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Historic%20Yorkshire
Historic%20Yorkshire
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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