A page for a glossary of terms. Please link to further reading where appropriate, or to a blank page where more research is appropriate but not yet done.
For Old English terms,
this glossary may also be of use.
bill petitions to the king
capias arrest; essentially a substitute for a modern warrant as a tool for getting someone to show up when they are being sued.
ceorl (celt, becomes churl)- a person without rights; slave; one who lives under the direction of others.
counter from conter- the 'teller of tales'. Begins the lawsuit by starting the telling of the tale of the lawsuit (the 'count'), after the
writ? is presented.
Common Bench? , also Banco. Where writs are sent;
Magna Carta demands that it must stay in one place instead of moving around.
Curia Regis? the King's court.
eorl later eolderman, later alderman; also root of 'earl'. A leader or elder of a tun/vill.
eyre roving places of judgment. For more, see
eyre? .
felony early on, a failure of feudal obligation. No lawyer allowed until 17th century.
justiciar local representative of the king, post-Norman invasion. Nominally only serving while the king is absent, but in practice permanently responsible for a region (e.g., York.)
latitat writ of lurking; used after capias when someone cannot be found.
lawe to declaw a dog so that it cannot hunt in a royal (Norman) forest.
merchet fee paid by the villein to the lord on the marriage of the villein's daughters.
nisi prius? 'unless before'
ostensurus quaere a type of early
Writ? ; eventually related to torts.
possessory remedies?
praecipe a type of
Writ? , potentially the oldest. Includes writs of write; eventually related to property.
socage type of
EarlyTenancy? , along with military tenure.
villein latin; becomes villain. See ceorl.