| ATTORNEY GENERAL |
Chief legal officer of the colony and of the General Court. In criminal cases, he served the role of prosecutor. |
| BAR |
Physical barrier separating official and public spaces within the courtroom. (Origin of the term "pass the bar," indicating the transition from layperson to lawyer.) |
| BYSTANDERS |
Spectators in the courtroom. They were required to stand to show their respect for the justices and the court proceedings. |
| CONTRACT |
A written agreement between two or more people to do something. |
| COUNCILORS |
Appointed for life to serve as advisors to the Governor. These 12 men served as justices on the General Court. |
| DEFENDANT |
A person who is accused or sued. |
| DOCKET |
The list of cases and other business scheduled to come before the court during a session. |
| ENGLISH COMMON LAW |
The unwritten law of the central courts in London; a body of law and procedures guaranteeing the security of person and property. |
| FELONY |
A major crime punishable by death. |
| GAOL |
British spelling of jail--holding area for criminal suspects until their trials; rarely used to punish convicted criminals. |
| GENERAL COURT |
The supreme judicial court in Virginia. Besides civil cases, it heard criminal felony cases involving "any person who is free." |
| GOVERNOR |
Presided over the General Court. He could pardon all criminals except those convicted of treason or willful murder. |
| INDICTMENT |
A formal written accusation charging a person with a crime. |
| INFANT |
A free person under the age of twenty-one; a minor. |
| INQUEST |
An official inquiry or examination. |
| JURY |
A group of men summoned to assist the court by making a factual determination of guilt or innocence. (Any man who met the qualifications for voting could sit on a jury.) |
| GRAND JURY |
A group of twenty-four men summoned twice a year to inquire into reported crimes and return indictments of suspected individuals to be tried by the court. |
| PETIT JURY |
A group of twelve men summoned to determine factual matters before the court. |
| OYER and TERMINER |
A special court convened to "hear and end" criminal cases. |
| OYEZ |
Hear ye! Attention! Usually cried out three times by a court official to command silence. |
| PERJURY |
The willful telling of a lie while under lawful oath to tell the truth. |
| PILLORY |
A public punishment device consisting of a wooden board with holes for the head and hands, in which convicted offenders were locked and to which their ears were sometimes nailed. |
| PLAINTIFF |
A person who brings a suit in court. |
| STATUTE |
A law passed by a legislative body and set forth in a formal document. |
| STOCKS |
A device of public detention and punishment consisting of a heavy wooden frame with holes for a convicted offender's feet. |
| VERDICT |
A formal decision or judgment. |
| WITNESS |
A person who has knowledge of a fact and makes it known to the court. |
| WRIT |
A written order of the court directing a court official to carry out an action. |
