Legal Definitions - lairwite

Lairwite

Historically, lairwite was a legal term from medieval England referring to a fine imposed for acts of adultery or fornication. This fine was paid to the lord of the manor who held jurisdiction over the individuals involved. It particularly emphasized the lord's specific privilege to collect a payment when one of his female villeins—unfree peasants tied to the land—committed fornication.

Here are some examples illustrating the concept of lairwite:

• Imagine a medieval village where a young, unmarried couple, both tenants on Lord Ashworth's estate, are discovered to have been intimate. Under the customary laws of the manor, Lord Ashworth would be entitled to demand a lairwite payment from the couple, or often from the male, as a penalty for their illicit sexual conduct.

  This example demonstrates lairwite as a fine for fornication paid directly to the lord of the manor by his tenants.

• Consider a scenario where a married woman, who is a villein on Sir Reginald's estate, engages in an affair with a man from a neighboring manor. Upon discovery, Sir Reginald, exercising his feudal rights, could impose a lairwite fine on the woman or her family. This fine would compensate him for the perceived moral transgression that occurred within his domain and involved one of his unfree laborers.

  This illustrates the lord's specific right to collect a fine for adultery, especially when it involved a female villein under his control.

• In another instance, a female peasant, bound to the land of Baron von Croft, becomes pregnant outside of marriage. The Baron, upholding the moral order and asserting his authority over his workforce, would levy a lairwite against her or her household. This payment acknowledged the offense against the manor's customs and the lord's control over his dependent population.

  This highlights the aspect of lairwite as a lord's privilege to fine his female villeins for fornication, reinforcing his power and control over their lives and conduct.