Infangthief and outfangthief
Encyclopedia
Infangthief and outfangthief (also spelled infangtheof and outfangtheof) were privileges originally granted to landowners in Anglo-Saxon law
. With the granting of these privileges by the Crown, they were able to execute summary justice on thieves within the borders of their own estates.
Infangthief (meaning literally "in-taken-thief") applied to thieves captured within a landowner's estate; outfangthief ("out-taken-thief") applied to thieves who had committed a crime on a landowner's estate but were captured elsewhere, permitting the landowner to transfer such a person to their own court for summary justice. The thief's captor was given a choice between summarily executing him – the usual fate for the poor – or ransoming him for a fine set according to his rank.
Such privileges had several advantages: they were profitable, helped to maintain discipline on the estate and identified the privilege-holder as a figure of authority. They remained in use after the Norman Conquest as a standard right given to local lords and did not finally fall into disuse until the time of Edward III
, and even then it continued to be asserted for some time afterwards in Halifax, West Yorkshire
.
Anglo-Saxon law
Anglo-Saxon law is a body of written rules and customs that were in place during the Anglo-Saxon period in England, before the Norman conquest. This body of law, along with early Scandinavian law and continental Germanic law, descended from a family of ancient Germanic custom and legal thought...
. With the granting of these privileges by the Crown, they were able to execute summary justice on thieves within the borders of their own estates.
Infangthief (meaning literally "in-taken-thief") applied to thieves captured within a landowner's estate; outfangthief ("out-taken-thief") applied to thieves who had committed a crime on a landowner's estate but were captured elsewhere, permitting the landowner to transfer such a person to their own court for summary justice. The thief's captor was given a choice between summarily executing him – the usual fate for the poor – or ransoming him for a fine set according to his rank.
Such privileges had several advantages: they were profitable, helped to maintain discipline on the estate and identified the privilege-holder as a figure of authority. They remained in use after the Norman Conquest as a standard right given to local lords and did not finally fall into disuse until the time of Edward III
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
, and even then it continued to be asserted for some time afterwards in Halifax, West Yorkshire
Halifax, West Yorkshire
Halifax is a minster town, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It has an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece...
.