Legal Definitions - agillarius

An agillarius was a historical figure, essentially a community official responsible for overseeing and managing herds of cattle grazing on common land. Their primary duty was to ensure that livestock remained within designated shared pastures, preventing them from straying into private fields or causing damage to crops. They also played a role in maintaining order and fairness regarding the use of these communal resources.

• Example 1: Village Common Management
  In a medieval English village, farmers collectively used a large meadow for their cows. The appointed agillarius would patrol this common, ensuring that all the villagers' cattle grazed peacefully and did not wander off into adjacent privately owned gardens or cultivated fields, which could lead to disputes or crop destruction.

  This illustrates the agillarius's role as a dedicated keeper of herds within a shared common field, actively preventing livestock from causing damage and maintaining communal order.

• Example 2: Manorial Land Protection
  Within a feudal manor, tenants were typically permitted to graze their livestock on specific common lands. The agillarius, often employed by the lord of the manor or the village council, would be tasked with identifying any cattle that had strayed from the common pasture into the lord's private demesne lands or a tenant's individual plot, and returning them to the correct area.

  This highlights the agillarius's function in managing livestock within a defined common area and protecting other, non-common lands from encroachment by wandering animals.

• Example 3: Resolving Grazing Disputes
  Imagine a scenario where two villagers had a disagreement over whose cow had eaten crops from a boundary field, with both claiming their animals were properly on the common. The agillarius, with their intimate knowledge of the common land and the animals grazing there, might be called upon to identify the offending animal or confirm whether a particular herd was indeed within its designated common grazing area, thereby helping to resolve the dispute.

  This demonstrates the agillarius's authority and expertise in overseeing the common field and its livestock, contributing to fair usage and the resolution of conflicts related to grazing rights.