Probable Kentish wergelds eorl 600, freeman 200, Kentish scillings.
Once more we return to the amount of the wergelds of the Kentish eorl and freeman.
We have seen reason to believe that the payments of 300 and 100 scillings of the laws of Hlothære and Eadric were half-wergelds, and that the full wergelds were 600 and 200 scillings.
If they may be so considered they are at once put on line with the Frankish wergelds. The threefold wergeld of the eorl becomes evidently due to his noble birth or official position. And, if the Kentish and Frankish solidi had been alike, the similarity of the wergelds would have been complete.
As in the Frankish laws.
The wergelds of the Frankish group of laws were found to be as follows:—
| Lex Salica, Graphio or ingenuus in truste Regis | 600 | solidi | } |
| Frank or Barbarian living under Salic law | 200 | ” | |
| Lex Ripuariorum, Comes &c. in truste Regis | 600 | ” | } |
| Ingenuus | 200 | ” | |
| Lex Angliorum et Werinorum, Adalingus | 600 | ” | } |
| Liber | 200 | ” | |
| Lex Chamavorum, Homo Francus | 600 | ” | } |
| Ingenuus | 200 | ” |
In all these cases the wergeld of the Royal official or person in high rank is threefold that of the liber or ingenuus.[316]
Confirmed by comparison with the King’s mundbyrd.