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Essays and addresses

In Trinity Term, 7 Richard I, (1 196) in a Northampton case, an Assize 2 was held to determine whether William de Courtenay and others had unjustly disseised Richard de Blukeville of certain lands in Newton Williams bailiff appeared and pleaded that William had seisin " per dominum filium Petri cujus breve protulit sine sigillo" through Lord Geoffrey FitzPeter whose writ he produced without seal.

As FitzPeter was Chief Justiciar, his writ would be a perfect answer, 3 but unfortunately for de Courtenay, the document had no seal; it was so much waste paper " et ideo non omittitur quin assisa capiatur," and consequently it is not omitted to take the assize.

In the result the jury 4 found that William did not disseise Richard but his bailiff and his co-defendants did: Richard was given his land and 40 shillings damages, 5 the bailiff and the co-defendant were fined 6s 8d each all for the want of a seal.

The importance of the seal in judicial process is well shown in a Hereford case in Michaelmas Term, 4 John, (1202).

Walter Tyrrell had been summoned to hear judgment in a plea he had entered in an action concerning certain land: he neither appeared nor essoigned but judgment was delayed to the Quindene of St Hilary, " quia sigillum justiciariorum non fuit apud Lond Because the seal of the Justices was not at London.