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Simple English definitions for legal terms
Court of Swainmote
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A quick definition of Court of Swainmote:
The Court of Swainmote was a court in medieval times that had power over many different things, but especially the right to let animals graze during the summer when deer were having babies. The people who owned land in the forest (called sweins) were the ones who decided what happened in the court. As time went on, the court became more like other courts that existed at the time. It was also sometimes spelled as Court of Swainmote.
A more thorough explanation:
The Court of Swainmote, also known as the Court of Sweinmote, was a forest court during medieval times. It had the power to make decisions on various matters, including the right to graze animals during the summer when deer were fawning.
The jury of the Court was made up of forest freeholders, also known as sweins.
As time passed, the Court's jurisdiction expanded, and it became similar to the eyre courts.
An example of a matter that the Court of Swainmote would have jurisdiction over is a dispute between two forest freeholders regarding the grazing of their animals during the summer. The Court would have the power to make a decision on the matter.
Another example is a case involving a forest freeholder who was accused of hunting deer during the fawning season. The Court would have the power to decide whether the accusation was true and what punishment, if any, should be given.