously amerced in a Court not of Record as in a Court-Baron c. there is a Writ called Moderata Misericordia to be directed to the Lord or his Baily commanding them that they take moderate Amerciaments according to the quantity of the fault And of that see Fitzh N. B. fol. 75. A. and Moderata Misericordia after Misnomer MIsnomer is the Mistake of a Name or the using of one Name for another See Broke tit Misnomer Misprision MIsprision is when one knows that another hath committed Treason or Felony and will not discover him to the King or his Council or to any Magistrate but conceals the same Divers other offences are called Misprision as when a Chaplain had fixed an old Seal of a Patent to a new Patent of Non-residence this was held to be Misprision of Treason only and no counterfeiting of the Kings Seal So it is holden in 37 H. 8. Bro. tit Treason 3. in Fine but 2 H. 4. f. 25. A. it is adjudged contrary and Stamf. Pl. cor fol. 3. B. cites it Treason and so it is holden at this day And if a man know Money to be counterfeit and bring the same from out of Ireland hither and utter it in payment yet this is but Misprision of Treason and no Treason and so it is in divers like cases In all cases of Misprision of Treason the Party offendor shall forfeit his Goods for ever and the profits of his Lands for his life and his Body to Prison at the Kings pleasure And for Misprision of Felony or Trespass the Offendor shall be committed to Prison until he have found Sureties or Pledges for his Fine which shall be assessed by the discretion of the Iustices before whom he was convict And note That in every Treason or Felony is included Misprision and where any man hath committed Treason or Felony the King may cause him to be Indicted and Arraigned of Misprision only if he will See more hereof Stamf. lib. 1. cap. 39. Mittimus MIttimus is a Writ by which Records are transferred from one Court to another sometimes immediately as it appears in the Statute of 5. R. 2. cap. 15. as out of the Kings Bench into the Exchequer and sometimes by a Certiorari into the Chancery and from thence by a Mittimus into another Court as you may see in 28 H. 8. Dyer fol. 29. a b. 29 H. 8. Dyer fol. 32. a b. This word is used also for the Precept that is directed by a Iustice of Peace to a Goaler for the receiving and safe keeping of a Felon or other Offendor committed by the said Iustice to the Goal Moderata Misericordia MOderata Misericordia is a Writ that lies where a man is amerced in Court-Baton or County more then he ought to be then he shall have this Writ directed to the Sheriff if it be in the County or to the Bayliff if it be in Court-Baron commanding them that they amerce him not but with regard to the quantity of the Trespass and if they obey not this Writ then shall go forth against them a Sicut alias and Causam nobis significes and after that an Attachment Modus decimandi MOdus decimandi is Mony or other thing of value given annually in lie â— of Tithes The tryal of which appertains to the Common Law and not to any Court-Christian Ridley's view del Civil Law 141. In which he says There was one modus decimandi pro omnibus rebus per totum regnum Monstrans de Droit MOnstrans de Droit is a Suit in Chancery for the Subject to be restored to Lands and Tenements which he shews to be his Right but are by Office found to be in the possession of another that is lately dead by which Office the King is intitled to a Chattel Free-hold or Inheritance in the said Lands And this Monstrans de Droit is give by the Statutes of 34 E. 3. cap. 14. and 37 E. 3. cap. 13. See Coke lib. 4. fol. 54. B. in the Case of the Wardens and Commonalty of Sadlers Shewing of Deeds or Records SHewing of Deeds or Records is thus An Action of Debt is brought against A upon an Obligation by B or by Executors c. After the Plaintiff hath declared he ought to shew his Obligation and the Executor the Testament to the Court. And so it is of Records And the diversity between Shewing of Deeds or Records and Hearing of Deeds or Records is this He that pleads the Deed or Record or Declares upon it ought to shew the same and the other against whom such Deed or Record is pleaded or declared and is thereby to be charged may demand hearing of the same Deed or Record which his Adversary brings or pleads against him Monstraverunt MOnstraverunt is a Writ that lies for the Tenants in Ancient Demesne and is directed to the Lord him commanding not to Distain his Tenant to do other Service then he ought and they may have this Writ directed to the Sheriff that he suffer not the Lord to distrain the said Tenant to do other Service If the Tenants cannot be in quiet they may have an Attachment against the Lord to appear before the Iustices and all the names of the Tenants shall be put in the Writ though but one of them be grieved Also if any Land in ancient Demesne be in variance between the Tenants then the Tenant so grieved shall have against the other a Writ which is called of Right close after the Custome of the Mannor and that shall be alway brought in the Lords Court and thereupon he shall declare in the nature of what Writ he will as his case lies and this Writ shall not be removed but for a great cause or non-power of the Court. Also if the Lord in another place out of ancient Demesne distrain his Tenant to do other Service then he ought he shall have a Writ of Right called Ne Injuste vexes and it is a Writ of Right Patent which shall be tried by Battel or Grand Assise Mortdancester MOrtdancester See before in the Title Cosinage MOrtgage or Morgage MOrtgage or Morgage is when a Man makes a Feoffment to another on such condition that if the Feoffor pay the Feoffee at a certain day 40 li. of money then the Feoffor may re-enter c. In this case the Feoffee is called Tenant in Morgage And as a Man may make a Feoffment in Fee in Morgage so he may make a Gift in Tail or a Lease for Life or Years in Morgage And it seems the cause why it is called Morgage is for that it stands it doubt whether the Feoffoe will pay the mony at the day appointed or not and if he fail then the Land which he laid in gage upon condition of payment of the money is gone from him for ever and so dead to him upon condition but if he pay the mony then is the gage dead
mayne An jour wast AN jour wast is a Forfeiture when a man hath committed petit Treason or Felony and hath Lands holders of some common person which shall be seised for the King and remain in his hands by the space of one year and a day next after the Attainder and then the Trees shall be pulled up the Houses razed and pulled down and the Pastures and Meadows eyred and plowed up unless he to whom the Lands should come by escheat or forfeiture redeem it of the King A thing the more to grieve the offendors and terrifie others to fall into the like in shewing how the Law doth detest the offence so farr forth as that it doth execute judgment and punishment even upon their dumb and dead things Aniente ANiente comes from the French Aneantir that is annihiliare for Aniente in our Law-language signifies as much as frustrated or made void and is used by Littleton in his 741. Section Annates ANates is a word used in the Statute of 25 Hen. 8. cap. 20. and seems to all one with First-fruits for so Pol. Virgil. de Inventione rerum lib. 8. cap. 2. says That Annatarum usus multo antiquior est quam recentiores quidam scriptores suspicantur Annatas more suo appellant primos fructus unius anni Sacerdotii vacantis aut dimidiam eorum partem Annua pensione ANnua pensione is a Writ by which the King having due unto him an annual Pension from any Abbot or Prior for any of his Chaplains which he will name who is not provided of a competent Living demands it of the said Abbot or Prior for one that is named in the same Writ until c. and also commands him for the better certainty of his Chaplain to give his Letters Patents to him for the same See Fitzherb Nat. Brē fol 231. where you may also see the names of all the Abbies and Priories which were bound to this in respect of their foundation or creation and also for the form of the Letters Patents usually granted upon such a Writ Annuity ANnuity is a certain Sum of money granted to another in Fee-simple Fee-tail for term of Life or for term of years to receive of the Grantor or of his Heirs so that no Free-hold is charged therewith whereof a man shall never have Assise nor other Action but a Writ of Annuity and it is no Assets to the Heir of the Grantee to whom it shall descend There are many differences between Annuities and Rents For every Rent is issuing out of Land but an Annuity is not but charges the person that is the Grantor or his Heirs which have Assets by descent if some special proviso be not to the contrary as Littl. Sect. 220. Also for an Annuity no Action lies but only a Writ of Annuity against the Grantor his Heirs or Successors and this Writ of Annuity never lies against the taker of the profits but only against the Grantor or his Heirs Whereas for a Rent the same Actions he against the Tenant of the Land and sometimes against him that is taker of the Rent that is against him that takes the Rent wrongfully Also au Annuity is not to be taken for Assets because it is not any Free-hold in Law And it shall not be put in Execution upon a Statute-Merchant or Statute-Staple or Elegit as a Rent may Doct. Stud. cap. 30. See Dyer fol 345. pla 2. Also an Annuity cannot be fevered Co. l. 8. fol. 52. b. according to the Verse there Let no Judge himself endeavour Annuities or Debts to sever Anoysance ANoysance is a word used in the Statute of 22 Hen. 8. cap. 5 and signifies no more than Nusance and therefore see Title Nusance Apostata capiendo APostata capiendo is a Writ directed to the Sheriff for the taking of the body of one who having entred into and professed some order of Religion leaves his said order and departs from his house and wanders in the country vpon a Certificate of this matter made by the Soveraign of the House in the Chancery and the praying of the said Writ he shall have it directed to the Sheriff for the apprehending of him and redelivery of him to the said Sovereign of the House or his lawful Attorney See the form of it in Fitz. Nat. Br. 233. c. Appeal APpeal is where one hath done a Murther Robbery or Maihem then the wife of him that is slain shall have an Action of Appeal against the Murtherer but if he have no wife then his next Heir-male shall have the Appeal at any time within a year and a day after the deed Also he that is so robbed or maimed shall have his Appeal and if the Defendant be acquitted he shall recover damages against the Appealer and the Abettors and they shall have the imprisonment of a year and shall make fine to the King An Appeal of Mathem is in manner but a Trespass for he shail only recover damages Appeals are commenced two ways either by Writ or by Bill By Writ when a Writ is purchased out of the Chancery by one man against another commanding him that he shall appeal a third man of some Felony or other offence by him committed and to find pledges that he shall do this with effect and this Writ is to be delivered to the Sheriff to be recorded Appeal by Bill is when a man of himself gives his accusation of another man in writing to the Sheriff or Coroner and takes upon himself the burthen of appealing him that is named in the said writing Appellant is the Plaintiff in the Appeal Appendant Appurtenant APpendant Appurtenant are things that by time of prescription have belonged appertained and are joyned to another principal thing by which they pass and go as accessary to the same special thing by virtue of these words Pertinentiis as Lands Advowsons Commons Piscaries Ways Courts and divers such like to a Mannor House Office or such others Apportionment APportionment is a dividing into parts a Rent which is dividable and not entire or whole and forasmuch as the thing out of which it was to be paid is separated and divided the Rent also shall be divided having respect to the parts As if a man have a Rent-Service issuing out of Land and he purchases parcel of the Land the Rent shall be apportioned according to the value of the Land So if a man hold his Land of another by Homage Fealty Escuage and certain Rent if the Lord of whom the Land is holden purchase parcel of the Land the Rent shall be apportioned And if a man let Lands for years reserving Rent and after a stranger recover part of the Land then the Rent shall be apportioned that is divided and the Lessee shall pay having respect to that which is recovered to that which yet remains in his hands according to the value But a Rent-charge cannot be apportioned nor things that are entire As if one hold Land
Augmentation remains to this day wherein there are many Records of great use and importance Aumone AUmone or Tenure in Almoin is Tenure by Divine Service for so says Britton fol. 164. Tenure in Aumone is Land or Tenements given for Aims whereof some Service is reserved to the Feoffer or Donor Auncel weight AUncel weight was an ancient manner of Weighing in England by the hanging of balances or hooks at each end of a staff which the party lifted up upon his finger or with his hand and so discerned the equality or difference of the things weighed But this weight being subject to much deceit many Statutes were made to out it as the Stat. of 25 E. 3. c. 9. 34 E. 3. c. 5. 8 H. 6. c. 5. and others And it was called Auncel weight as much as to say Handsale Weight Ancient or Ancient Demesne ANcient demesne is a certain Tenure whereby all those Manors that were in the hands of S. Edward the Confessor and which he caused to be written in a Book called Dooms-day sub titulo Regis and all the Lands holden of the said Manors are held and the Tenants shall not be impleaded out of the said Manors and if they be they may shew the matter and abate the Writ but if they answer to the Writ and Iudgment be given then the Lands become frank-free for ever until that Iudgment be reversed by writ of Disceit Ra. Ent. 100 221. 2 R. 1. 11 H. 4. 36. 21 E. 3. 20. Also the Tenants in Ancient demesne are free of T â— ll for all things concerning their sustenance and Husbandry in ancient Demesne and for such Lands they shall not be put or impannelled upon any Enquest But all the Lands in Ancient Demes â— e that are in the Kings hands are frank-free and pleadable at the Common Law See more after in the Title Sokmans Avoir de pois AVoir de pois is as much as to say true or just weight And it signifies in our Law Two things first a kind of weight diverse from that which is called Troy Weight which hath but 12 ounces to the pound whereas Avoir de pois hath 16. Secondly it signifies such Merchandises as are weighed by this weight and not by Troy weight As you may see in the Statute of York 9. E. 3. 27 E. 3. c. 19 Stat. 2. c. 10. and the Statute of Glocester 2 R. 2. c. 1. Avowry AVowry is where one takes a Distress for Rent or other thing and the other sues Replevin then he that hath taken it shall Iustifie in his Plea for what cause he took it and if he took it in his own right he ought to shew that and so avow the taking and that is called his Avowry But if he took it in or for the right of another then when he hath shewed the cause he shall make conusance of the taking as Bailiff or servant to whom in whose right took it Avowterer AVowterer is an Adulterer with whom a married woman continues in Adultery the Crime is called Avowtry 43 E. 3. 19. Awme AWme is a Vessel that contains 40 galons of Rhen â— sh wine and is mentioned in the Statute made 1 Jac. c. 23. B Backberind Thief BAckberind Thief is a Thief taken with the manner that is having that found upon him being followed with a Hue and Cry which he hath stollen whether it be Money Linnen Wollen or other stuff but it is most properly said when he is taken carrying those things that he hath stolen in a bundle or fardel upon his Back Manwood in part 2. notes this for one of the circumstances or cases in which a Forester may arrest the body of any offender against Vert or Venison in the Forest which are Dog-draw Stable-stand Back-berind and Bloody-hand Badger BAdger is as much as to say Bagger of the French word Baggage id est Sarcina And it is used with us for one that is licenced to buy Corn or other Victuals in one place and carry them to another and such a one is exempted in the Statute made in the 5 and 6 of E. 6. cap. 14 from the punishment of an Ingrosser within that Statute Bail BAIL is when a man is taken or arrested for Felony suspicion of Felony indicted of Felony or any such case so that he is restrained of his liberty and being by Law bailable offers Surcties to those who have authority to bail him which Sureties are bound for him to the Kings use in a certain Sum of money or body for body that he shall appear before the Iustices of Goal-delivery at the next Sessions c. Then upon the Bonds of these Sureties as is aforesaid he is bailed that is set at liberty until the day appointed for his appearance Manwood in the first part of his Forest Law pag. 167. says There is a great diversity between Bail and Mainprise for he that is mainprised is always said to be at large and to go at his own liberty out of ward after he is put to Mainprise until the day of his Appearance by reason of Common Summons or otherwise But it is not so where a man is put to bail by four or two men by my Lord chief Iustice in Eyre of the Forest until a certain day for there he is always accounted by the Law to be in their ward and custody for the time and they may if they will hold him in ward or in Prison till that time or otherwise at their will so that he that is bail'd â— hall not be said by the Law to be at large or at his own liberty Bailement Bailement is a Delivery of things whether Writings Goods or Stuff to another sometimes to be delivered back to the Bailor that is to him that so delivered it sometimes to the use of the Bailee that is of him to whom it is delivered and sometimes also it is delivered to a third person This delivery is called a Bailment Bailiff BAiliff is an Officer that belongs to a Mannor to order the husbandry and hath authority to pay Quit-rents issuing out of the Mannor fei â— Trees repair Houses make Pales Hedges distrain Beasts doing hurt upon the ground and divers such like This Officer is he whom the ancient Saxons called a Reeve for the name Bailiff was not then known amongst them but came in with the Normans and is called in Latin Villicus There are two other sorts of Bailiffs that is Bailiffs errant and Bailiffs of Franchises Bailiffs errant are those that the Sheriff makes and appoints to go about the Country to execute Writs to summon the County Sessions Assises and such like Bailiffs of Franchises are those that are appointed by every Lord within his Liberty to do such Offices within his Precincts as the Bailiff errant doth abroad in the County This Bailiff distrains for Amerciaments in Courts held within the Mannor of which he is Bailiff But if such Court is by prescription to be
Instruments have been heretofore used and of force in this Land but by the Statute of 28 H. 8. c. 16. it was e â— acted That all Bulls Breves Faculties and Dispensations of whatsoever name or nature that it was had or obtained from the B. of Rome should be altogether void and of no effect See Rastal 328. C. D. Bullion BUllion comes from the French word Billon which is the place where Gold is tryed And so Bullion is taken in the Statutes made in 27. E. 3. Stat 2. c. 14. and in 4 H 4. Stat. 1. c. 10. for the place whither Gold or Silver is brought to be tryed or exchanged But Bullion is also taken in the Stat. 9 E. 3. Stat. 2. c. 2. for Gold or Silver in the Mass or Billet Burbreach BUrbreach is to be quit of Trespasses done in City or Borough against the Peace Burgage TO hold in Burgage is to hold as the Burgagers hold of the King or of another Lord lands or tenements yielding him a certain Rent yearly or else where another man then Burgers holds of any Lord Lands or Tenements in Burgage yielding him a certain Rent Burghbote BUrghbote is to be quit of giving aid to make a Burrough Castle City or Walls thrown down Burgh English BUrgh English or Borough English is a Custome in some ancient Borough that if a man hath issue divers sons and dies yet the youngest son only shall inherit and have all the Lands and Tenements that were his fathers whereof he died seised within the same Borough by descent as Heir to his Father by force of the Custome of the same Borough This Tenure is also of Copyhold Estates by Custome of divers Mannors Burglary BUrglary is when one breaks and enters into the House of another in the night with felonious intent to rob or kill or to do some other Felony in which cases although he carry away nothing yet it is Felony for which he shall suffer death Otherwise it is if it be in the day-time or that he break the House in the night and enter no therein at that time But if a Servant conspire with other men to rob his Master and to that intent opens his Masters doors and windows in the night for them and they come into the house by that way this is Burglary in the Strangers and the Servant is a Thief but no Burglar And this was the opinion of Sir Roger Manwood Knight Lord chief Baron of the Cxchequer at the quarter Sessions holden at Canterbury in Jannary 1579. 21 Eliz. Buttlerage IS an old Duty to the Kings of this Realm for Wine imported by Aliens Moor Rep. 833. C Cablish CAblish among the Writers of the Forest Laws signifies Brushwood Manwood pag. 84. Cromp. Jur. fol. 165. Cantred CAntred is as much in Wales as an Hundred in England for Cantre in the British tongue signifies Centum The word is used An. 28. H. 8. c. 3. Capacity CApacity is when a man or Body politick or corporate is able to give or take Lands or other things or sue Actions As an Alien born hath sufficient Capacity to sue in any personal Action but in a real Action it is a good Plea to say he is an Alien born and pray if he shall be answered Dyer f. 3. pla 8. If a man enfeoff an Alien and another man to the use of themselves or c. it seems that the King shall have the moiety of the Land for ever by reason of the Incapacity of the Alien Dyer f. 283. pla 31. By the Common Law no man hath Capacity to take Tythes but Spiritual persons and the King who is a person mixt but a Lay-man who is not capable of taking Tithes was yet capable of discharge of Tithes in the Common Law in his own land as well as a Spiritual man See Coke l. 2. f. 44. Cape CApe is a Writ judicial touching Plea of Lands or Tenements so called as the most part of Writs are of that word which in it self carries the especiallest intention or end thereof And this Writ is divided into Grand Cape and Petit Cape both which take hold of things immovable and seem to differ in these Points First because Grand Cape lies before Apparance and Petit Cape after Secondly by the Grand Cape the Tenant is summoned to answer to the default and over to the Demandant Petit Cape summons the Tenant to answer to the default only and therefore it is called Petit Cape in the Old N. B. 161 162. Yet Ingham saith that it is not called Petit Cape because it is of small force but because it is a little Writ in words This Writ seems to contain in it a Process with the Civilians called Missio in possessionem ex primo secundo Decreto For as the first Decree seises the thing and the second gives it from him that made the second default in his Appearance so this Capias seises the Land and also assigns over to the party a day of Appearance at which if he comes not in the Land is forfeited Yet there is difference between these two courses of the Common and Civil Law for this Missio in possessionem extends to touch as well Goods movable as immovable where a Cape extends only to the immovable Secondly in this That the party being satisfied of his demand the residue is restored to him that defaulted but by the Cape all is seised without restitution Thirdly That is to the use of the party agent the Cape is to the use of the King See Bract. l. 5. tract 3. c. 1. num 4 5 6 Regist Judic fol. 2. a. Cape ad Valentiam CApe ad Valentiam is a Writ or Execution and is thus defined in the Old Nat. Brev. fo 161. 162. This writ lies where the Tenant is impleaded of certain Lands and he vouches to Warranty another against whom the Summons ad warrantizan â— hath been awarded and the Vouchee comes not in at the day given then if the Demandant recover against the Tenant he shall have this Writ against the Vouchee and shall recover so much in value of the Vouchees land if he have so much and if he hath not so much then the Tenant shall have Execution by this Writ of such Lands and Tenements as descend to him in Fee-simple or if he purchase afterwards the Tenant shall have against him a Resummons and if he can say nothing he shall recover the value And know that this Writ lies before Apparance Of these and their divers uses see the Table of the Reg. jud the word Cape Capias CApias is of two sorts The one before Iudgment called Capias ad respondendum in an action personal if the Sheriff return upon the first Writ Nihil habet in Balliva nostra And the other is a Writ of Execution after Iudgment which also is of divers natures which see in the Title Process Capite CApite is a Tenure that holds immediately of the King as of his Crown
be it by Knights Service or Soccage and not of any Honor Castle or Mannor and for this it is also called a Tenure which holds meerly of the King For as the Crown is a Corporation a Seignory in gross so the King who possesses the Crown is in the eye of the Law perpetually King never in his Minority and dies no more than Populus doth whose authority he bears See Fitz N. BreÌ„ fol. 5. Yet note That a man may hold of the King and yet not in Capite that is not immediately of the Crown in gross but by means of some Honor Castle or Manor belonging to the Crown whereof he holds his Land Of this Kitchin saith well That a man may hold of the King by Knight's service and yet not in Capite because it may be he holds of some honour by Knights service that is in the Kings hands by descent from his Ancestors and not immediately of the King as of his Crown fol. 129. With which agrees Fitzh Nat. BreÌ„ fol. 5. k. whose words are to this effect It plainly appears that Lands which are held of the King as of an Honor Castle or Manor are not held in Capite of the King because a Writ of right iu this case shall be directed to the Bailiff of the Honor Castle or Manor c. But when the lands are held of the King as of his Crown then they are not held of an Honor Castle or Manor but meerly of the King as King as of his Crown as of a Seignory of it self in gross and the chief of all other Seigniories And this Tenure in Capite is otherwise called Tenure holding of the person of the King Dyer fol. 44. Brook titulo Tenures num 65 99. And yet Ki â— chen fol. 208. saith That a man may hold of the person of the King and yet not in Capite His Case is this If the King purchase a Manor that J. S. holds the Tenant shall hold as he did before and he shall not render Livery nor primer Seisin nor hold in Capite And if the King grants his Manor to W. N. in fee excepting the services of J. S. then J. S. holds as of the person of the King and yet holds not in Capite but as he held before By which it seems that Tenure holding of the person of the King and Tenure in Capite are two divers Tenures To take away which difference it may be said That this place of Kitchen is to be taken as if he had said Not in Capite by Knights service but by Socage following the usual speech because most commonly where we speak of Tenure in Capite we intend Tenure by Knight's service See the Stat. 12 Car. 2. c. 24. by which all Tenures are now turned into free and common Socage Cark CArk seems to be a quantity of Wooll whereof 30 make a Sarplar 27 H. 6. cap. 2. See Sarplar Carno CArno is an Immunity as appears in Cromp. Jurisd f. 191. where it is said That the Prior of Malton made claim for him and his men to be quit of all Amerciaments within the Forest and also to be quit of Escapes and of all manner of Gelds and of Foot-gelds Buckstall Trites Carno and Summage c. Carrack or Carrick CArrack alias Carrick is a Ship of burthen and is so called of the Italian word Carico or Carco which signifies a Burthen This word is mentioned in the Statute 1 Jac. c. 33. Carue of Land CArue or Carucate of land is a certain quantity of land by which the Subjects have been heretofore taxed whereupon the Tribute so levied is called Caruage Bract. l. 2. c. 16. num 8. Lit. Sect. 119. saith that Soca is the same with Caruca sc a Soke or Plow Stow in his Annals p. 251. hath these words The same time H. the King took Caruage that is to say two Marks of Silver for every Knight's Fee to the marriage of his sister Isabel to the Empereur By which it seems there was raised of every Plow-land so much and so consequently of every Knight's free two Marks of Silver Rastal in his Exposition of words saith that Caruage is to be quit if the King shall tax all the Land by Plows that is a Priviledge by which a man is freed from Caruage Skene saith that it contains as great a portion of land as may be eyred or tilled in a year and a day with one Plow which also is called a Hild or Hide of land Castellain CAstellain is a Keeper or Captain sometimes called a Constable of a Castle Bracton l. 5. c. 2. cap. 16. In the same manner it is used anÌ„ 3 E. 1. c. 7. In the book of Feudis you shall find Guastaldus to be of like signification but more large because it is also extended to those that have the custody of the King's Mansion-houses called Courts notwithstanding they are not places of defence or force Manwood part 1. of the Laws of the Forest p. 113. saith That there is an Officer of the Forest called Castellanus Castle-guard CAstle-guard is an Imposition laid upon such of the Kings subjects as dwell within a certain compass of any Castle to the maintenance of such as watch and ward it Mag. Chart. cap. 2. an 32 H. 8. ca. 48. It is sometimes used for the Circuit it self which is inhabited by such as arc subject to this Service See Chivalry Casu consimili CAsu consimili is Writ of Entry granted where the Tenant by courtesie or Tenant for term of life or for the life of another aliens in Fee or in tail or for the life of another And it hath this name because the Clerks of the Chaucery have framed it by their common consent like the Writ called in casu ê“viso according to the authority given them by the Stat. of West 2. cap. 24. which wills That as often as it shall happen in Chancery that in one case a Writ is found and in the like case a remedy is wanting the Clerks of the Chancery should agree to make a Writ c. And this Writ is granted to him in reversion against the party to whom the said Tenant so aliened to his prejudice and in the life of the Tenant See more of this F. N. B. fol. 206. Casu proviso CAsu proviso is given by the Stat of Gloucester cap. 7. This Writ lies where Tenant in Dower aliens in Fee or for life or in tail the Land which she holds in Dower there he that hath the Reversion Fee or in Tail or for term of life shall presently have this Writ against the Alienee or him that is Tenant of the Free-hold of the Land and that during the life of the Tenant in Dower F. N. B. 205. n. Catals CAtals or Chatels comprehend all Goods movable and immovable except such as are in nature of Free-hold or parcel of it as may be collected out of Stamf. Praer cap. 16. and anno 1 Eliz. cap. 2. Yet Kitch fol. 32. saith that
time their Reservations were as well in Victuals as Money until at the last and that chiefly in the time of King Henry the First by agreement the reservation of Victuals was turned into ready Money and so hitherto hath continued amongst most men Fate or Fatt FAte or Fatt is a Measure mentioned in the Statutes of 1 H. 5. cap. 10. and 11 H. 6. cap. 8. to contain eight Bushels but the Citzens and Merchants of London as it appears by those Statutes and the Kings Purveyors would have that measure and a Bushel over for one Quarter and so they had nine Bushels for one Quarter of Corn. Faux Imprisonment FAux Imprisonment is a Writ that lies where a man is arrested and restrained from his Liberty by another against the order of the Law then he shall have against him this Writ whereby he shall recover Dammages See more thereof before tit Arrest Faux Judgment FAux Judgment See thereof before tit Error Fealty FEalty is a Service called in Latine Fidelitas and shall be done in this manner viz. The Tenant shall hold his right hand upon a Book and shall say to his Lord I shall be to you faithful and true and shall bear to you Faith for the Lands and Tenements which I claim to hold of you and truly shall do you the Customs and Services that I ought to do to you at the terms assigned So help me God and shall kiss the Book but he shall not kneel as in doing Homage And thereof see after in the Title Homage Also Fealty is incident to all manner of Tenures Fee FEE Feodum is in our Law an equivocal word of divers significations for it is most usually taken for an Estate of Inheritance in Lands and Tenements to one and his Heirs or to one and the Heirs of his Body But it is used also for the Compass Circuit or Extent of a Lordship or Mannor And from thence comes the ordinary Plea in Bar to an Avowry That the Land upon which he avows is out of his Fee And thirdly it is taken for a Reward or Wages given to one for the execu ◠〈◊〉 of his Office as the Fee of a Forrester or the Keeper of a Park or a Sheriffs Fee sor â— erving an Execution lim â—â— s by the Statute of 29 Eliz. cap 4. And it is also taken for that Consideration which is given a Sergeant at Law or a Councellor or a Physitian for their Counsel or Advice in their profession which as it is well observed by Sir Jo. Davies in his Preface to his Reports is not properly Merces but Honorarium Yet in our Law-language it is called his Fee Fee expectant FEE expectant Where Lands are given to a man and his wife in Frank-marriage to have and to hold to them and their heirs in this case they have Fee-simple but if they are given to them and the heirs of their body c. They have Tail and Fee-expectant Kitch fol. 153. Fee Farm FEE Farm is when a Tenant holds of his Lord in Fee-simple paying to him the value of half or of the third fourth or other part of the Land by the year And he that holds by Fee-Farm ought not to pay Relief or do any other thing that is not contained in the Feoffment but Fealty for that belongs to all kind of Tanures Fee-simple FEe-simple is when any person holds Lands or Rent or other thing inheritable to him and his Heirs for evermore and these words His Heirs make the Estate of Inheritance for if the Land be given to a man for ever yet he hath but an Estate for life Also if Tenant in Fee-simple die his first son shall be his Heir but if he have no Son then all his Daughters shall be his Heirs and every one shall have her part by partition but if he have no Son nor Daughter then his next Coufin collateral of the whole Blood shall be his Heir Fel de se FElo de se is he that commits Felony by murthering himself See Crompt Justice of Peace fol. 28. Felony FElony is a general term which comprehends divers hainous Offences for which the Offenders ought to suffer death and lose their Lands And it seems that they are called Felonies of the Latine word Fel which is in English Gall in French Fiel or of the ancient English word Fell or Fierce because they are intended to be done with a fell fierce or mischievous mind When a man without any colour of Law steals the Goods of another amounting to the value of Twelve pence or more that is Larceny but if he approaches the Person of another in the High-way and robs him of his Goods although it be but to the value of one peny it is Felony and that is called Robbery and therefore he shall be hanged Fence-moneth FEnce-moneth is a Forrest word and signifies the time of 31 days in the year that is to say 15 days before Midsummer and 15 days after in which time it is forbidden for any man to hunt in the Forrest or to go into it to disturb the wild Beasts The reason of which is because the Female Deer do then Fawn And therefore this Moneth is called the Fence-moneth or Defence-moneth for that the Deer are then to be defended from scare or fear See Manwood Forrest Laws cap. 13. fol. 90. b. Feodarie FEodarie was an Officer in the Court of Wards appointed by the Master of that Court by virtue of the Statute 32 H. 8. c. 46. to be present with the Escheator in every County at the finding of Offices and to give in evidence for the King as well for the Value as the Tenure And his Office was also to survey the Lands of the Ward after the Office found to return the true value thereof into the Court to assign Dower unto the Kings Widows to receive all the Rents of the Wards Lands within his Circuit and to answer them to the Receiver of the Court But see the Stat. 12 C â— r. 2. c. 24. for Abolishing the said Court Feoffment FEoffment is where a man gives Lands Houses or other Corporal things which are Heritable to another in Fee-simple and thereof delivers Seisin and Possession Also if one make a gift in tail or a lease for life Livery and Seisin must be given or else nothing shall pass by the Grant Feoffor and Feoffee FEoffor is he that infeoffs or makes a Feoffment to another of Lands or Tenements in Fee-simple And Feoffee is he who is infeoffed or to whom the Feoffment is so made Ferdfare FErdfare is to be quit from going to War Flet. lib. 1. c. 47. Ferdwit FErdwit is to be quit of Murther committed in the Army Flet. l. 1. c. 47. Ferry IS a liberty by prescription or the Kings Grant to have a Boat for passage upon a great Stream for Cariage of horses and men for reasonable toll Feude FEude or Deadly Feude is a German word and signifies implacable Hatred not to be
Gift in the tail a man shall have a Writ of Warrantia Chartae but not upon Escuage Garrantie del jour GArranty del jour See for that Warrantia diei Gavelet GAvelet is a special and ancient kind of Cessavit used in Kent where the Custom of Gavelkinde continues whereby the Tenant shall forfeit his Lands or Tenements to the Lord of whom they are holden if he withdraw from his Lord his due Rents and Services after this manner If any Tenant in Gavelkind withhold his Rent and Services of the Tenement he holds of his Lord let the Lord seek by the award of his Court from three weeks to three weeks to find some Distress upon the Tenement until the fourth Court always with witnesses And if within that time he can find no Distress on that Tenement whereby he may have Iustice of his Tenant then at the fourth Court let it be awarded that he take that Tenement into his hand in name of a Distress as if it were an Ox or Cow and let him keep it a year and a day in his hand without manuring it within which Term if the Tenant come and pay his arrerages and make reasonable amends for the withholding then let him have and enjoy his Tenement as his Ancestors and he before held it and if he do not come before the year and day past then let the Lord go to the next County-Court with his Witnesses of his own Court and pronounce there this Process to have farther Witnesses and by the award of his Court after the County-Court holden he shall enter and manure in those Lands and Tenements as in his own And if the Tenant come afterward and will re-have his Tenements and hold them as he did before let him make Agreement with the Lord according as it is anciently said Hath he not since any thing given nor hath he not since any thing payed then let him pay v. li. for his Were before he become Tenant or Holder again See hereof 10 H. 3. Fitzh Cessavit 60. and Stat. 10 Ed. 2 of Gavelet in London in the Collection of Statutes London 2. matter much tending to this purpose that by this word Gavelet the Lord shall have the Land for the cessing of the Tenant And see Westm 2. ca. 21. which gives Cessavit There be some Copies which have the first Verse thus Written Nisith yelde and Nisith gelde And others thus Nighesith yeld and nighesith geld But these differ not in signification Other Copies have it thus Nigondsith seld and nigondsith geld That is Let him nine times pay and nine times repay Gavel-kinde GAvel-kinde is a Custom annexed and going with Lands in Kent called Gavel-kind-lands holden by ancient Socage Tenure And it is thought by the skilful in Antiquities to be called Gavel-kinde of Give all Kinne that is to all the Kindred in one Line according as it is used among the Germans from whom we English-men and chiefly of Kent come Or else it is called Gavel-kine of Give all kinde that is to all the Male-children for Kinde in Dutch signifies a Male-childe And divers other like conjectures are made touching Gavel-kinde which I omit The most usual Customes are That the Land is dividable between the Heirs-male and that the Heir of the age of fifteen years may give and sell his Land and shall inherit although his Father be attainted and hanged for Felony and his wife shall be endowed of half the Land whereof her husband died seised and the husband shall be Tenant by the Curtesse of the half although he have no issue by his wife but the Estate of the husband and wife ceases by their second Marriage And divers other Customes are used in Kent of the Lands in Gavel-kinde for which see Lambert's Perambulation of Kent Gawgeour GAwgeour is an Officer of the King appointed to search all Tuns Hogsheads Pipes Barrels and Tertians of Wine Oyl Honey Butter and to give them a Mark of allowance before they are sold in any place And because this mark is a Circle made with an Iron Instrument for that purpose it seems he takes his name from thence Touching this Office there have been made many Statutes the first is An. 27 E. 3. cap. 8. and the others are 4 R. 2. cap. 1. 18 H. 6. c. 17. 23 H. 6. c. 16. 1 R. 3. cap. 13. and 28 H. 8. c. 14. Gersuma GErsuma is an obsolete word for a Fine or Summe of mony it is often found in ancient Records See Sir Hen. Spelmans Glossarium Gild. GIld alias Geld has divers significations as sometimes a Tribute othertimes an Amerciament thirdly a Fraternity or Company combined together by Orders and Laws made amongst themselves with the Kings Licence Cambden cites many Antiquities whereby it appears to signifie a tribute or tax as pag. 135 139 159 168 178. Crompton in his Jurisdictions fol. 191. shews it to be an Amerciament as Footgeld yet fol. 197. he says to be quit of all manner of Gelds is to be discharged of all manner of Prestations to be made for gathering of Sheaves of Corn young Lambs and Wool to the use of the Foresters Also Cambden pag. 149. dividing Suffolk into three parts calls the first Gildable because tribute is thence gathered And the Statutes Anno 27 Edw. 3. Stat. 2. cap. 13. and Anno 11 H. 7. cap. 9. use Gildable in the same sense and so the Statute Anno 27 H. 8. cap. 26. Hence Lambert in the word Contubernalis is perswaded that the common word Gild or Gild-hall proceeds being a Fraternity or Communalty of men gathered in one Combination supporting their common charge by a mutual Contribution And in the Reg. Orig. fol. 219. b. there is Gildam Mercatoriam which seems to be a certain Liberty or Priviledge appertaining to Merchants whereby they are enabled to hold certain Pleas of Land within their own Precincts This word Gilds or Guilds is so used Anno 27 E. 3. cap. 51. and Anno 15 R. 2. c. 5. And Guildhalda Teutonicorum is used for the Fraternity of Easterling Merchants in London called the Stillyard Anno 22 H. 8. c. 8. See Coke l. 8. f. 125. Gisarms GIsarms was a certain Weapon mentioned 13 E. 1. Stat. 3. c. 6. Fleta writes it Sisarmes l. 1. cap. 24. Glebe GLebe are Lands of which the Rector or Vicar are seised in Jurae Ecclesiae Gors GOrs Gurges is a Pool or or Pit of water to keep fish in by the Grant whereof the Soil it self passes and a Praecipe quod reddat lies of it as you may see in 4 Ed. 3. 29. b. and 8 E. 3. 13. a. and F. N. B. 191. H. Granage GRanage is a Duty in London viz. the twentieth part of Salt Imported by an Alien and due to the Mayor Dyer 352. Grand Cape GRand Cape Look for it after in the Title Petit Cape Grand distress GRand Distress See of that before in the Title Distress Grand Serjeanty GRand Serjeanty is where a man holds of the
of this Sect. Lord in Grosse LOrd in Grosse is he who is Lord without a Mannor as the King in respect of his Crown Fitz. Nat. Brev. fol. 5. A man makes a Gift in tail of all his Land to hold of him and dies his Heir hath nothing but a Seignory in Gross Lotherwit LOtherwit is that you may take amends of him who doth deffle your Bondwoman without your licence Lushburgh LUshburgh was a counterfeit Coin in the time of E. 3. made beyond Seas in likeness of English Moneys and brought in to deceive the King and his Subjects And therefore it is declared to be Treason by the Stat. of 25 E. 3. Stat. 5. cap. 2. for any man to bring it into the Realm knowing it to be false M. Maegbote MAEgbote was a a Recompence for a Kinsman slain Maihem or Maime MAihem or Maime is where by the wrongful act of another any Member is hurt or taken away whereby the party is made unperfect to fight As if a Bone be taken out of the Head or broken in any other part of the Body or Foot or Hand or Finger or Joynt of a Foot or any Member be cut or by some Wound the Sinews be made to shrink or the Fingers made crooked or if an Eye be put out Fore-teeth broken or any other thing hurt in a mans Body by means whereof he is made the less able to defend himself or offend his enemy But the cutting off of an Ear or Nose or breaking of the Hinder-teeth or such like is no Maihem because it is rather a deformity of Body then diminishing of Strength and that is commonly tryed by the Justices beholding the party And if the Justices stand in doubt whether the hurt be a Maihem or not they use and will of their own discretion take the help and opinion of some skilful Chirurgeon to consider thereof before they determine upon the Cause Mainpernable MAinpernable that may be mainprised or delivered to Mainpernors See the Statute of Westm 1. Cap. 15. what persons may be mainpernable what not Mainprise MAinprise is when a man is arrested by Capias the Iudge may deliver his body to certain men to keep and to bring before him at a certain day and these are called Mainpernors and if the party appear not at the day assigned the Mainpernors shall be amerced Maintenance MAintenance is where any man gives or delivers to another that is Plaintif or Defendant in any Action any sum of money or other thing to maintain his Plea or takes great pains for him when he hath nothing therewith to do then the party grieved shall have against him a Writ called a Writ of Maintenance Manbote MAnbote signifies a Pecuniary Compensation for the killing a man Lambert Mandamus MAndamus is a Writ that goes to the Escheator for the finding of an Dffice after the death of one that died the Kings Tenant and it is all one with the Writ of Diem clausit extremum but that the Diem clausit extremum goes out within the year after the death and the Mandamus goes not out till after the year and in case where there was never any Diem clausit extremum sued out or was not sued out with effect Fitz. N. B. 253. B. C. See the Stat. 12 Car. 1. cap. 24. Also there is another sort of Mandamus granted upon Motion in the Kings Bench one to the Bishop to admit an Executor to prove a Will or to grant Administration Stiles Reports 78. Another to command Corporations to restore Aldermen and others to Offices out of which they are unjustly put out Look 11 Report James Bag 's Case Mannor MAnnor is compounded of divers things as of a House Arable Land Pasture Meadow Wood Rent Advowson Court-Baron and such like which make a Mannor And this ought to be by long continuance of time the contrary whereof mans memory cannot discern for at this day a Mannor cannot be made because a Court-Baron cannot now be made and a Mannor cannot be without a Court-Baron and Suiters and Freeholders two at the least for if all the Free-holds except one escheat to the Lord or if he purchase all except one there his Mannor is gon for that it cannot be a Mannor without a Court-Baron as is aforesaid and a Court-Baron cannot be holden but before Suiters and not before one Suiter and therefore where but one Free-hold or Freeholder is there cannot be a Mannor properly although in common speech it may be so called Mansion MAnsion Mansio is most commonly taken for the chief Messuage or Habitation of the Lord of a Mannor the Mannor-house where he doth most reside his Capital Messuage as it is called of which the Wife by the Statute of Mag. Chart cap. 7. shall have her Quarentine Munucaptio MAnucaptio is a Writ that lies for him who is arrested or indicted of Felony and offers sufficient Sureties for his Appearance but the Sheriff or he whom it concerns will not suffer him to be bailed then he shall have his Writ to command them to suffer him to be bailed See of this Fitz. N. B. fol. 249. G. Manumission MAnumission is the making a Bond-man free and may be in two sorts the one is a Manumission expressed the other a Manumission implied Manumission expressed is where the Lord makes a Deed to his Villain to Infranchise him by this word Manumittere which is as much to say as to let one go out of another mans hands or power The manner of Manumitting or Infranchising in old time most usually was thus The Lord in presence of his Neighbors took the Bondman by the Head saying I will that this Man be free and therewith shoved him forward out of his hand and by this he was free Manumission implied without this word Manumitere is when the Lord makes an Obligation to his Villain to pay him money at a certain day or sues him where he might enter without Suit or grants him an Annuity or Leases Lands to him by Deed for years or life and in divers like cases the Villain thereby is made free Marchers MArchers are the Noble-men dwelling on the Marches of Wales or Scotland who in â— imes past had their private laws as if they had been Kings and therefore in the Statutes of 2 H. 4. c. 28. 26 H. 8. cap. 6. 27 H. 8. cap. 26. and 1 E. 6. cap. 10. they are called Lord Marchers Marches MArches are the bounds and Limits betwixt us and Wales or Scotland so called either from the German word March which signifies a Frontire or Border or else from the French word Marque that is a Sign or Token of Distinction these being the notorious Distinctions of two divers Countries Of these you shall read in the Statutes of 4 H. 5. cap. 7. 22 E. 4. cap. 8. 24 H. 8. cap. 9. and others Marshal MArshal is a general word for many Officers in England as the Lord or Earl Marshal of whom mention is made in the Statutes
parts as there are Parceners then to write every part severally in a Little Scroll or piece of Paper or Parchment and put the same Scroll up close into a Hat or Cap or other such like thing and then each Parcener one after another as they are in age to draw one piece or Scroll wherein is written a part of the Land which by this Drawing is now severally alloted to them in Fee-simple The fourth Partition which is by Compulsion is when one or some of the Coparceners would have Partition and other some will not agree thereto then they that so would have Partition may bring a Writ De Partitione facienda against the others that would not make Partition by virtue whereof they shall be compelled to part c. In Kent where the Lands are of Gavelkind-nature they call at this day their Partition Shifting even the same word that the Saxons used namely Shiftan which signifies to make Partition between Coheirs and to assign to each of them their portion In Latin it is called Herciscere Partition also may be made by Ioyntenants or Tenants in common by their assent by Deed between them or by Writ by the Statutes of 31 H. 8. cap. 1. and 32 H. 8. cap. 32. Pasport PAsport is a word mentioned in the Statute of 2 E. 6. cap. 2. and signifies a Licence made by any that hath authority for the safe passage of any man from one place to another Patron PAtron is he that hath the Advowson of a Parsonage Vicarage Free-chappel or such like Spiritual Promotion belonging to his Manor or otherwise in gross and thereby may or ought to give the same Benefice or present thereto when and as often as it becomes void And this being Patron or Patronage had beginning for the most part by one of these three ways namely either by reason of the Foundation for that the Patron or his Ancestors or those from whom he claims were Founders or Builders of the Church or by reason of Donation for that they did endow or give Lands to the same for maintenance thereof or else by reason of the Ground because the Church was set or built upon their soil or ground and many times by reason of all three Paunage or Pannage PAunage or Pannage is that mony which the Agistors of Forests do gather for the feeding of Hoggs within the Forrest and it is also taken for all manner of Mast of trees within the Forest on which the Hogs do feed See Manw. For. Laws chap. 12. fol. 90. a. Peers PEers are those that are impannelled in an Enquest upon any man for the convicting or clearing him of any offence for which he is called in question The reason of which appellation of the Iury is for that Peers comes from the Latin Pares that is Equals and the custome of our Nation is to try every man by his Equals that is to say by his Peers And so it appears by the Statutes of Magna Charta cap. 29. West 1. cap. 6. This word is also used for the Nobility of the Realm and Lords of the Parliament who are called the Peers of the Realm And of that see Stamf. Pl. of the Crown lib. 3. cap. 1. fol. 152. Perambulatione facienda PErambulatione facienda is a Writ that lies where two Lordships lie one nigh another some Encroachment is made by long time then by assent of both Lords the Sheriff shall take with him the parties and the neighbours and shall make Perambulation and shall make the Bounds as they were before But if a Lord encroach upon another and he will not make Perambulation then the Lord so grieved shall have a Writ against the other which is called de Rationalibus divisis Perjury PErjury is a corrupt or voluntary false Oath given in Chancery or in Evidence to a Iury upon tryal of an issue at Common Law See Stat. 5 El. cap. 9. Perinde valere PErinde valere is a term that belongs to the Ecclesiastical Law and signifies a Dispensation granted to a Clerk who not being capable of a Benefice or other Ecclesiastical Function is de facto admitted to it And it hath the name from the words which make the faculty as effectual to the party as if he were actually capable of the thing for which he hath his Dispensation at the time of his admittance Pernor of Profits PErnor of Profits is he that takes the Profits Pernor of Profits and Cestuy que use is all one Coke lib. 1. Casu Chudley fol. 123. But one may be Pernor of c. and not Cestuy que use by Title but by Coven which see Co. 5. 77 78. Co. Entr. 698. 2 Leo. rep 16. 2 Anderson 25. Stat. 11. H. 6. 3. Perpetuity PErpetuity is used in Law where an Estate is so designed to be settled in Tail c. that it cannot be undone or made void Which the State cannot bear as is said in the end of the case Moo rep 809 810. Co. 1. 84. 130. Co. 6. 40. l. 8. 90. Per quae servitia PEr quae servitia is a Writ Iudicial and goes out upon the Note of a Fine and it lies for the Conusee of a Mannor or Seigniory to compel him that is Tenant of the Land at the time of the Fine levied to attourn to him And of this Writ see the Old N. B. f. 170. a. Perquisites PErquisites are Advantages and Profits that come to a Mannor by casualty and not yearly as Escheats Harriots Reliefs Waifes Estrays Forfeitures Amerciaments in Courts Goods and Lands purchased by Villains of the same Mannor Fines of Copiholds and divers other like things that are not certain but come by chance sometimes more often than at other times See Perkins fol. 20 21. Personalty PErsonalty as the Action is in the Personalty that is to say brought against the right person or the person against whom in Law it lies Petit Cape PEtit Cape is a Writ that lies when any Actios Real that is to say of Plea of Land is brought and the Tenant appears and afterward makes Default then this Petit Cape shall go forth to seise the Lands into the Kings hands But if he appears not at the first Summons then a Grand Cape shall go forth and for such Defalt the Tenant shall lose the Land But if he wage his Law of Non-summons he shall save his Default and then he may plead with the Demandant And in Grand Cape the Tenant shall be summoned to answer to the Default and farther to the Demandant But in Petit Cape he shall be summoned to answer to the Default only and not to the Demandant And it is called Petit Cape for that there is less in this Writ than in the other Pettybag PEttybag is an Office in the Court of Chancery for Suits for and against Attorneys and Officers of that Court And for process and proceedings by extents on Statutes Recognizances Ad quod dampnum c. Parva Baga dicitur Petit
for him that is infeoffed with Warranty and is afterward impleaded in an Assise or other Action in which he cannot vouch then he may have this Writ against the Feoffor or his Heir to compel them to warrant the Land unto him And see of this Fitz. N. B. f. 134. D. See Garrantie of Charters Warrantia diei WArrantia diei is a Writ the lies in case where a man hath a day in any Action sue â— against him to appear in prope â— person and the King at that day or before imploys him i â— some service so that he cann â—â— appear at the day in Court the â— he may have this Writ direct â— to the Iuistices that they shal â— not record them to be in Defau â—â— for his not appearing And see 〈◊〉 this Fitz N. B. fol. 17. A. and â—â— the form of the Writ see G 〈◊〉 vile lib. 1. cap. 8. Warren WArren is a place Priviledged by Prescription or Grant of the King for the Preservation of Hares Conies Partridges and Pheasants or any of them Warwit WArwit or Wardwit as some Copies have it is to be quit of giving money for keeping of Wards Wast WAst is where Tenant for term or years Tenant for life or Tenant for term of anothers life Tenant in Dower or Tenant by the Curtesse or Gardian in Chivalry doth make Wast or Destruction upon the Land that is to say pulls down the House or cuts down Timber or suffers the House willingly to fall or digs the Ground then he in the Reversion shall have a Writ for that Wast and shall recover the place where the Wast is done and treble Dammages And if a Man cut down Timber without Licence and therewith repairs old Houses yet that is no Wast But if he with the Timber build a new house the cutting down of such Timber is Wast Also the cutting down of Vnder-wood or Willows which is no Timber shall not be said to be Wast unless they grow in the sight or shadow of the House Wast by the Civil Law is call'd Dilapidation and for that the Executor of a Rector or Vicar are answerable in the Court Christian There is also a Writ of Wast permittendo Messuagium vel domum fore in decasu ruinosum Co. Ent. 601. Wharf WHarf is a word used in the Statute of 1 Eliz. cap. 11. and other Statutes and is a Broad place near a Crock or Hithe of water upon which Goods and Wares are laid which are to be Ship'd and Transported from place to place Withernam WIthernam is the Taking or Driving of a Distress to a Hold or out of the County so that the Sheriff cannot upon Replevin make delivery thereof to the party distrained in which case a Writ of Withernam is directed to the Sheriff for the taking of as many of his Beasts that did thus unlawfully distrain or as much Goods of his into his keeping until he hath made deliverance of the first Distress Also if the Beasts be in a Fortier or Castle the Sheriff may take with him the Power of the County and bear down the Castle as appears by the Statute of Westm 1. cap. 20. Brit. cap. 27. Woodgeld WOodgeld seems to be the Gathering or Cutting of Wood within the Forrest or money paid for the same to the Foresters And the Immunity from this by the Kings Grant is by Crompt fol. 197. called Woodgeld Woodmote WOodmote is the old name of that Court of the Forrest which is now since the Statute of Charta de Foresta called the Court of Attachments and by the Statute is held every forty days but was wont to be held at the will of the chief Officers of the Forrest and at no certain time See Manwoods Forrest Laws cap. 22. fol. 207. a. Woolferthfod WOolferthfod is the condition of such who were Outlawed in the Saxons time for not submitting themselves to Iustice for if they could be taken alive they should be brought to the King and if they in fear of apprehension did defend themselves they might be slain and their heads brought to the King for they carried a Woolfs Head that is to say their Head was no more to be accounted of than a Woolfs head being a Beast so hurtful to man See the Laws of King Edward by Lambert f. 127. num 7. Bract. lib. 3. tract 2. cap. 21. This is written Wulve-sheaved by Roger Hoveden part poster Annal. fol. 343. Wreck WReck or Varech as the Normans from whom it came call it is where a Ship is perished on the Sea and no man escapes alive out of it and the Ship or part of it so perished or the Goods of the Ship come to the Land of any Lord the Lord shall have that as a Wreck of the Sea But if a Man or a Dog or a Cat escape alive so that the party to whom the Goods belong come within a year and a day and prove the Goods to be his he shall have them again by Provision of the Statute of Westm 1. cap. 4. made in King Edw. 1. days who therein followed the Decree of H. 1. before whose days if a Ship had been cast on shore torn with Tempest and were not repaired by such as escaped alive within a certain time that then was taken for Wreck Y. Yard-land YArd-land Virgata terrae in some Counties contains 20 Acres in some 24 and in some 30 Acres of Land Abate ABate semble de vener del Francois Abbatre i. rescindere destruere ad pleuseurs significations Come abater un Chesteau ou Fortlet Vet. Nat. br fo 45. que en Westm 1. ca. 17. est enterprete to beat down Et abater un brief est pur le defaire ou renverser per ascun Erreur ou Exception Britton ca. 48. Et luy que s'enterpose enter le prieur possesseur son Heir est dit abater en les Terres Veies Abatement Abatement de Brief ou Plaint ABatement de Brief ou Plaint est quant un Action est port per Brief ou Plaint en que fault sufficient bone matter ou auterment le matter alledge nest certainment alledge ou si le Plaintiff ou Defendant ou Lieu sont misnosme ou si la appear varience perenter le Brief le Specialty ou Record ou que le Brief ou Declaration sont uncertain ou pur mort del Plaintiff ou Defendant ou pur divers auters semblable causes donques sur ceux defaults le Defendant poit prier que le Brief ou Plaint abatera cest adire que le Suit del plaintiff envers luy cessera pur cest temps que il commencera auter temps son Suit port uÌ„ novel Brief ou Plaint sil soit issint dispose Mes si le Defendant en ascun Action plede un matter en Bar ' pur adnuller de Action a touts jours il ne viendra apres a pleader en Abatement de Brief mes si apres il
Lessee pays the Rent to the Lessor and he receives it and puts it in his purse and afterwards upon review of it at the same time he finds that he hath received some counterfeit pieces aud thereupon refuses to take away the Money but re-enters for the Condition broken there his Entry is not lawful for when he hath accepted the Money this was at his peril and after this allowance he shall not take exception to any of it Collateral COllateral is that which comes in or adheres to the side of any thing as Collateral Assurance is that which is made over and beside the Deed it self For example if a man covenants with another and enters Bond for the performance the Bond is called Collateral Assurance because it is external and without the nature and essence of the Covenant And Crompton fol. 185. saith that to be subject to feeding the Kings Deer is collateral to the soil within the Forest In like manner we may say that the liberty to pitch Sheds or Standing for a Fair in the soil of another man is collateral to the land The private Woods of a common person within the Forest cannot be cut down without the Kings license for it is a Prerogative collateral to the soil Man part 1. pag. 66. Collateral Warranty See tit Warrantie Collation COllation is properly the bestowing of a Benefice by the Bishop that hath it in his own Gift or Patronage and differs from Institution in this for that Institution into a Benefice is performed by the Bishop at the motion and Presentation of another who is Patron of the same Church or hath the Patrons right for that time Yet Collation is used for Presentation in 25 E. 3. Stat. 6. and there is a Writ in the Regist 31. b. called De Collatione facta uni post mortem alterius c. directed by the Iustices of the Common Pleas commanding them to direct their Writ to the Bishop for the admitting a Clerk in the place of another presented by the King who during the Suit between the King and the Bishops Clerk deceased for judgment once passed for the Kings Clerk and he dying before he be admitted the King may give his Presentation to another Collusion COllusion is where an action is brought against another by his own agreement if the Plaintiff recover then such Recovery is called by Collusion And in some cases the Collusion shall be enquired of as in Quare impedit and Assise and such like which any Corporation or Body politick brings against another to the intent to have the Land or Advowson whereof the Writ is brought in Mortmain But in Avowry nor in any Action personal the Collusion shall not be inquired See the Stat. of Westm 2. c. 32. which gives the Quale jus and enquiry in such cases Colour COlour is feigned matter which the Defendant or Tenant uses in his barre when an Action of Trespass or an Assise is brought against him in which he gives the Demandant or Plaintiff a Shew at first sight that he hath good cause of Action where in truth it is no just cause but only a Colour and Face of a cause and it is used to the intent that the determination of the Action should be by the Iudges and not by an ignorant Iury of twelve men And therefore a Colour ought to be a matter in Law doubtfull to the common people As for example A. brings and Assise of land against B. and B. saith he himself did let the same land to one C. for term of life and afterward did grant the Reversion to A. the Demandant and after C. the Tenant for term of life died after whose decease A. the Demandant claiming the Reversion by force of the Grant whereto C. the Tenant for life did never atturn entred upon whom B. entred against whom A. for that Entry brings this Assise c. This is a good Colour because the common people think the land will pass by the Grant without Atturnment where indeed it will not pass c. Also in an Action of Trespass Colour must be given of which there are an infinite number one forexample In an Action of Trespass for taking away the Plaintiffs Beasts the Defendant saith that before the Plaintiff had any thing in them he himself was possessed of them as of his proper goods and delivered them to A. B. to deliver them to him again when c. and A. B. gave them unto the Plaintiff and the Plaintiff supposing the property to be in A. B. at the time of the gift took them and and the Defendant took them from the Plaintiff whereupon the Plaintiff brings an Action that is a good Colour and a good Plea See more hereof in Doctor and Student l. 2. c. 13. Colour is for this cause viz. where the Defendant justifies by title in trespass or Assize if he do not give the Plaintiff Colour his plea amounteth only to not guilty for if the Defendant hath title he is not guilty 1 Co. 79. 108. Colour of Office COlour of Office is always taken in the worst part and signifies an act evilly done by the countenance of an Office and it bears a dissembling face of the right of the Office whereas the Office is but a vail to the falshood and the thing is grounded upon vice and the Office is as a shadow to it But by reason of the Office and by virtute of the Office are taken always in the best part and where the Office is the just cause of the thing and the thing is pursuing the Office Plo. in Dive Man case sol 64. a. Combat COmbat in our ancient Law was a formal Trial of a doubtful Cause or quarrel by the Sword or Bastons of two Champions See Glanvile l. 14. c. 1. Britton c. 22. and Dyer fol. 301. num 41. Commandment COmmandment is taken in divers significations sometimes for the Commandment of the King when by his mere motion and from his own mouth he casts any man into prison Stamf. Plac. Coron fol. 72. or of the Iustices And this Commandment of the Iustices is either absolute or ordinary Absolute as when upon their own authority or wisdom and discretion they commit any man to prison for a punishment Ordinary is when they commit one rather to be safely kept then for punishmenr and a man committed by such ordinary Commandment is bailable Placit Cor. fol. 73. Commandment is again used for the offence of him that wills another man to transgresse the Law or to do any such thing as is contrary to the Law as Murther Theft or such like Bract. l. 3. tract 2. c. 19. The Civilians call this Commandment Angelus de maleficiis Commendrie COmmandrie was the name of a Manor or chief Messuage with which Lands or Tenements were used belonging to the late Priory of S. John of Jerusalem untill they were given to King Henry the eighth by Statute made in the 32 year of his reign And he who