Wer-, were-gild

n. [The word seems interchangeable with wer (q. which in the later laws is the more frequent form.] The price set upon a man according to his degree :-- Twelfhyndes mannes wergyld bið six ceorla wergyld, L. O. 13; Th. i. 182, 21. Ceorles wergild (weregild, 1. 20) is .cc. and .lxvi. þrimsa, ðæt bið .ii. hund scill. be Myrcna lage, L. Wg. 6; Th. i. 186, 11. Norðleóda cynges gild .xxx. þúsend þrymsa, fífténe þúsend þrymsa bið ðæs wergildes (wæres, 1. 16), 1; Th. i. 186, 2. (The wergilds for other ranks are given in the sections of this article.) Ceorles wergild is on Myrcna lage .cc. scill. Ðegnes wergild is syx swá mycel, ðæt bið .xii. hund scill. Ðonne bið cynges ánfeald wergild .vi. þegna wer be Myrcna lage, ðæt is .xxx. þúsend sceatta, and ðæt bið ealles .cxx. punda. Swá mycel is ðæs wergildes on folces folcrihte be Myrcna lage, L. M. L. ; Th. i : 190, 2-7. Cyninges horswealh, se ðe him mæge geǽrendian, ðæs wergield bið .cc. scill., L. In. 33; Th. i. 122, 14. I. when a person was wrongfully slain the wergild of the slain man could be claimed from the slayer. Cf. wer, I :-- Gif man leúd ofsleá an þeófðe, licge bútan wyrgelde, L. Wih. 25; Th. i. 42, 13. Se .vii. nihta móna is gód on tó fixianne, and æðeles monnes wergild an tó manianne, Lchdm. iii. 178, 14. I a. for those who were concerned in the receiving of the wergild see wer, I a, and the following :-- Gif man his mæn freólse gefe, . . . freólsgefa áge his erfe ænde wergeld, L. Wih. 8; Th. i. 38, 16. (See also the cases quoted under II b. as to the form which the payment might take see wer, I c, and the following :-- Mót hé gesellan monnan and byrnan and sweord on ðæt wergild, L. In. 54; Th. i. 138, 1. (Cf. for similar payment : Mid .lx. scill. gebéte . . . and ðæt sié on cwicǽhtum, and mon nǽnigne mon on ðæt ne selle, L. Alf. pol. 18; Th. i. 72, 12.) Tó ðam ðæt hió hyre bróðra wergild gecure on swylcum þingum swylce hyre and hire nýhstan freóndum sélost lícode. And hió ðá swá dyde ðæt hió ðæt wergeld geceás on ðam íglande ðe Teneð is nemned, ðæt is hundeahtatig hída landes ðe hió ðær æt ðæm cyninge onfeóng, Lchdm. iii. 426, 16-21. II. in case of certain crimes the criminal's wergild was exacted as a penalty, II a. the payment of the wergild is in some cases an alternative, ), L. C. S. 62; Th. i. 408, 23. Wealde se cyniug þreóra ǽnes; oþþe hine man cwelle, oþþe ofer sǽ selle, oþþe hine his wergelde áliése, L. Wih. 26; Th. i. 42, 17. Hé hine be his wergilde áliése, oþþe be his were geswicne, L. In. 15; Th. i. 112, 2. Hé bið feorhscyldig, nimþe him se cyning álýfan wille ðæt man wergylde álýsan móte, L. Eth. vii. 15; Th. i. 332, 15. II b. of the uses to which wergild paid as a fine in religious matters (cf. L. E. G. 2; Th. i. 168, 1-3) could be applied see the following :-- Gif for godbótan feohbót áríseþ, ðæt gebyreþ rihtlíce . . . tó godcundan neódan (these are enumerated in the section); hwílum be wíte, hwílum be wergilde (at times the feohbót is in the form of wergild), L. Eth. vi. 51; Th. i. 328, 4-10. III. the wergild served as a standard by which other matters might be regulated, ), L. C. S. 67; Th. i. 410, 17. In the following case the wergild seems to have suggested the amount of a bequest to the church :-- Hió (the testator's wife) gebrenge æt Sancte Petre mín twá wergild, gif ðet Godes wille seó ðæt heó ðæt færeld áge, Chart. Th. 481, 10. IV. instances of the payment of wergild are the following. The two young princes Æþelred and Æþelbriht were slain by Thunor, and to their sister eighty hides of land was given as wergild, Lchdm. iii. 424-6. In the war between Ecgfriþ and Æþelred the former's brother was slain. Theodore brought about peace between them 'ðæt nǽniges mannes feorh tó lore wearþ, ne máre blódgyte wæs for ðam ofslægenan cyninges bréðer, ac hé mid feó wiþ hine geþingode, ðæt heora sib wæs,' Bd. 4, 21; S. 590, 24. In 687 Mul, Ceadwalla's brother, was burnt in Kent : in 694 'Cantware geþingodon wiþ Íne, and him gesaldon xxx m., for ðon ðe híe ǽr Mul forbærndon, Chr. 694; Erl. 42, 15. [O. Frs. wer-geld, -ield : O. H. Ger. wer-, weri-gelt fiscus, pretium. Cf. Icel. mann-gjöld; pl.] Cf. leód, leód-gild; and see Kemble's Saxons in England, vol. i. c. x, Grmm. R. A. 650. were-gild