Legal Definitions - wood-mote

Definition: Wood-mote (wuud-moht) is an inferior forest court that has jurisdiction over trespasses of the royal forests. The court is also known as the Court of Attachments or forty-days court. The judges of this court, called verderers, meet every 40 days to hear charges made by the royal foresters. Major trespass cases are heard by the justices in eyre.

For example, if someone were caught hunting or cutting down trees in a royal forest without permission, they would be brought before the wood-mote to face charges. The verderers would hear the case and decide on a punishment, such as a fine or imprisonment.

Another example would be if a group of people were found camping in a royal forest without permission. They would also be brought before the wood-mote to face charges of trespassing.

These examples illustrate how the wood-mote was responsible for enforcing the laws and regulations of the royal forests. It was an important court in medieval England, as the forests were a valuable resource for the monarchy and were closely guarded.