Village Voice or Village Oligarchy?: The Jurors of the Durham Halmote Court, 1349 to 1424

Abstract

In the decades following the arrival of the Black Death in County Durham, the rhythms of old village and estate institutions such as the local halmote court may have provided some sense of stability in a changing world. In fact, the first surviving records of the bishopric halmotes are from 1349, as the court met even as the disease ravaged the populace.1 The Durham halmotes regulated much of rural life, administering the conveyance of land, hearing litigation, collecting seignorial dues, and enforcing agri cultural bylaws, and at the heart of the court was its jury, drawn from the customary tenantry of each village.2 Whereas studies of manorial juries