The Growth of Parliament and the War with Scotland (1216-1307)
History
The Growth of Parliament and the War with Scotland (1216-1307)
Great Britain -- History -- 13th century -- Sources; Great Britain. Parliament -- History -- To 1500
It is provided that in every county there be elected four discreet and
lawful knights who shall meet, on the days when the county court is
accustomed to be held, to hear all complaints of transgressions and
injuries inflicted on anyone by sheriffs, bailiffs, or other officials,
and to make attachments in connection with the said complaints up to the
day of the arrival of the Chief Justiciar in the district; they shall
always attach sufficient pledges on behalf of the plaintiff about the
defendant and on behalf of the defendant about the plaintiff, to come
and fulfil the law before the aforesaid Justiciar on his arrival. And
the aforesaid four knights shall cause all the said complaints with
their attachments to be enrolled, duly and in order, those from each
hundred separately and by themselves, so that the aforementioned
Justiciar may, on his arrival, hear and determine the above-mentioned
complaints singly from every hundred. And they shall order the sheriff
to cause all the bailiffs and hundredmen to be present before the
Justiciar on his arrival on the day and at the place which he shall make
known to them; and every hundredman shall cause to appear all the
plaintiffs and defendants of his hundred, in order, according as the
Justiciar decides to hear the pleas from that hundred; and with them, as
many and such knights and other free and lawful men as may be best
fitting in order to ascertain the truth, provided that all the men of a
hundred be not disturbed at the same time, but only those come whose
cases may be heard and determined on the one day.
It is further ordained that no knight of the aforesaid counties be
excused from serving on juries and assizes on account of any royal
charter of acquittance, or be released from observance of this provision
made for the common good of the whole kingdom.
(Here follow the names of the twenty-four.)
The oath which the commonalty of England swore at Oxford:
We, so and so, make known to all men, that we have sworn on the Holy
Gospels and by our oath have bound ourselves together, and we promise in
good faith, each one of us and all together, to aid one another, both
ourselves and those belonging to us against all men, doing right, and
taking nothing that we cannot take without doing hurt, saving our faith
to the King and to the crown. And we promise, by the same oath, that no
one of us will take anything, either land or movables, by which this
oath may be disturbed or in any way impaired. And should any go against
this, we will hold him a mortal enemy.
This is the oath of the four-and-twenty:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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