Baronial Charter

[Emir of Raspur]

Baronial Charter Ardashir Khan Osmani, by the Kharenah of Zurvan, Baron of Elwynn, to his subjects and retainers – Greeting.Know that We, Mibaradardam be Khorshid va Mah Minamaz dadanam Zurvan, have in the first place granted to Zurvan this Charter which by his Kharenah is confirmed for us and our heirs forever.Elwynn shall be reformed into three districts1)        The Forest of Elwynn shall become the Baronial domain.2)        The Magistracy shall be the abode of those Squires who the Baron appoints to his retinue.3)        The Reservations shall be the abode of those duly convicted of criminal acts and also for the “unassimilated-indigenous” population.These Districts shall be defined by decrees supplementary to this Charter. The Forest of Elwynn shall become the Baronial Domain by virtue of the Writ of Afforesting issued within this Charter.Writ of Afforesting:Ardashir Khan Osmani, by the Kharenah of Zurvan, Baron of Elwynn, to his subjects and retainers – Greeting.Know that We, Mibaradardam be Khorshid va Mah Minamaz dadanam Zurvan, have in the first place granted to Zurvan this Writ which by his Kharenah is confirmed for us and our heirs forever. 1)        It is allowed to our lord the Baron, in respect of his continual care, and labour, for the preservation of the whole realm, among other privileges, this prerogative, to have his places of recreation and pastime, whatsoever he will appoint. For as it is at the liberty, and the pleasure of his to the reserve the wild beast, and the game to himself, for his only delight and pleasure, so he may also at his will and pleasure, make a forest for them to abide in. 2)        A forest is a certain territory of woody grounds and or fruitful pastures, privileged for wild beasts and fowls of forest, chase, and warren to rest, and abide there in the safe protection of our lord the Baron, for his delight and pleasure. 3)        Territory of ground so privileged is mered and bounded with irremovable marks, metes and boundaries, either known by matter of record or by prescription; and also replenished with wild beasts of venery or chase, and with great coverts of vert, for the succour of the said beasts there to abide: for the preservation and continuance of which said place, together with the vert and venison there are particular officers, laws, and privileges belonging to the same, requisite for that purpose, and proper only to a forest and to no other place.4)        Beasts of forest (the five wild beasts of venery) are the hart, the hind, the hare, the boar and the wolf. The beasts of chase were also five, viz, the buck, the doe, the fox, the marten and the roe. The beasts and fowls of warren were the hare, the coney, the pheasant and the partridge.5)        The courts of the forest were three in number, viz, the court of attachments, swainmote and justice-seat created and invested with persona and legal identity. The court of attachments (called also the wood-mote) is held every forty days for the foresters to bring in their attachments concerning any hurt done to vert or venison (in viridi et venatione) in the forest, and for the verderers to receive and mark the same, but no conviction takes place.6)        The swainmote, held three times in the year, is the court to which all the freeholders within the forest owe suit and service, and of which the verderers are the judges. In this court all offences against the forest laws may be tried, but no judgment or punishment follows.7)        This is reserved for the justice-seat, held every third year, to which the rolls of offences presented at the court of attachment, and tried at the swainmote, are presented by verderers.8 )         There shall be two chief justices for the forests intra and ultra Trentam respectively.9)        A Baronial Forrester shall be created and invested with persona and legal identity with the purpose of the Hunt and enforcing such Forestry laws that may be decreed.10)        The necessary officers of a forest are verderers, foresters, each created and invested with persona and legal identity.11)        Verderers view and receive the attachments of the foresters, and to mark them on his rolls.12)        A forester was an officer sworn to preserve the vert and venison in the forest, and to attend upon the wild beasts within his bailiwick.13)        The legal conception of a forest is thus that of a definite territory within which the code of the forest law prevails to the exclusion of the common law. The ownership of the soil might be in any one, but the laws made for the protection of the Baron’s wild beasts limit the rights of the subordinate proprietor.14)        Given by our predecessors the right of Shirerithians to feast in Elwynn at the Baron’s expense is revoked.GIVEN THIS DAY THIS WRIT SHALL BE LAW BY THE BARONIAL WILL Ardashir Khan Osmani, by the Kharenah of Zurvan, Baron of Elwynn, to his subjects and retainers – Greeting.Know that We, Mibaradardam be Khorshid va Mah Minamaz dadanam Zurvan, have in the first place granted to Zurvan this Decree which by his Kharenah is confirmed for us and our heirs forever.This Decree concerns that territory subject to the Common Law known as the Magistracy1) Squires shall be granted a fief and allocated a manor within an allocated space2) No fief shall be allocated a manor away from the rivers of Elwynn.        3) The Squire of the Manor shall serve as Magistrate therein and administer the Common Law4) Common law is based on the customs of the Elwynnese people and on the words and deeds of the Baron of Elwynn, may peace and blessings of Zurvan be with him. These rules guide Squires in their interpretation of statutes and in the expansion of common law itself.GIVEN THIS DAY THIS DECREE SHALL BE LAW BY THE BARONIAL WILL Supplementary Decree on the Subdivisions of ElwynnArdashir Khan Osmani, by the Kharenah of Zurvan, Baron of Elwynn, to his subjects and retainers – Greeting.Know that We, Mibaradardam be Khorshid va Mah Minamaz dadanam Zurvan, have in the first place granted to Zurvan this Supplementary Decree which by his Kharenah is confirmed for us and our heirs forever.The territorial sub-divisions in the administration of the Barony of Elwynn shall forever be as illustrated below.NUMBERS KEY1)&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp Elfinshi Penal Reservation [Political/Cultural Criminals]2)&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp Elenver Penal Reservation [Common Law Criminals]3)&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp Eliria Penal Reservation [Forestry Law Criminals]Appendix: Topography GIVEN THIS DAY THIS SUPPLEMENTRAY DECREE SHALL BE LAW BY THE BARONIAL WILL Supplementary Decree on the Laws in the MagistracyArdashir Khan Osmani, by the Kharenah of Zurvan, Baron of Elwynn, to his subjects and retainers – Greeting.Know that We, Mibaradardam be Khorshid va Mah Minamaz dadanam Zurvan, have in the first place granted to Zurvan this Supplementary Decree which by his Kharenah is confirmed for us and our heirs forever.Where the Baronial Will has not been expressed other texts may be citied as being of validity and, if under necessary circumstances, lawful, as follows: Magna Carta. The text is that of the third re-issue of the charter by Henry III. Carta de Foresta Anglicana - Provisions of Merton - Statute of Marlborough - Statute of Westminster I - Statutum religios - Statute of Gloucester - Explanatio earundem - Statute of Westminster II - Statutum de Transgressoribus - Statutum de Militibus - Statute of Wyntoun - Statute of Merchants - Provisio de anno Bissextile - Statute of 'Quo Warranto.' - Statutum de Dies Communes - Visus Franc. Pleg. - Compositio pondorum - Assisa pannis et Cervisia - Extenta manoriorum - Modus faciend. homag. On f.1v 'Bibliothecae Universitatis Glasguensis dono dedit Aeneas MacLeod, Armiger de Cadbole, M.DCC.LXXXVI.'GIVEN THIS DAY THIS SUPPLEMENTRAY DECREE SHALL BE LAW BY THE BARONIAL WILL Edited by: Emir of Raspur at: 1/21/04 2:56 pm