A party grieved by a false verdict of any court in London may appeal to the Hustings Court of London, which hears common pleas before the mayor and aldermen. Each of the twelve alderman shall pick from his ward four jurors of the substance of at least 2,000s. to be impaneled. If twenty-four of them find that the jurors of the petty jury has given an untrue verdict, each such juror shall pay a fine of at least 400s. and imprisonment not more than six months without release on bail or surety. However, if it is found that the verdict was true, then the grand jury may inquire if any juror was bribed. If so, such juror bribed and the defendant who bribed him shall each pay ten times the amount of the bribe to the plaintiff and be imprisoned not more than six months without release on bail or surety.
The Bishop's Court in London had nine offenders a week by 1500. Half of these cases were for adultery and sexual offenses, and the rest were for slander, blasphemy, missing church services, and breach of faith. Punishment was penance by walking barefoot before the cross in the Sunday Procession dressed in a sheet and holding a candle.
The following is an example of a case in the chancery court. "A subpoena was sued against Sir William Capell in Chancery because the plaintiff in the subpoena had borrowed 60 pounds from him in plate, which he sold for 40 pounds, and was also bound by a statute-merchant to the aforesaid Sir William in 80 pounds for payment of this money, and had also made a feoffment to certain persons of certain land and by indenture willed that if he paid the 60 pounds the feoffees should be feooffees to his use, but otherwise they should be feoffees to the use of the said Sir William; and he did not pay the money and so Sir William took the profits of the land and sued execution of the statute-merchant.
Kebell thought he could have this land in conscience, even though he had execution of the statute-merchant, because he does not have this land in return for the money in such a way that he is paid twice, but has it by way of penalty; and (the plaintiff) may bind himself to that, just as he may give the land away for nothing. If someone holds of me in return for one penny of rent, he may bind himself in 100 pounds for payment of this rent and if he fails I may have this penalty in conscience.
THE CHANCELLOR. When someone is beholden in another in a principal debt, the debtee cannot in conscience take anything in respect of this indebtedness except the principal debt, even if the debtor is bound to him in twenty penalties.
Kebell. In that case you might do much good to those who are bound in this court to keep the peace and are to forfeit their bonds.
THE CHANCELLOR. The sum which is forfeited for breaking the peace may be taken in conscience, for nothing can be well done nor can the realm be governed without peace. This court could not be held without peace. Therefore it is right that whoever acts against the peace should be punished. And by breaking the peace a crime is committed, and therefore it is right that he should pay this forfeiture. (But THE CHANCELLOR held in this case that the debtee may in conscience take so much of the penalty as represents his damage by the withholding of the debt.)"
This is the case of the Earl of Suffolk v. Berney in the Common pleas court: " If the parker of a park licences a man to kill deer in the park, and he kills a deer by virtue of this licence, both of them commit trespass; for he has no authority to do this, his authority being to keep and not to give or sell. But if someone has a warrant to take a deer, and he is a gentleman, he may take company with him and hunt there for the same deer according to his degree (but not otherwise). And it was held that if a parker has a warrant for a deer, and by virtue of that he requests various people to help him kill this deer, everyone who goes with him may chase after it by licence from the parker by parol, without writing."
An example of a manorial case is: "And they present that Margaret Edmond, who held of the lord according to the custom of the manor one cottage with curtilage, four acres of land and one acre of meadow lately in the tenure of William Crosse, took as her husband a certain unknown outsider without the lord's licence. Therefore she forfeited her estate in the aforesaid cottage and land, by reason of which there accrues to the lord as a heriot one heifer, price 4s. And thereupon William Staunton came and took the said cottage, land and meadow from the lord, to hold to himself and his according to the custom of the manor, rendering 3s. therein to the lord yearly at the terms usual there, thus 3d. yearly of increment for rent. And he will give the lord 2s. in the name of heriot when it should accrue.. And he gives nothing to the lord as a fine, but he did fealty to the lord.
Another manorial case is: And that John Mille, who held of the lord for the term of his life according to the custom of the aforesaid manor as of the part of Thomas Long, knight, one messuage and three yardlands of land there by the rent and services therein owed, has ended his last day since the last court, whereof there accrues to the lord as heriot one horse, price 10s. And that Edith, the wife of the said John, claims to hold the aforesaid messuage and land with the appurtenances while she should keep herself single and chaste according to the custom of the aforesaid manor. And she did fealty to the lord. And she was admitted as tenant therein by the pledge of William Spenser and John Smyth, both for the matter and for repair of the aforesaid tenement etc."`