Our Legal Heritage: King AEthelbert - King George III, 600 A.D. - 1776Reilly, S. A.
History
Our Legal Heritage: King AEthelbert - King George III, 600 A.D. - 1776
Reilly, S. A.
Law -- England -- History
33. The jurors say that Hugh, son of Walter Priest, was outlawed for
the death of Roger Rombald at the suit of Robert Rombald, and
afterwards returned under the [protection of the] king's writ, and
afterwards was outlawed for the same death on the appeal of Geoffrey,
Thurstan's son. The county therefore is asked by what warrant they
outlawed the same man twice for the same death, and says that of a
truth in King Richard's time the said Hugh was - - outlawed at the suit
of one Lucy, sister of the said Roger, so that for a long time
afterwards he hid himself; and at length he came into the county
[court] and produced letters of Sir Geoffrey FitzPeter in the form
following: "G. FitzPeter etc. to the sheriff of Northamptonshire,
greeting, Know thou that the king hath pardoned to Hugh, son of the
priest of Grafton, his flight and the outlawry adjudged to him for the
death of a certain slain man, and hath signified to us by his letters
that we be aiding to the said Hugh in reestablishing the peace between
him and the kinsfolk of the slain; wherefore we command thee that thou
be aiding to the said Hugh in making the peace aforesaid, and do us to
wit by thy letters under seal what thou hast done in this matter, since
we are bound to signify the same to the king. In witness etc. by the
king's writ from beyond seas." And the said letters being read in full
county [court] the county told the said Hugh that he must find pledges
that he would be in the king's peace, and he went away to find pledges,
and afterwards did not appear. But the kinsfolk of the slain, having
heard that Hugh had returned after his outlawry, came to the next
county [court] and Robert Rombald produced Geoffrey, Thurstan's son,
who said that if he saw the said Hugh he would sue against him the
death of the said Roger, who was [his kinsman]. And the county showed
him how Hugh had brought the Justiciar's letters pardoning him the
flight and outlawry, and that he was to find pledges to stand to the
king's peace, but had not returned. Whereupon the king's serjeant was
ordered to seek Hugh and bring him to a later county [court]. And at a
later county [court] Geoffrey offered himself against Hugh, and Hugh
did not appear; whereupon the king's serjeant being questioned said
that he had not found him, and the county advised [Geoffrey] to come to
another county [court], because if in the meantime Hugh could be found,
he would be brought to the county [court]. Then at the third county
[court] the said Geoffrey offered himself, and it was testified by the
serjeant that Hugh had not yet been found, wherefore the county said
that as Hugh would not appear to the king's peace, he must bear the
wolf's head as he had done before. To judgment against the coroners and
the twelve jurors.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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