Lay by the Heels Definition: To commit to prison. In Curiosities of the Law Reporters, Franklin F. Heard writes of the 1790 case, Wright v Crump, in which the Court of King's Bench committed the mayor of Hereford for being judge in his own case (see nemo judex in parte sua); that he was: "... laid by the heels. "To lay by the heels was the technical expression for committing to prison." In William Shakespeare's play King Henry IV, the playwright has his character Lord Chief Justice say to another (Falstaff): "To punish you by the heels would amend the attention of your ears." REFERENCES: Heard, Franklin Fiske, Curiosities of the Law Reporters (Boston: W.S. Bartlett, 1871), page 25. Wright v Crump, 2 Ld. Raym. 766; also at 92 E.R. 12 (1790) Categories & Topics: Ancient Common Law Dictionary Criminal Law Dictionary Find you are constantly looking up definitions? Try our search provider (works in most modern browsers) If you find an error or omission in Duhaime's Legal Dictionary, or if you have legal term suggestion, we'd love to hear from you!