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140<br />

BEVERLEY SANCTUARY.<br />

to a church. This was to give him time to providefor<br />

himself or compound for his crime. It is stated that if<br />

anyoneviolatedthe sanctuary byinflicting bonds,wounds,<br />

or blows upon the refugee, he was compelled to pay the<br />

price set on the life of a man, and the sum of onehundred<br />

and twenty shillings (a large amount in those days) to<br />

the officiating ministerin the church.<br />

The law of sanctuary was moreclearly defined in the<br />

fourth year of the reignof William the Conqueror,and its<br />

privileges in some instances wereremarkable. We have<br />

a good example in the founding of Battle Abbey. The<br />

King invested the Abbot with authority to save any malefactor<br />

if he (the Abbot) happened to come to the place of<br />

execution; and, moreover, he constituted the Abbey<br />

church a place of safety for any felon or murderer.<br />

The generalprivilege of sanctuary was intended to be<br />

only temporary. Within forty days after a felon or murderer<br />

had taken refuge he was, we are told, to appear<br />

before the coroner,clothedin sackcloth,and there confess<br />

his crime and abjure the realm. By Act 21, Henry, c. 2,<br />

immediately after confession, and before abjuration, he<br />

was to be branded bythe coronerwitha hotiron upon the<br />

brawn of the thumb ofhis right hand with the sign of the<br />

letterA,to the intent hemight bethebetterknown among<br />

the King's subjects to have abjured.<br />

If an offender did not make the required confession and<br />

abjuration within forty days, and continued in the sanctuary,any<br />

person who provided him with provisions was<br />

guilty of felony.<br />

During the reign of Henry VIII. considerable changes<br />

weremade in the privilegesof sanctuary. Inhis time an<br />

Act was passed on account of the realm being much<br />

diminishedby persons taking sanctuary and abjuring the<br />

realm,and who instructed foreigners in archery, and disclosed<br />

the secrets of the realm. It wasenacted thatevery<br />

person abjuring was to repair to some sanctuary within<br />

the realm,whichhimself should choose, and there remain<br />

during his natural life,and to be sworn before the coroner

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