Wergild Or Weregild

English Old Law: Wergild or Weregild in the Past

The price which in a barbarous age, a person guilty of homicide or other enormous offence was needd to pay, instead of receiving other punishment. 4 Bl. Com. 188. See, for the etymology of this word and a tariff which was paid for the murder of the different classes of men, Guizot, Essais sur l’Histoire de France (see more about this legal system) , Essai 4eme, c. 2, 2. [1][rtbs name=”history-of-english-law”]

Resources

Notes and References

1. Partialy, this information about wergild or weregild is based on the Bouvier´s Law Dictionary, 1848 edition. There is a list of terms of the Bouvier´s Law Dictionary, including wergild or weregild.

See Also