Legal Definitions - harrow

Harrow refers to a historical legal practice, predominantly found in Norman and early English law, that involved a public outcry or communal pursuit initiated to apprehend suspected criminals. It was essentially an immediate, collective response by the community to a crime, signaling an urgent need to capture the offender.

Here are some examples illustrating the concept of harrow:

• Imagine a medieval village where a farmer discovers a thief attempting to steal his livestock in the dead of night. The farmer immediately raises a loud alarm, shouting "Harrow! A thief!" at the top of his lungs. This outcry awakens his neighbors, who then grab their tools and join the farmer in a collective chase across the fields to apprehend the fleeing culprit.

  This scenario demonstrates the "harrow" as the initial, urgent shout that mobilizes the community into an immediate pursuit of a "malefactor" (the thief).

• During a bustling market day in a 12th-century town, a merchant witnesses a known highwayman attempting to flee after robbing a traveler. The merchant points at the criminal and screams "Harrow! Stop the rogue!" This public declaration of alarm causes nearby stallholders, guards, and even other citizens to block the highwayman's path and attempt to detain him before he can escape the town gates.

  Here, the merchant's shout acts as the "harrow," triggering a spontaneous, collective effort from the market crowd to capture the "felon" (the highwayman).

• Consider a situation where a watchman on patrol observes a group of known outlaws attempting to break into a local lord's granary. The watchman immediately blows his horn repeatedly and shouts "Harrow! To arms!" This alarm alerts the manor's guards and nearby villagers, who emerge with torches and weapons to confront and capture the intruders.

  This example illustrates the "harrow" as an alarm, using both sound and voice, to mobilize a community (guards and villagers) for the apprehension of "malefactors" (the outlaws).