Legal Definitions - corpus comitatus

Definition: Corpus comitatus is a Latin term that means "the body of a county." It refers to the area within a territorialjurisdiction where admiralty jurisdiction did not originally extend, unlike on the high seas. Infra corpus comitatus means "within the body of a county."

Example: In English law, the phrase "infra corpus comitatus" referred to a body of water that was completely enclosed by land, such as a lake or a pond. Since it was within the body of a county, it was exempt from admiralty jurisdiction.

Explanation: The example illustrates how the term "infra corpus comitatus" was used in English law to describe a body of water that was not subject to admiralty jurisdiction because it was within the territorial jurisdiction of a county. This exemption was based on the idea that admiralty jurisdiction only applied to bodies of water that were considered part of the high seas.