Table of Contents

The Law

When characters are caught breaking the law in the Kingdom of Nessex, they need to know a few things.

Status and Wergild

Each person in the kingdom is assigned a status or social position, with a corresponding wergild or “man-price.”

StatusWergildDefinition
King100,000gpRuler of Nessex, chosen by the Witan
Royal75,000gpMembers of the King's family to 2 degrees
Earl50,000gpRuler of a shire
High Reeve or Sheriff25,000gpAppointed governor of a major town or king's agent in a shire
Bishop25,000gpHead churchman of a shire
Abbot20,000gpHead of a monastic house
Lord5000gpThane of a Hundred
Lordly2500gpFamily to 2 degrees of a Earl, High Reeve or Thane
Priest1500gpHead church man of a parish/hundred
Housecarl500gpSoldier in service to the king, earl or thane full time, includes knights
Clergy500gp any ordained religious person who outranks a monk but does not lead a whole hundred's flock
Monk150gpMember of a monastic house who has taken his vows
Churl120gpHolder of 1 hide of land, tax payer and militia soldier and their families
Burger120gpHolder of a household in a town or city, militia soldier and tax payer
Boor50gpLandless freeman and family
Bondsman25gpIndentured laborer

The Burger class suffers from considerable status anxiety. They consider themselves better than the Churls, but the Law, the Lords and the Warrior class doesn't seem to agree. Likewise, the wealthiest merchants of the Burger class consider themselves the equals or even superiors of the poorer lords, who manifestly don't agree.

Crimes Against Public Order

Certain crimes are punishable by death. However, the sentence can be set aside by the Lord, Earl or King at the trial, usually with some recourse to wergild. The judge can also pass a sentence of outlawry, which means the defendant can be killed without consequence by anyone.

THE COURTS

Hundred-Moot: the Hundred Moot or Hundred Court is where most criminal cases are decided. This is presided over by the Thane/Lord of the Hundred and the parish priest. Four or more times a year, the churls of the hundred assemble to settle legal disputes. Inhabitants of the hundred bring complaints to one of the Elders who create a docket of cases. The plaintiff and defendant make their cases, then the Lord proposes a resolution (innocence or guilt and proposed sentence), the elders make commentary as to whether the solution is according to law and custom, and the parish priest comments as to whether the solution is consistent with the laws of God. Then the churls vote on the lord's proposal. The lord then carries out any sentence. If there is no lord, a Reeve can run the court in his place, but any sentence of death or bodily harm must be delayed and the convict transported to the Earl for carrying out of the sentence. It is permitted to appeal a criminal case decision of the Hundred Moot, if a defendant can afford to pay for his confinement (his food, the salary of any guards placed on him and any inconvenience to the lord) he can have the case re-heard at the next hundred-moot, and he can even appeal a second time. If the hundred-moot decides against him 3 times, he can appeal to the Shire-Moot.

Typically, the lord of the hundred uses the Hundred-Moot to make inspection of the churls to see if their required militia equipment is up to snuff, and to do some basic shield-wall drill. Likewise, the churl's families, the boors and the bondsmen typically gather for a fair or market on Moot-day.

Shire-Moot at least twice a year each Earl must hold a Shire-Moot for the entire Earldom. The Earl establishes the docket, and runs the meeting jointly with the Bishop. The Shire-moot mostly deals with issues of property, the ordinary criminal cases being handled by the Hundred-Moots. The sherrif is always present at the Shire-Moot and has the right to delay implementation of any decision that may interfere with the rights of the King. The sherrif is also tasked with enforcing the decisions of the Shire-Moot. The Shire-Moot also decides any appeals from the Hundred-Moots. Like the Hundred-Moot, the Earl proposes a decision, and the Sheriff and Bishop comment on whether it is in accordance with Law and Custom of God and Man. Where the decision of the Hundred Moots rests in the hands of the 100 Churls of the Hundred, decisions of the Shire-Moot are made by the Earl, Bishop, Lords, Sheriff, Abbots, and senior priests assembled in council. A shire market or fair is common on Shire-moot day.