consideration of her court she
seised her land and holds it. Which court she produced and
which attests this. Richard comes and denies that he was
ever summoned or came into her court by summons or vouched
to warranty or so lost seisin by consideration of the court
of the countess. And this he offers [to prove]. It is
considered that he defend himself 12-handed that he did not
willingly enter into the plea and vouch to warranty. Let him
wage his law [prove by the 12-handed oath, thus, by
compurgation]. Pledges of the law: Hugh son of Hugh, Wido of
Sudbury. Day is given them at the quindene of St. John.

This is the suit of Richard of Sudbury: [there follow the
names, but only of 10 men] against the countess Amice who was
the countess of Clare, concerning whom he had complained
concerning a novel disseisin of his free tenement in Sudbury.
She said that by judgment of her court for default of warranty
which he had vouched did she make the [dis]seisin and thereof
did she produce suit. And he denied against her and against
the suit, and law was adjudged. And he comes with his law and
makes it with the abovesaid suit. Therefore it is considered
that he recover thereof his seisin; let the countess be in
mercy for unjust disseisin and also her men, of whom the same
Richard has complained. And let the same countess return to
him the damages done thereof by a jury of law-worthy men of
the vicinity. The names of the men of the countess are in the
writ.

A sample of crown pleas in several hundreds or wapentakes [Danish
name for a hundred] from 1201 to 1203 are:

1. Denise, who was wife to Anthony, appeals Nicholas Kam of
the death of Anthony, her husband, for that he wickedly slew
her husband; and this she offers to prove against him under
award of the court. And Nicholas defends all of it. It is
considered that Denise's appeal is null, for in it she does
not say that she saw the deed. The jurors being asked, say
that they suspect him of it; the whole county likewise
suspects him. Let him purge himself by water [ordeal] under
the Assize. He has waged his law.

2. William de Ros appeals Ailward Bere, Roger Bald, Robert
Merchant, and Nicholas Parmenter, for that they came to his
house and wickedly in the king's peace took away from him a
certain villein of his whom he kept in chains because he
wished to run away, and led him off, and in robbery carried
away his wife's co