Feet of Fines for the County of York from 1314 to 1326

Feet of fines are a major source for genealogy and local history.

The fine was originally an agreement made by licence of the court between parties to a law suit, but by 1314 it had become a convenient and secure means of conveying a freehold estate, establishing or breaking an entail, establishing a tenancy for life or providing for the remainder of an estate held in dower.

The text of the fine was written three times on a piece of parchment with one copy running across the foot and the other two, head to head, at right angles to it.

The parchment was then cut to separate the three copies, the two indentures being handed to the parties, while the 'foot of fine' was retained as the record of the court.

This volume summarises 668 fines relating to Yorkshire for the years 1314-1326, including a significantly increased number for 1319-1320 and 1322-1324, when the Court of Common Pleas sat at York during Edward II's Scottish campaigns.

The topographical and chronological arrangement and standard format of fines, relatively easy to search, makes them of special value to family and local historians.