Legal Definitions - michery

Michery is a historical legal term that refers to acts of theft or cheating.

Historically, it encompassed various forms of dishonest conduct aimed at unlawfully acquiring property or gaining an unfair advantage through deception.

Here are some examples illustrating the concept of michery:

• Imagine a scenario in a medieval market where a baker consistently uses a scale rigged to show a heavier weight than actual, thereby selling less bread for the price of a full loaf. This act would be considered michery because it involves cheating customers through deceptive practices to gain an unfair profit.

• Consider a squire in a noble household who, over several months, secretly siphons off small amounts of grain and other provisions from the lord's stores, selling them in a nearby village for personal gain. This clandestine taking of property without permission constitutes michery, as it is a clear act of theft.

• Picture a traveling merchant who sells counterfeit medicines, falsely claiming they can cure serious ailments, and then quickly moves on before the deception is discovered. This deliberate misrepresentation to defraud people of their money for a worthless product exemplifies michery, as it is a form of elaborate cheating.