The general eyre and royal finance 1

Abstract

Although the legal nature of the general eyre – a core institution of jurisdiction in twelfth- and thirteenth-century England – is not in doubt, historians have also pointed out the prominence of its financial aspects. Eyre justices could impose amercements on local officials if irregularities in their conduct could be discovered, they heard civil pleas which brought in a profit and they dealt with the pleas of the crown, a varied collection of cases which almost invariably resulted in the confiscation of property or the imposition of financial sanctions on individuals as well as communities, de facto creating an additional source of taxation. The aim of this article will be to assess the financial contribution made by this element of legal administration in a period ranging from the middle of the twelfth to the end of the thirteenth century. This will require a firm statistical basis derived from information preserved in the Pipe Rolls as well as an assessment of the reasons to hold eyre visitations. Given the legal importance of the general eyre and its role as a tool of political control, an investigation of a hitherto neglected aspect of the eyre may help to understand its true significance.