Obs. exc. Hist. Forms: 5–6 lete, 6–7 leete, 5– leet. [ad. AF. lete or AL. leta, of obscure origin; perh. ad. OE. lǽþ: see LATHE sb.1 Prof. Skeat conjectures that it represents an OE. *lǽte connected with lǽtan LET v.1 (cf. LEET sb.3), but no evidence of this has been found.]
1. A special kind of court of record that the lords of certain manors were empowered by charter or prescription to hold annually or semi-annually; = COURT-LEET.
1292. Year Bks. 20 Edw. I. (Rolls), 297. E par la reson ke yl ad une lete en tel luy, a la quele presente fut ke Jon deynz la purceynte de sele lete fut resident.
1294. Abbr. Placit. 22 Edw. I., Norf. rot. 2. 291 (Du Cange). Et quia predicta transgressio … magis sonat injuria senescalli quam injuria eorum qui fuerunt præsentatores, nec præsentacio in Leta alicujus facta, est fundamentum judicii [etc.].
1303. Year Bks. 31 Edw. I. (Rolls), 399. Par la resoun qe presente fut a lour lete de tiel lieu par deceyners qe [etc.].
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 11. Amercyn in a corte or lete, amercio.
1486. Nottingham Rec., III. 243. Expenses at ij. Letes at Snaynton.
1523. Fitzherb., Surv., 36 b. Suite of court from thre wekes to thre wekes and to the two great letes. Ibid (1538), Just. Peas, 80 b. The lorde in his Lete, and the Shyriffe in his Tourne to enquere and to have for every defaute xxd.
a. 1577. Sir T. Smith, Commw. Eng. (1633), 164. The Leet and Law day is all one [in a manor]. This Leet is ordinarily kept but twice in the year.
1583. Stubbes, Anat. Abus., II. (1882), 9. In euerie which shire or countie, be courts, lawe daies, and leets, as they call them, euery moneth.
1603. Owen, Pembrokeshire, vi. (1891), 52. And in those sheeres there were no manours or Lordships neyther anye Courtes Baron or leetes kept or holden.
1643. Sir J. Spelman, Case of Affairs, 2. Every single man of twelve yeares of age ought by Law in some or other of His Majesties Leetes to swear Alleageance to His Majestie.
1778. Eng. Gazetteer (ed. 2), s.v. Rumney Marsh, Priveleges of leet, lawday, and tourn.
1846. M’Culloch, Acc. Brit. Empire (1854), II. 153. Inferior courts of known jurisdiction … such as a leet or a civil court within a borough.
1854. Toulm. South, Parish (1857), 107. Every Leet shall enquire of all offences against the Statute.
1877. R. W. Dixon, Hist. Ch. Eng., I. iii. 197. In their renewal of this system the Commons seem to make sheriffs in their leets answer for the provincial synod.
† b. transf. Used in pl. as transl. of L. comitia.
1600. Holland, Livy, I. xliii. 31. In the grand-leetes and solemne elections of Magistrates.
† c. A commission or committee. Obs. rare–1.
1665. J. Buck, in Peacock, Stat. Cambridge (1841), App. B. 59. There be certain priviledged Persons and Townsmen appointed for the Paving Leet.
2. The jurisdiction of a court-leet; the district over which this jurisdiction extended, in some cases including only the manor, in other cases a wider area, often that of the hundred.
1477. Paston Lett., No. 807, III. 211. I trow it to the lord of the soylle and not to the lete; for the maner holdyth nothyng of hyr.
1503–4. Act 19 Hen. VII., c. 30 § 16. Whiche landis tenementes services and a lete with the appurtenaunces the seid John Vynter purchased.
c. 1630. Risdon, Surv. Devon, § 308 (1810), 316. All this circuit, now the leet of Womberley, was timbered with tall trees.
1671. F. Philipps, Reg. Necess., 291. Where a Leet being a more large or greater Jurisdiction hath been granted to a man and his heirs.
1710. Act 8 Anne, in Lond. Gaz., No. 4681/3. This Act shall not prejudice the Right of the City of London, or the Lords of any Leet.
1818. Hallam, Mid. Ages (1872), II. 293. The courts of the tourn and leet were erected.
† b. transf. A district generally. Obs.
1565. Golding, Ovid’s Met., VIII. (1593), 206. For fate forbiddeth famine to abide within the leete where plentie is.
3. attrib., as leet-court, -day, -jury, -juryman; leet-ale, a drinking of ale at the time of the leet.
1781. Warton, Hist. Eng. Poetry, III. 129, note. *Leet-ale, in some parts of England, signifies the Dinner at a court-leet of a manor for the jury and customary tenants.
1651. W. G., trans. Cowel’s Inst., 96. To goe twice a year to the Sheriffs Courts, or *Leet Courts.
1690. W. Walker, Idiomat. Anglo-Lat., 517. Whole court or *leet-days.
1868. Browning, Ring & Bk., IX. 1167. So, all’s one lawsuit, all one long leet-day!
1720. Strype, Stow’s Surv. Lond., I. II. ii. 25. The *Leet Jury of the Manour of East Smithfield.
1766. Entick, London, IV. 398. 20 inquest or *leet jurymen.
