(Changed "Rating" to "Content".) |
(Changed "Rating" to "Content".) |
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*Appointing of officers within the manor. | *Appointing of officers within the manor. | ||
{{Block indent|*''Reeve'' or local manager particularly concerned with weights and measures at the market. }} | |||
{{Block indent|*''Hayward ''who looked after hedges, fences and straying cattle. }} | |||
{{Block indent|*''Beadle'' who acted as a court summoner, kept order and headed processions. }} | |||
{{Block indent|*''Constables ''acted as the policemen, placing offenders in the local lock-up until tried, and had many other duties. }} | |||
{{Block indent|*''Aletasters (aleconners)'' determined the quality of beverages. }} | |||
{{Block indent|*''Affeerors'' who assessed the value of penalties imposed by the court.}} | |||
*Judging pleas brought by individuals, there being over 60 offences liable to be dealt with by the Court Leet and more than 40 by the Court Baron, including: | *Judging pleas brought by individuals, there being over 60 offences liable to be dealt with by the Court Leet and more than 40 by the Court Baron, including: | ||
{{Block indent|*Petty theft, especially of farm implements and produce. }} | |||
{{Block indent|*Failing to do their allotted duties in respect to communal facilities such as Streams, hedges, paths, bridges, harvest, carting stones for highway etc. }} | |||
{{Block indent|*Obstruction of roads and watercourses, like digging a hole in the road or damming a stream to make a mill pond. }} | |||
{{Block indent|*Allowing buildings to decay or having dangerous chimneys. }} | |||
{{Block indent|*Grazing too many animals. }} | |||
{{Block indent|*Letting their animals stray. }} | |||
{{Block indent|*Cutting wood to which they were not entitled. }} | |||
{{Block indent|*Domestic violence or desertion. }} | |||
{{Block indent|*Drunkenness, fighting and quarrels, even youths loitering on street corners in the evenings (so what else is new!) }} | |||
{{Block indent|*Building on the manor wastes. }} | |||
{{Block indent|*Bawdiness. }} | |||
{{Block indent|*Eavesdropping. }} | |||
{{Block indent|*Gossiping. }} | |||
{{Block indent|*Failing to maintain the watch or the hue-and-cry (to catch offenders). }} | |||
{{Block indent|*Breaking the assize of bread by selling underweight loaves. }} | |||
{{Block indent|*Breaking the assize of ale be selling weak beer, short measure, adding salt to the liquid to increase the thirst of drinkers, selling on Sundays or by unlicensed people. }} | |||
{{Block indent|*Butchers were fined for blowing air into the arteries of venison to give a plumper look.}} | |||
*''Laying pains or ordinances'' (setting regulations) and fixing penalties for breaching them. Pains included: | *''Laying pains or ordinances'' (setting regulations) and fixing penalties for breaching them. Pains included: | ||
{{Block indent|*Organization of communal agriculture. }} | |||
{{Block indent|*Scouring of ditches. }} | |||
{{Block indent|*Use of public wells. }} | |||
{{Block indent|*Muzzling of mastiffs (large dogs).<br>}} | |||
Penalties could be fines (''amercements'') perhaps recorded in a separate ''heriot'' or ''estreat book'', or custodial sentences (''poena''). | Penalties could be fines (''amercements'') perhaps recorded in a separate ''heriot'' or ''estreat book'', or custodial sentences (''poena''). | ||
edits