Although crimes of various sorts were common occurrences, prisons did not exist in the medieval village. Lacking the ability to lock up violators of local law and custom, the medieval village dealt with offenders in a variety of other ways, some of which involved the courts but many that did not. A manorial court under the jurisdiction of the lord oversaw all legal matters concerning the village, with the exception of major crimes such as murder. The lord of the manor or a jury of twelve landholders held ultimate resolution of all court cases.

Manorial courts were fairly informal, meeting at the manor house, outdoors under a large tree, or in some public place. Typical disputes involved trespassing on a man's land, questions about boundary lines, maintenance of fences, debts, and violations of contracts. The process was intentionally kept so simple that if the accused could...