As part of Henry II of England's attempt to bring his kingdom under control after the "Anarchy" of Stephen and Matilda's reigns, he passed an act to establish three new "assizes", law courts charged with trying criminal cases. Called the assizes of
novel disseisin, of
mort d'ancestor, and of
darrein presentment, they all dealt with issues of land ownership and aristocratic privilege. They are now seen as a step on the development towards trial by jury, as they used local freeman to inspect evidence, rather than using trial by ordeal or by battle, which had previously been traditional means of establishing guilt and innocence.
104 words
Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Assize of Clarendon". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 31 July 2012 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1961, accessed 24 April 2024.]
