What is the name of the old English law system where a group of ten families pledged to keep order and bring violators to court?

• A. Frank pledge
• B. Hue and Cry
• C. Tithing
• D. Writ of Assistance

Answer: (A)

Mutual obligation under the frankpledge system defined how order was kept in medieval England. In this arrangement every free man belonged to a tithing, a group of about ten households, and the men pledged to maintain the king’s peace and to help bring offenders to court. Each member was responsible for the conduct of others within the tithing, and if trouble arose the group could be called upon to pursue and present the offender. When a crime occurred, the hue and cry could be raised to mobilize the community, but the essential framework that binds ten families into a policing unit is the frankpledge. The tithing is the ten-household unit within that system, while hue and cry and other tools are related practices, not the name of the overall framework.