Tribal Custom in Anglo-Saxon Law: Being an Essay Supplemental to (1) 'The English Village Community', (2) 'The Tribal System in Wales'Seebohm, Frederic
History
Tribal Custom in Anglo-Saxon Law: Being an Essay Supplemental to (1) 'The English Village Community', (2) 'The Tribal System in Wales'
Seebohm, Frederic
Anglo-Saxons; Law, Anglo-Saxon; Law, Medieval; Tribes -- Great Britain
Item sanguis de capite vnius comitis aut filii regis sunt nouem
vacce. Item sanguis filii comitis aut vnius thani sunt sex vacce.
Item de sanguine filii thani tres vacce. Item de sanguine nepotis
thani due vacce et due partes vnius vacce. Item de sanguine vnius
rustici vna vacca.
¶ Le saūc de la teste a vn cūte v · del fiz al rei · est · ix ·
vaches · del thayn · v del fiz al vn cūte · vi · vachis · del fiz
al vn thayn · iij · vac͠c.
Þe blude of þe hede of ane erl or of a kingis son is ix ky. Item
þe blud of þe sone of ane erle is vi ky or of a thayn. Item þe
blude of þe sone of a thayn is iij ky. Item þe blud of þe nevo of
a thayn is twa ky and twapert a kow. Item þe blud of a carl a kow.
* * * * *
De sanguine extracto subtus anhelitum est minus per terciam
partem in omnibus supradictis.
¶ Le saunc de suz le alayn · est de la terce parte meyndre.
Item blude drawyn vnder þe aand is thrid pert les of al þir
gangand befor.
* * * * *
Et si mulier non habeat virum ius suum erit sicut ius fratris sui
si quem habeat.
⁊ ensemēt de lur fēmes est saunc est del tꝰce part mayndre · mes
si fēme seit sen baron ··· dūkes ad ele tel dreitur · com sun
frere.
And gif a woman haf nocht a husband hyr rycht salbe as of her
broder gif scho ony broder has.
* * * * *
Item percussio sine sanguine effuso decem denarii.
Item strikyn without blud drawyn x penijs.
···· ¶ Et si hūme est ocis en le ost · sun seingnʳ · auera le
kelchin · ⁊ ses parens le cro · e le galnis · ⁊ le rei · viij ·
vaches · flatha.
Put into a tabular form these payments are as follows:--
_Kelchyn or Gelchach_
King 100 cows
Son of King or comes 66⅔ ”
Son of comes and thane 44 ” and 21 _d._ and ⅔ _ob._
Son of thane 29 ” ” 11 _d._ ” ⅓ ”
Rusticus or carl _nil_
_De effusione sanguinis or of blude drawyn._
Blood drawn from the head of a
Comes or King’s son 9 cows
Comes’ son or thane 6 ”
Thane’s son 3 ” (? 4)
Thane’s grandson 2⅔ ”
Rusticus 1 cow
Blood drawn _subtus anhelitum_ one third less than above it.
If a woman have not a husband her right shall be as her brother,
if she has one.
Striking without blood drawn 10_d._
That we are right in supposing the kelchin to be analogous to the Welsh
_saraad_ seems to be confirmed by the interesting additional information
appended to the clauses.
And if the wife of a freeman is slain her husband has the Kelchyn
and her kin the Cro and galnes.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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