Simple English definitions for legal terms
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Lord Lyon King at Arms is a person who works for the king or queen of Scotland. They give special symbols called "arms" to people who deserve them, make sure people use these symbols correctly, and decide who has the right to use them. They also supervise messengers-at-arms, who are people who deliver important messages for the king or queen.
Lord Mansfield's Rule is a law that says a husband or wife cannot say if the husband had the chance to be with the wife when a child was made. This law made it hard to say a child was born outside of marriage. Most states do not use this law anymore.
Definition: The Lord Lyon King at Arms is a representative of the monarch in Scots law. They are responsible for granting arms to suitable applicants, overseeing the use of armorial bearings, holding court to determine rights to arms and chieftainship, and supervising messengers-at-arms.
Example: If someone in Scotland wants to have a coat of arms, they would need to apply to the Lord Lyon King at Arms. The Lord Lyon would then determine if the applicant is suitable and grant them the coat of arms if they are deemed worthy.
This example illustrates how the Lord Lyon King at Arms is responsible for granting arms to suitable applicants.
Definition: Lord Mansfield's rule is a principle in law that states that neither spouse may testify about whether the husband had access to the wife at the time of a child's conception. This rule made it impossible to declare a child born during a marriage as illegitimate.
Example: In the past, if a child was born during a marriage but the husband was not the biological father, the child would be considered illegitimate. However, under Lord Mansfield's rule, it was impossible to declare the child illegitimate based on the testimony of the spouses.
This example illustrates how Lord Mansfield's rule prevented a child born during a marriage from being declared illegitimate based on the testimony of the spouses.