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
The attachment of livestock: If anyone desires to claim it as stolen,
and is willing to give pledge and find surety for prosecuting his
claim, he who has possession of it must name his warrantor if he has
one. If not, he shall name his surety and his witnesses, and produce
them at the appointed day and time, if he has them, and the claimant
shall give a pledge with 5 compurgators, and the other shall give the
livestock into the hands of his warrantor or his surety, whichever of
these he has. And if he has neither but has witnesses that he bought it
in the public market and that he does not know whether his warrantor or
his pledge is dead or alive, he shall swear to this along with his
witnesses with a simple oath. In this way he shall lose his goods, but
escape punishment, if they bear witness that he obtained a surety for
them. And, in Mercia, if he can produce neither warrantor nor witness,
he shall lose the goods and pay in addition compensation to the
claimant and forfeit is wergeld to his lord. And if he can prove that
it is of his own breeding by means of witnesses drawn from three parts
of his neighborhood he shall have won his case.
There shall be no market or fair except in boroughs or castles or other
enclosed or well-guarded places.
Weights and measures shall be stamped and reliable as before.
"Likewise if slaves have remained for a year and a day, without being
claimed, in our cities or in our walled boroughs or in our castles,
from that day they shall become free men."
I forbid anyone to sell a Christian out of the country, especially into
heathen lands, or pay the fine for insubordination to me.
Anyone can set free a slave of his by presenting him to the sheriff in
the county court and giving him the arms of a freeman, namely a lance
and sword.
If I cast your things overboard from a ship in fear of death, then you
cannot bring a charge against me. The things that remained in the ship
shall be divided in common according to the value of the goods
originally belonging to each person.
He who possesses livestock of the value of 30 d. shall pay Peter's
Pence, and then his laborers, herdsmen, and servants shall be exempt.
Otherwise he shall pay a fine of 30d. to the bishop and 40s. to the
king.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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