Table Of Contente~ll
;
r5j .?:-
~
en
~ ='
~ f!l
~
-::r:
e;ll .L~:
~
~
~ ~
..(
~ ~
I±U""-""-
.r rnun
I
I Bechbretha: An Old Irish law-tract on Bee-Keeping, ed.
Thomas Charles-Edwards and Fergus Kelly.
n Uraicecht na Riar: The Poetic Grades in Early Irish Law, ed.
Liam Breatnach.
III A Guide to Early Irish Law, by Fergus Kelly.
EARLY IRISH LAW SERIES
VOWME III
A GUIDE
TO
EARLY IRISH LAW
Thisplate shows cois.255-6of the 1rinlty CollegeDublin mIInuscript H 3. 17,now
numbered 1336, which was transcribed about the 15th century. The elaborately
ornamented A at the top of col. 255marks the beginning of the law-text known Os DUBLIN INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED STUDIES
theHeptads (Appendix 1NO.3),composed about the8thcentury. Thispassage deals 10Burlington Road, Dublin 4
with cases where church property mIIy be damaged or destroyed without legal
liability.It isreproduced atCorpus Iuris,Hibernici J82J.28-182233and translated in 1988
Ancient Lawsqf Ireland vlJ9ff. Only the text inlargerletters originatesfrom the
8th century: the restconsists of glosses and commentary of later date (seep. 226).
(by courtesy of the Board of 7i'inity College)
10 THE MEMORY
OF
E. J.
GWYNN
Treide con-aittig brithemnas: gaes, feige, fiuss
Printed by
Mount So/us Press Ltd. 'Three things required of a judge: wisdom, sharpness, knowledge'.
Dublin The Triads of Ire/and No. 78.
INTRODUCTION
1iiath ..
External relations
Outsiders
Rural character
Rank ..
Dependants
Unfree (doer) ..
Change of rank
Kin-group (fine) ..
Maternal kin (mtiithre) ..
CHAPTER 1 Law of Persons (i)
.King
King's justice .. . .•
Legislation
Law-enforcement
Judgement
Law-observance
Lord
Clientship
Base client
Free client
Fuidir (semi-freeman)
Bothach
SenchJeithe
Briugu (hospitaller)
.~
CHAPI'ER2 Law of Persons (ii) ·. ·. ·. 39 CHAPlER4 Property ·. ·. ·. ·. 99
Cleric .. ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. 39 Land .. ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. 99
Poet ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. 43 J, Ownership of land ·. ·. ·. ·. 100
Woman poet .. ·. ·. ·. ·. 49 Co-operative farming ·. ·. ·. ·. 101
Illegal satirist .. ·. ·. ·. ·. 49 Inheritance of land ·. ·. ·. ·. 102
Lawyer.. ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. 51 Female inheritance ·. ·. ·. ·. 104
Brithem ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. 51 Inheritance by adoption ·. ·. ·. 105
Aigne ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. 56 Common rights on land ·. ·. ·. 105
PhYsician ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. 57 Rights of neighbours ·. ·. ·. ·. 108
Druid .. ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. 59 Usucaption (i.e. adverse possession) of land ·. 109
Wright .. ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. 61 Buildings ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. 110
Blacksmith ·. ·. ·. ·. 62 MoVabl~property ·. ·. ·. ·. 110
Other manufacturers ·. ·. ·. ·. 63 lhmsfer of movable property ·. ·. ·. 111
Entertainers ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. 64 Barter and sale ·. ·. ·. ·. 111
Servants ·. ·. ·. 65 Currency ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. 112
Cumal ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. 112
CHAPTER 3 Law of Persons (ill) ·. ·. ·. 68 Cattle ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. 113
Woman ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. 68 Ounce (of silver) ·. ·. ·. ·. 114
Marriage ·. ·. ·. ·.' ·. 70 set .. ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. 114
Divorce ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. 73 The relationship of the currencies ·. ·. 115
Separation ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. 75 Payment for a service .. ·. ·. ·. 116
Legal capacity of women ·. ·. ·. 75 Marriage and fosterage payments ·. ·. 116
Offences by women ·. ·. ·. ·. 78 Fief and rent .. ·. ·. ·. .. 117
Offences against women ·. ·. ·. 79 '~ Loan ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. 117
Son of a living father ·. ·. ·. ·. 80 Unauthorised or enforced loan .. ·. ·. 119
'\ Child ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. 81 Deposit ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. 120
Legal capacity of children ·. ·. ·. 81 Gift .. ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. 120
Offences by children ·. ·. ·. ·. 83 Inheritance of movable property .. ·. ·. 122
Offences against children ·. ·. ·. 83 Bequest ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. 122
Sick-maintenance of children ·. ·. ·. 84 Lost property .. ·. ·. ·. 123
e,.
Rearing of children ·. ·. ·. ·. 85
Fosterage ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. 86 CHAPTER 5 Offences ·. ·. ·. ·. 125
Specialized training ·. ·. ·. ·. 91 Killing .. ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. 125
Person of unsound mind .. ·. ·. ·. 91 Kin-slaying (fingal) ·. ·. ·. ·. 127
Offences by persons of unsound mind ·. ·. 92 Secret killing .. ·. ·. ·. ·. 128
Rights of persons of unsound mind ·. ·. 93 Lawful killing.. ·. ·. ·. ·. 128
The half-sane .. ·. ·. ·. ·. 94 Injury .. ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. 129
Senility ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. 94 Sick-maintenance ·. ·. ·. ·. 130
Other disabilities ·. ·. ·. ·. 94 Payment for injury ·. ·. ·. ·. 131
Slave ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. ·. 95 Abandonment of sick-maintenance ·. ·. 133
Cimbid (captive) ·. ·. ·. ·. 97 Lawful injury .. ·. ·. ·. ·. 133
viii li~' ix
Rape .. 134 Restrictions on distraint 183
Penalties for rape 135 The lawyers' role in distraint 185
Non-liability for rape 135 Legal entry (te/lach) 186
Marriage by rape 136 Female entry .. 187
Sexual harassment 136 Entry by a vagrant 188
Satire ..
137 Illegal entry .. 189
Refusal of hospitality
139.
Violation of protection
140
Injury to land .. 142 CHAPTER 8 Procedure 190
Animal-trespass 142 Eight stages of a law-case.. 191
Damage to trees 144 Oaths .. 198
Offences against buildings 144 'Over-swearing' ([ortach) 199
Damage to movable property 145 Denial by oath (dfthech) 200
Theft '. 147 Vicarious oath (airlhech) 201
Stolen goods .. 148 Compurgatory oath (imthach) 201
Habitual thief .. 149 Repudiation ([retech) 201
Liability for an offence 149 Perjury (ethech) 201
Accidents 149 Female oath .. 2'02
Ignorance 151 Witnesses 202
Negligence 152 Written evidence 204
Stress or necessity 153 Indirect evidence 204
Drunkenness .. 154 Inadmissible evidence 206
Insanity 154 Female evidence 207
Onlookers and accessories 154. False witness 208
Liability after death 157 Lots 208
Ordeals 209
CHAPTER 6 Contracts, pledges and sureties 158 Duels .. 211
Contracts
158
Invalid, voidable or unenforceable contracts 159
Adjustment of contracts 163 CHAPTER 9 Punishment 214
Written contracts 163 Payment 214
Pledges
164 Non-payment of fines 215
Sureties 167 Putting to death .. 216
rtith (paying surety) 168 Hanging 217
naidm (enforcing surety) 171 The pit 218
ai/ire (hostage-surety) 172 Slaying 219
Hostages
173 Setting adrift .. 219
Mutilation 221
CHAPTER 7 Distraint and legal entry 177 Flogging 221
Distraint
177 Outlawry 222
Fasting
182 Recovery of legal rights 224
CHAPTER 10 Law-texts 2~
Th~ manuscripts 225
The origin of the law-texts . 231
The authors of the law-texts 232
Case-law 238
INDEX 2 Index of anglicized forms of Irish and Scottish
External sources relating to Irish law 240
legal terms
CHAPl'ER 11 Law-schools 242
'Senchas Mdr school' 242
'Nemed school' 246
Other schools 246
Annalistic references to lawyers and law-schoots 248
Post-Norman law-schools .. 250
Mac Aodhagain 252
Mac Flannchadha 254
Ua Deorain 256 PLATES AND MAPS
Ua Duibhdabhoirenn 257
Ulster law-schools 259 Plate 1 227
The end of the law-schools 260
Plate 2 228
APPENDIX 1 List of Law-texts 264
General 266 Plate 3 229
Status, rank 267
Professional groups 267 Plate 4 230
Categories of person 269
The law on injury 271 Map 1 247
The law on other offences 272
The law on land, domestic animals, etc. 273 Map 2 255
Contracts 277
Loans and deposits 278
Pledges 278
Sureties and hostages 278
Distraint 279
Legal entry 280
Procedure 280
Ecclesiastical legislation 281
Canon law 282
This book i~intended to be of use to all who are interested in
early Irish laws and institutions, particularly of the pre-Nonnan
period. It gives Itgeneral account of the main topics dealt with in
the surviving la'V-texts,and provides footnote references to more
detailed discuSsi()nelsewhere, as well as a list of suggested further
reading in the aibliography (Appendix 3). The use of Old Irish
terminology has been kept to a minimum, and linguistjc informa-
tion has for the most part been relegated to the footnotes.
I am inde1:)ted to many people for their assistance and
encouragement d.uringthe preparation of this book. First and fore-
most, I must mebtion Daniel A. Binchy, Professor Emeritus at the
Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, who has devoted the greater
part of his long tareer to the study of early Irish law.Without his
Corpus JurisHibernici and hismany fine editions of Old Irish law-
texts, the present book would havebeen a verymuch more difficult
undertaking.
I would also like to express my thanks to a number of other
scholars, who reltd the whole or part of this book, or helped me on
specific points: ~ette Crigger, Colin Ireland, Proinsias Mac Cana,
Neil McLeod, Damian McManus, Mairin Ni Dhonnchadha,
Mairtin 6 Murchu and David Sellar. The last draft was read by
Liam Breatnach of 'll'inity College, Dublin, and Thomas Charles-
Edwards Qf Corpus Christi College, Oxford, and many of their
suggestions have been gratefully incorporated in the final version.
I am, of course, 60lely responsible for all remaining shortcomings.
Karen Elson typed (and often retyped) the whole work, and I
much appreciate her patience and accuracy. Maire Vi Chinnseala
saw it through tlte press with her usual competence, and Eugene
Tighe of Mount ~alus Press eased the transition from typescript to
printed book. Pa~raig deBrun wasunstinting of his expertise when
instructing me o~ computerising the indexes.
Bernard M~han of the Library of 'll'inity College, Dublin, was
most helpful in discussing the reproduction of the frontispiece,
Plates 2 and 3, IDldthe dust jacket. Thanks are also due to the
