Piepowder-court
Sep. 17th, 2003 10:53 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
javasaurusOne of my day-by-day calendars is of "forgotten English." A recent entry that captured my attention was "piepowder-court." The expression is more properly, "Court of the Dusty Foot," or (incorporating Old French)"court of pie poudre," from which we get piepowder.
This court's "jurisdiction was established for cases arising at fairs and markets, to do justice to the buyer and seller immediately upon the spot."
Such a court has been (according to the calendar) in England since 1476 (the entry is dated 1841, and the law may have been revoked since then--I don't know.
May make an interesting street show/bit for Ren Fest, eh?
This court's "jurisdiction was established for cases arising at fairs and markets, to do justice to the buyer and seller immediately upon the spot."
Such a court has been (according to the calendar) in England since 1476 (the entry is dated 1841, and the law may have been revoked since then--I don't know.
May make an interesting street show/bit for Ren Fest, eh?
