The Wall Was Fine. The Hedge Wasn't.
Two neighbours. One hedge. One perfectly innocent wall. And two fines.
Walter Mile complained that his neighbour, John Brochole, had unlawfully put up a wall and a hedge between their holdings.
John readily agreed to have the matter investigated...
The court did investigate.
- The wall was fine.
- The hedge was not.
John was fined for putting it up and ordered to make amends.
So far, so straightforward.
Except Walter had also accused him of unlawfully putting up the wall.
And that bit wasn't true.
So Walter was fined too — for making a false claim.
I bloody love this one because the ending is so wonderfully unsatisfying.
Nobody really won.
Which, frankly, feels about right for a medieval neighbour dispute.
Source
Weedon Beck, Northamptonshire. Court held on the Saturday next after the feast of St Margaret, in the twenty-fourth year of Edward I, AD 1296.