Our Legal Heritage, King AEthelbert, 596 to King George III, 1775Reilly, S. A.
History
Our Legal Heritage, King AEthelbert, 596 to King George III, 1775
Reilly, S. A.
Law -- England -- History
A lady would take an occasional bath in a
half cask in her home. The church warned of evils of exposing the
flesh, even to bathe.
Middlesex County was London's territory for hunting and farming.
All London craft work was suspended for one month at harvest time.
London received this charter for self-government and freedom from
the financial and judicial organization of the county:
"Henry, by the grace of God, King of England, to the Archbishop of
Canterbury and the bishops, abbots, earls, barons, justiciars,
sheriffs and all his loyal subjects, both French and English,
throughout the whole of England - greeting.
1. Be it known to you that I have granted Middlesex to my
citizens of London to be held on lease by them and their
heirs of me and my heirs for 300 pounds paid by tale
[yearly], upon these terms: that the citizens themselves
[may] appoint a sheriff, such as they desire, from among
themselves, and a justiciar, such as they desire, from among
themselves, to safeguard the pleas of my Crown [criminal
cases] and to conduct such pleas. And there shall be no
other justiciar over the men of London.
2. And the citizens shall not take part in any [civil] case
whatsoever outside the City walls.
1) And they shall be exempt from the payment of scot and
danegeld and the murder fine.
2) And none of them shall take part in trial by combat.
3) And if any of the citizens has become involved in a
plea of the Crown, he shall clear himself, as a citizen of
London, by an oath which has been decreed in the city.
4) And no one shall be billeted [lodged in a person's
house by order of the King] within the walls of the city
nor shall hospitality be forcibly exacted for anyone
belonging to my household or to any other.
5) And all the citizens of London and all their effects
[goods] shall be exempt and free, both throughout England
and in the seaports, from toll and fees for transit and
market fees and all other dues.
6) And the churches and barons and citizens shall have and
hold in peace and security their rights of jurisdiction
[in civil and criminal matters] along with all their dues,
in such a way that lessees who occupy property in
districts under private jurisdiction shall pay dues to no
one except the man to whom the jurisdiction belongs, or to
the official whom he has placed there.
7) And a citizen of London shall not be amerced [fined by
a court when the penalty for an offense is not designated
by statute] to forfeiture of a sum greater than his
wergeld, [hereby assessed as] 100 shillings, in a case
involving money.
8) And further there shall be no miskenning [false plea
causing a person to be summoned to court] in a husting
[weekly court] or in a folkmote [meeting of the
community], or in any other court within the City.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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