What is Compurgation?
'''Compurgation''' was an ancient type of defence in a legal [[trial]]. An accused person could call a number of people, usually twelve. They swore to their belief in his or her innocence. In [[England]], it was abolished in [[common law]] by the ''Constitutions of Clarendon'' of [[Henry II of England|Henry II]] in 1164. The defence was still permitted in [[civil law|civil actions]] for debt. Eventually, it was entirely abolished in England in 1833.<ref>Friedman, Lawrence Meir 1975. ''The legal system: a social science perspective''. Russell Sage Foundation, 272.</ref> == References == {{reflist}} [[Category:Trials]]