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Simple English definitions for legal terms
head-silver
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A quick definition of head-silver:
Head-silver: A type of payment made by a tenant to their landlord in the past to cover the cost of a court leet or to allow them to try a legal case closer to home. It was also known as a common fine. A fine was a way to settle a dispute over land, often through a fictitious lawsuit, and was used as a form of conveyance to transfer ownership. The terms of the agreement were recorded in court records, providing evidence of the transaction and setting a time limit for any future claims to the land. The practice of head-silver and fines has been abolished in England since the 19th century.
A more thorough explanation:
Definition: Head-silver is a common fine that is paid by a tenant to their lord to cover the cost of a court leet or to allow the litigants to try the action closer to home.
Example: In medieval England, a tenant would pay head-silver to their lord to attend a court leet, which was a local court that dealt with minor criminal and civil matters. The head-silver was a way for the tenant to avoid having to travel long distances to attend the court.
This example illustrates how head-silver was used as a way for tenants to pay for the cost of local courts and avoid the inconvenience of traveling long distances.