Page:The statutes of Wales (1908).djvu/418

286 J

Jeofails, Statutes of, Statutes permitting amendments in records.

Jury de medietate linguæ, i.e., consisting one-half of aliens if so many could be found.

K

King's Silver, the money paid to the King for a license granted to a man to levy a fine of lands, tenements, and hereditaments to another person, and this must have been compounded, according to the value of the land, in the alienation office, before the fine would have been passed.

L

Lawday, a court leet or view of frank pledge.

Letters of Mark, commission for extraordinary reprisals granted by the Crown to merchants taken and despoiled by strangers at sea.

Ley gager, a wager of law; one who commences a lawsuit.

Ligeance, the true and faithful obedience of a subject to his Sovereign; also the dominion and territory of a liege lord.

M

Mainour, a thing taken away which is found in the hand of the thief who took it.

Mainprise, delivery of a person charged with an offence into the custody of a person called the mainpernor upon security for appearance.

Marchet, or merchetum, the maid's fee (see Amobr), a pecuniary fine, paid by the tenant to his lord for the marriage of one of the tenant's daughters.

Mayhem, the loss of a member proper for defence in fight, such as an arm, leg, finger, eye, or a fore-tooth.

Mises, disbursements, costs; a tax or tallage.

Misprision, neglect, negligence, or oversight. Every great misdemeanour, according to Coke, which has no certain term appointed by law, was called sometimes a misprision.

Mort d'ancester, writ of, lay where a person's father, mother, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, &c., died, seized of land and a stranger abated.

Mortuary, a customary gift claimed by the clergy on the death of a parishioner.

N

Nisi Prius, a phrase signifying that a trial was to be had in the Courts at Westminster only in the event of its not previously taking place in the county where the action arose before the Judges appointed to hold the Assizes.

Non compos mentis, said of a person who is not of sound mind and understanding.