Legal Definitions - wastor

A wastor is a historical legal term from medieval England, referring to a specific type of thief. Under statutes from the reign of King Edward III, a wastor was classified as an individual who gained unauthorized entry into a property with criminal intent, not by forcibly breaking in, but by exploiting an unsecured entry point. This often meant simply lifting an unlatched door or opening an unlocked gate, distinguishing them from burglars who might cause damage to gain access.

• Imagine a scenario in a 14th-century village where a person quietly opens the unlocked back door of a baker's shop after closing hours and steals several loaves of bread. This individual would be considered a wastor.

  Explanation: The person did not break the door or window but simply exploited an existing unsecured entry point (an unlocked door) to commit theft, fitting the historical definition of a wastor.

• Consider a medieval manor estate where an opportunistic individual enters an unlatched barn, intending to steal sacks of grain. They simply lift the wooden latch and walk in. This person would be acting as a wastor.

  Explanation: The entry was gained without force or damage, by merely operating an unfastened latch, which was a key characteristic defining a wastor in historical legal contexts.

• During a busy market day, a rogue slips into the back room of a merchant's stall, which has an unfastened canvas flap instead of a locked door, and takes a bolt of valuable cloth. This act aligns with the historical understanding of a wastor.

  Explanation: The thief did not force entry but took advantage of an unsecured opening (the unfastened flap) to access the premises and commit theft, illustrating the non-violent, opportunistic entry associated with a wastor.