Legal Definitions - legerwite

Legerwite (also known as Lairwite) was a historical legal term referring to a fine or penalty imposed on a female serf or tenant by her feudal lord. This fine was levied when the woman was found to have engaged in sexual intercourse outside of marriage, specifically fornication or adultery. It represented the lord's right to control and profit from the moral conduct of his female dependents within his domain.

Here are some examples illustrating the application of legerwite:

• Example 1: In a medieval English village, a young woman named Elara works as a serf on Lord Blackwood's manor. She becomes pregnant by a man from a neighboring village, and they are not married. Upon discovering Elara's pregnancy and the unmarried status of the parents, Lord Blackwood demands a payment from Elara's family. This payment is the legerwite, a fine imposed because Elara, as his tenant, engaged in sexual relations outside of marriage, which was considered an offense against the lord's authority and the moral order on his lands.

• Example 2: During the 14th century, Lady Eleanor holds a small plot of land from Baron Fitzwilliam in exchange for service and rent. Her husband, Sir Thomas, is away on a military campaign. While he is gone, rumors spread that Lady Eleanor has been involved with another knight. When Baron Fitzwilliam's steward investigates and finds evidence supporting the rumors, the Baron imposes a legerwite. This fine is levied against Lady Eleanor (or her household) for the perceived transgression of adultery, asserting the Baron's feudal right to control the moral conduct of his tenants, even those of higher social standing, within his domain.

• Example 3: A widowed peasant woman named Agnes holds a cottage and a small field from the local abbey. She is found to be cohabiting with a man without the benefit of marriage. The abbot, acting as the feudal lord of the abbey's lands, views this as a breach of the moral order and his rights over his tenants. He instructs his bailiff to collect a legerwite from Agnes. This fine serves as a penalty for her "unchaste" conduct and reinforces the abbey's authority over the personal lives of those living on its lands.