A religious sect who seceded from the Church under Peter Waldo, a Lyons merchant, about 1160. They spread rapidly over France and Germany, but their chief seat was in the valleys of Savoy and the Pays de Vaud. They suffered persecution under Philip Augustus (1180-1223), and again under Francis I in 1540, and finally were almost exterminated by Louvois between 1687 and 1690. Wales, Court of. A court established in the reign of James I, to supersede the ordinary courts in the counties of Hereford, Shropshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, which were withdrawn from the jurisdiction of the common law, on the plea that they were the Welsh Marches. Wales, Ordinances of. A series of severely repressive laws against the Welsh, issued by Henry IV in 1401. Wales, Statute of. A statute of Edward I, issued in 1284, on the annexation of Wales. It applied to the conquered country the laws and institutions of England, with such exceptions as were deemed advisable to meet the prejudices of the Welsh. _See_ Rhudlann. Wallace’s Larder. The dungeon of Ardrossan into which Wallace threw the bodies of the slaughtered garrison, when he captured the fortress in the reign of Edward I. Wallachia, Capitulation of. A treaty between Murad I of Turkey, and the Voivode of Wallachia, signed in 1391, by which the Voivode recognized the suzerainty of Turkey, and agreed to pay an annual tribute. Waller’s Plot. A conspiracy headed by Waller, the poet, who had been won over by the Royalists in 1643, to collect troops and seize upon London. The plot miscarried, however, and Waller was forced to make his submission to the Parliament. Wallingford, Treaty of. A treaty signed in 1153, which ended the civil war of Stephen. Stephen was accepted as King, while Henry of Anjou was recognized by Stephen as heir to the throne. It was also agreed that the castles were to be razed, and all foreign mercenaries dismissed. Wanderers. The Covenanters who left their homes to follow their dispossessed ministers in 1669 were so called. Wapenshaw. A gathering of the people in ancient Scottish times, for the purpose of ascertaining that every man was properly armed, and fit to take the field if called upon. Wapentakes. In the counties settled by the Danes, these correspond to the Saxon Hundreds. Wards, Court of. A court established by Henry VIII in 1540, to enforce the rights of the Crown over its wards, and secure to the King the full benefit arising from the exercise of wardship. The court was abolished in 1660. Wardship. In early feudal times, in the event of a minor succeeding to a fief, the overlord claimed to act as guardian, both of the land and of the infant. This right was restricted by Magna Charta. Wars.