TJie BiLsiness of the Court Baron. 385 



duties were principally directed to those intricate points of law 

 connected with the taking and passing of estates, surrenders 

 of admittances and the like, in the which also the homage 

 jury took care that their lords did not lose their suits of court, 

 that rents and heriots were paid, lands and tenements kept 

 in repair, all common and private nuisances prejudicial to 

 the lord's manor presented, and public trespass punished by 

 amercement.^ Here tenants in fee simple and tenants in fee 

 tail of estates of inheritance appeared to defend their rights 

 or redress their wrongs. Here tenants for life underwent im- 

 peachment for waste. Here tenants by the curtesy of Eng- 

 land proved their titles. Here ladies sought protection for 

 their tenures in dower. Here, too, the already disused, but 

 still legal, estates in frank marriage had their complicated 

 machinery set in motion. Another large portion of the free- 

 hold suitors' time was directed to offences against common 

 rights. He that did not possess rights to what was called 

 " common without number," could not charge the pasturage 

 with more than a fixed number of beasts. He who had what 

 was called " common appendant," could not turn into the 

 waste beasts not commonable, such as hogs, goats, and geese ; 

 nor could he get gravel (except for the highways), or dig turf, 

 or build a house, or make inclosures there without the lord's 

 special license. These restrictions did not, however, apply to 

 commons appurtenant. An offence termed " rechasing " also 

 came before the freehold suitors in this branch of the Court 

 Baron, where a farmer holding lands in two manors, who ha 1 

 overstocked one with the beasts of the other, had to compen- 

 sate his lord for the offence. Trespass on the lord's demesnes, 

 removal of meerstones, pound breach, encroachments, letting 

 copyhold lands beyond the prescribed period of a year and a 

 day, improper husbandry, neglect of suit to the mill, trespass 

 in pursuit of game, and in fact any offence, save the most 

 trivial, which was calculated to defraud the lord or neighbour 

 of his manorial rights, were inquired into at this particular 

 Estate assembly.^ 



' Jacobs. Law Diet., Court Baron. - Id., Ibid. 



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