Duhaime's Law Dictionary Englishry Definition: The proving to the authorities that a killed person was English. Also spelled Englishery. An ancient and abolished crime established by William the Conqueror to address the rampant murder of Normans by the conquered Anglo-Saxons subsequent to 1066. When a person was killed, the local communities sometimes did little if anything to apprehend the suspect, especially if the victim was a hated foreign-born Norman. William the Conqueror imposed a reverse onus upon the community where such a death occurred. Where the suspect was not rounded up by the community, the community itself would pay a large fine: "unless they could prove that the slain was an Englishman".1 If the suspect was surrendered, the fine was avoided. Once the Norman began to assimilate, proving that a victim was English became increasingly difficult. Eventually, the offence of Englishry was abolished. REFERENCES Jeudwine, J. W., Tort, Crime and Police in Medieval Britain: A Review of Some Early Law and Custom (London: Williams & Norgate, 1917), pages 35-36 [NOTE 1]. Yntema, Hessel, Lex Murdrorum, Harv. L. Rev. 146 (1922-1923) Categories & Topics: Duhaime's Ancient Common Law Dictionary Always looking up definitions? Save time with our search provider (modern browsers only) If you find an error or omission in Duhaime's Law Dictionary, or if you have suggestion for a legal term, we'd love to hear from you!