Legal Definitions - wite

Wite refers to a historical legal term for a significant financial penalty or fine imposed by a governing authority, such as a monarch or a lord, as punishment for committing a grave offense. This type of fine was exacted for serious crimes that disrupted the peace or threatened the established order.

Here are some examples to illustrate the concept of a "wite":

• Example 1: Arson in a Feudal Village

  Imagine a scenario in medieval England where a farmer, out of malice, intentionally sets fire to a neighboring villager's granary, destroying a season's worth of grain and vital supplies. This act would be considered a serious crime against the community and its economic stability. The local lord, acting as the governing authority, might impose a substantial wite on the arsonist. This fine would be paid directly to the lord's treasury as a penal consequence for the grave offense, separate from any compensation the arsonist might owe the victim.

• Example 2: Conspiracy Against the Crown

  Consider a powerful nobleman in a historical kingdom who is discovered to be secretly plotting with foreign enemies to undermine the king's rule. When this conspiracy is uncovered, and the nobleman is found guilty of treason, the king's court could levy a severe wite. This would involve a significant financial penalty, perhaps the forfeiture of a large portion of the nobleman's wealth or estates, paid to the Crown as punishment for such a serious crime against the state and its sovereign.

• Example 3: Serious Bodily Harm in a Shire

  In a historical context, if an individual brutally assaults another, causing permanent disfigurement or the loss of a limb (maiming), this would be deemed a very serious offense against public order and personal safety. The local sheriff or a royal court, representing the governing authority, could impose a wite on the perpetrator. This fine would be a substantial payment to the governing body as a penalty for the severe harm inflicted, distinct from any personal compensation or "wergild" that might also be due to the victim or their family.