Legal Definitions - presentment of Englishry

Definition:Presentment of Englishry is the act of providing evidence that a person who was killed was English, rather than a Dane or Norman. This requirement was first introduced by the Danes and later by the Normans to protect their groups from the English. If the inhabitants of a village or hundred failed to prove that a dead person found among them was English, they would be punished with a fine.

For example, if a person was found dead in a village, the inhabitants of that village would have to prove that the person was English. If they failed to do so, they would be fined.

Another example is when the Normans conquered England in 1066. They required the English to prove their Englishry to avoid being punished.

These examples illustrate how the presentment of Englishry was used to protect the Danes and Normans from the English and how it was enforced through fines.