I'd be very glad of an explanation of the following terms in a Plea of Assize of 1384: CHIVALER DISSIEZED (dispossessed?) WRIT OF FOMEDON SIESIN (possession?) MESNE TENANT ENFEEOF BANCO Also in Final Concords,1609 DEFORCIANTS Don Tomkinson

In message <000e01c478aa$2202d180$5c67e150@j3k4c7>, Donald Tomkinson <don.tomkinson@lineone.net> writes >I'd be very glad of an explanation of the following terms in a Plea of >Assize of 1384: > >CHIVALER gentleman (tech. horseman, knight > >DISSIEZED (dispossessed?) yes > >WRIT OF FOMEDON ? can you check this 0 ?? writ of summons > >SIESIN (possession?) seisin, yes, formal possession, technically by received a chunk of grass from the property > >MESNE TENANT on a manor, direct tenant of the lord > >ENFEEOF enfeoff - put in possession of a (major) property > >BANCO de Banco regale? - (judge of/ case in) King's Bench court, one of the major royal courts of justice > >Also in Final Concords,1609 > >DEFORCIANTS defendants, persons accused or responding to a civil case; plaintiffs were the other side. -- Eve McLaughlin Author of the McLaughlin Guides for family historians Secretary Bucks Genealogical Society

Don's enquiry about Plea of Assize etc., had me chasing back to the English Legal History textbook which explains thus (hold on hard: it's really quite technical). The Chancery court had already invented the form of action "Formedon in Remainder" to enable an action by the remainderman under an entail (still with me?) In 1279 an improvement was introduced by the statute "De Donis"(concerning gifts") to provide an action to deal with similar problems of the issue in tail (still there?). This new action was called the writ of "Formedon in the Descender". So there we have it. I hope that's quite clear now! (I have formula specimens of the wording of these writs ni case you would like to identify which of them were involved.) SANDRA LOVEGROVE Researching LOVEGROVEs in all places and at all times. Please do visit the LOVEGROVE Information Centre on http://www.lovegrove.org.uk ----- Original Message ----- From: "Donald Tomkinson" <don.tomkinson@lineone.net> To: <OLD-ENGLISH-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: 02 August 2004 17:01 Subject: PLEA OF ASSIZE 1384, ETC. > I'd be very glad of an explanation of the following terms in a Plea of > Assize of 1384: > > CHIVALER > > DISSIEZED (dispossessed?) > > WRIT OF FOMEDON > > SIESIN (possession?) > > MESNE TENANT > > ENFEEOF > > BANCO > > Also in Final Concords,1609 > > DEFORCIANTS > > Don Tomkinson > > ______________________________