Ordeal

Ordeal in United States

Ordeal Definition

An ancient superstitious mode of trial. When in a criminal case the accused was arraigned, he might select the mode of trial either by God and his country, that is, by jury, or by God only, that is, by ordeal. The trial by ordeal was either by fire or by water. Those who were tried by the former passed barefooted and blindfolded over nine hot, glowing ploughshares, or were to carry burning irons in their hands, and accordingly as they escaped or not they were acquitted or condemned. The water ordeal was performed either in hot or cold water. In cold water, the parties suspected were adjudged Innocent if their bodies were not borne us by the water contrary to the course of nature; and if, after putting their bare arms or legs into scalding water, they came out unhurt, they were taken to be innocent of the crime. It was supposed that God would, by the mere contrivance of man, exercise his power in favor of the innocent. 4 Bl. Comm. 842; 2 Am. Jur. 280. For a detailed account of the trial by ordeal, see Herbert, Ant. Inns of Court, 146.

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Legal Issue for Attorneys

An ancient superstitious mode of trial. When in a criminal case the accused was arraigned, he might select the mode of trial either by God and his country, that is, by jury, or by God only, that is, by ordeal. The trial by ordeal was either by fire or by water. Those who were tried by the former passed barefooted and blindfolded over nine hot, glowing ploughshares, or were to carry burning irons in their hands, and accordingly as they escaped or not they were acquitted or condemned. The water ordeal was performed either in hot or cold water. In cold water, the parties suspected were adjudged Innocent if their bodies were not borne us by the water contrary to the course of nature; and if, after putting their bare arms or legs into scalding water, they came out unhurt, they were taken to be innocent of the crime. It was supposed that God would, by the mere contrivance of man, exercise his power in favor of the innocent. 4 Bl. Comm. 842; 2 Am. Jur. 280. For a detailed account of the trial by ordeal, see Herbert, Ant. Inns of Court, 146.

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This definition of Ordeal Is based on the The Cyclopedic Law Dictionary . This definition needs to be proofread..

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  • Legal Topics.
  • Further Reading (Articles)

    Ordeal, Encyclopedia of Religion; January 1, 2005; Sabbatucci, Dario

    Justice, medieval style ; The case that `trial by ordeal’ actually worked, The Boston Globe (Boston, MA); January 31, 2010; Peter Leeson

    When trial by ordeal revealed the will of God, Redlands Daily Facts; November 4, 2004; GREGORY ELDER

    Ordeal of Jealousy, Encyclopaedia Judaica; January 1, 2007; Weinfeld, Moshe

    Ordeal or No Ordeal? It’s Your Choice, Daily Mail (London); July 10, 2012

    Victim of Stalker Tells of Ordeal as MSPs Plan Crackdown, Daily Mail (London); March 24, 2010

    Ordeal by Exocet: HMS Glamorgan and the Falklands War, 1982, Air & Space Power Journal; April 1, 2006; Bolia, Robert S.

    COMMENTARY; IT’S A CRIME, NOT AN `ORDEAL’, Dayton Daily News (Dayton, OH); March 19, 2004; Mary McCarty Dayton Daily News

    Mum Tells of Raped Toddler Ordeal, South Wales Echo (Cardiff, Wales); January 5, 2006

    Bedouin Bisha’h Justice: Ordeal by Fire.(Brief article)(Book review), Internet Bookwatch; July 1, 2009

    Mother’s five-hour sex attack ordeal. Birmingham Evening Mail (England); August 29, 2000

    My Ordeal Killed My Dad, Says Rape Victim Linda; Let Down by Justice, Violated Disabled Woman Voices Her Fury to the Scottish Mirror, The Mirror (London, England); February 17, 1999; Lalani, Shiraz Lumsden, Susan

    Mother’s five-hour sex attack ordeal, Birmingham Evening Mail (England); August 29, 2000

    The Ordeal of the Longhouse: The Peoples of the Iroquois League in the Era of European Colonization. (book reviews), The American Indian Quarterly; June 22, 1993; Shoemaker, Nancy

    Travel ordeals from a master of unease; Damon Galgut’s authorial voice expresses an existential hesitancy, the little boy’s puzzlement and pain when the group leaves him behind.(Dispatches), The Sunday Independent (South Africa); April 11, 2010

    Trial ordeal ‘is second violation’ THE DOCTOR.(News), The Mirror (London, England); August 23, 1996

    A DREADFUL ORDEAL.(Editorial)(Editorial), The Cincinnati Post (Cincinnati, OH); August 10, 2004

    OAP in armed gang terror ordeal, Belfast Telegraph; April 7, 2005; Jonathan McCambridge

    Teenager Tells of Kidnap, Rape Ordeal, Daily News (South Africa); August 1, 2012

    ordeal was terrifying for family…, Sunday Life (Belfast, Northern Ireland); November 7, 2010


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