Legal Definitions - bribour

A bribour is a historical term used to describe a thief. In earlier legal and common parlance, it referred to an individual who unlawfully took property belonging to another.

Here are some examples illustrating the historical application of the term:

• Imagine a scene in 17th-century England where a masked figure, armed with a pistol, stops a stagecoach on a remote road and demands the valuables from the passengers. This individual would have been considered a bribour because they were engaged in the act of theft, forcibly taking property from others without their consent.

• Consider a bustling medieval market where a nimble-fingered person discreetly slips a coin purse from a merchant's belt without the merchant's knowledge. This person is acting as a bribour, as they are secretly and unlawfully appropriating another's money, which aligns with the definition of a thief.

• Picture a scenario in a 15th-century town where someone breaks into a wealthy manor house under the cloak of night, intending to steal precious jewels and silver. In this context, the individual committing the burglary would be referred to as a bribour, as their actions constitute the unlawful taking of property belonging to another.