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This was the price of homicide, or other atrocious personal offense, paid partly to the king for the loss of a subject, partly to the lord for the loss of a vassal, and partly to the next of kin of the injured person. In the Anglo-Saxon laws, the amount of compensation varied with the degree or rank of the party slain. Brown. … [Read more...] about WEREGILD, OR WERGILD

Money paid for landing wares at a wharf, or for shipping or taking goods into a boat or barge from thence. Cowell. Strictly speaking "wharfage" is money due, or money actually paid, for the privilege of landing goods upon, or loading a vessel while moored from, a wharf. … [Read more...] about WHARFAGE

A purging from a crime by the oaths of several persons, according to the degree and quality of the accused. Cowell. … [Read more...] about WERELADA

One who owns or keeps a wharf, for the purpose of receiving and shipping merchandise to or from it, for hire. 2. Like a warehouseman, a wharfinger is responsible for ordinary neglect, and is therefore required to take ordinary, care of goods entrusted to him as such. The responsibility of a wharfinger begins when he acquires, and ends when he ceases to have the custody of the … [Read more...] about WHARFINGER

In old Scotch law. A sum paid by an offender as a compensation or satisfaction for the offense; a weregild, or wergild. … [Read more...] about WERGELT