Legal Definitions - morsel of execration

The term morsel of execration refers to a specific piece of food, typically bread or cheese, used in a historical form of trial known as the "ordeal of the morsel." This was a medieval legal practice where an accused person was required to swallow this consecrated food. The underlying belief was that divine intervention would prevent a guilty person from swallowing the morsel without choking or experiencing severe distress, thereby revealing their guilt. Essentially, it was a "cursed morsel" intended to expose the truth through a supernatural sign.

Here are some examples illustrating the concept of a morsel of execration:

• Imagine a dispute in a 12th-century English village where a miller is accused of shortchanging his customers. With no clear evidence or witnesses, the local magistrate, adhering to customary law, orders an ordeal. The miller is presented with a piece of consecrated bread, the morsel of execration, and instructed to swallow it in front of the community. If he struggles to swallow or chokes, it would be interpreted as a divine sign of his guilt, leading to his conviction.

  This example illustrates the morsel of execration as a tool for determining guilt in a community dispute where conventional evidence was lacking, relying on the belief that God would intervene to reveal the truth.

• During a medieval church council, a monk is accused of breaking his vows of silence and revealing sacred secrets. To ascertain his innocence or guilt, the abbot decides to administer the ordeal of the morsel. The monk is given a small piece of cheese, blessed by the clergy and serving as the morsel of execration. If he is unable to swallow it smoothly, it would be seen as a sign from God confirming his transgression against his sacred vows.

  Here, the morsel of execration is used within a religious context to judge a spiritual offense, highlighting the belief in divine judgment through physical reaction to the consecrated food.

• Consider a noble's court in the 11th century, where a steward is suspected of embezzling funds from the lord's treasury. Faced with the lord's suspicion and lacking other means of proof, the steward volunteers for an ordeal to clear his name. He is given a piece of bread, designated as the morsel of execration, and must swallow it before the assembled court. His ability to swallow it without incident would be taken as proof of his innocence, while any difficulty would condemn him.

  This scenario demonstrates the morsel of execration being used to resolve accusations of financial misconduct within a feudal lord's jurisdiction, showcasing its role as a decisive, albeit superstitious, form of evidence.