Court Leet
place · 2 works · 2 mentions · 2 anchored passages
court-leet · the Court Leet
in the texts
An Essay on the Trial by Jury
The ancient criminal court for a district smaller than a county, in which juries were the judges.
“It is held before the steward, or was, in ancient times, before the bailiff, of the lord.
Of course the jury were the judges in this court, where only a “steward” or “bailiff” of a manor presided.
“That the leet is the most ancient court in the land for criminal matters, (the court-baron being of no less antiquity in civil,) has been pronounced by the highest legal authority.
Magna Carta: A Commentary on the Great Charter of King John
The petty criminal branch of the manorial court, enforcing order and punishing small offences, paralleled by the sheriff's Tourn in unfranchised districts.
and the Court Leet, a petty criminal court enforcing order and punishing small offences.