For those on or near the islands tired of English/Welsh law, Scots law, Northern Irish law, Irish law, Isle of Man law and Jersey law: Guernsey Bar is a new website introducing Guernsey law and lawyers.
bq. The purpose of this site is to introduce the profession of Guernsey Advocate and Guernsey law itself. You will find on this website an introduction to the Guernsey Bar, contact details for Guernsey firms, an introduction to Guernsey law, and extensive advice about how to deal with a Guernsey Advocate in order to get the best out of that professional relationship. There is also a detailed glossary of legal terms and links to other helpful websites.
I fear quite some of the vocabulary in the law dictionary is familiar from English law (Calderbank offer), but I have been fond of Haro since I first encountered it:
bq. Haro: The Clameur de Haro is an ancient self-help remedy or injunction. Clameur literally indicates a great noise, like the English word clamour. If a wrong is being done by one person to anothers real property (e.g. by trespass (e.g. knocking down a wall) or nuisance (e.g. causing noxious fumes to spread into a neighbouring property) then the person being wronged may drop to his knees in the presence of two witnesses and say the following: Haro! Haro! Haro! À laide mon Prince, on me fait tort. Which means literally Haro! Haro! Haro! Help me my Prince, I am being wronged. The Lords prayer and grace are then recited in French. The appeal is thought to be to the first Norman Duke, Rollon, also known as Rollo, Rolf or Hrolfr. The person against whom the Clameur is raised must stop immediately the action complained of or face proceedings for contempt of court. The person raising the Clameur must register the act with the Court (which may refuse to register the Clameur if wrongly raised) and then commence proceedings against the alleged wrongdoer within a year and a day, or else the clameur will lapse. These days one would only use the Clameur where time did not permit any other more certain remedy and you were very confident of the circumstances. Seek the advice of an Advocate.
Whether it is a good idea to shout out Haro! when noxious fumes are invading your land (what the Germans like to think we call immissions) is another matter.
And usufruit sounds so much fruitier than usufruct, doesn’t it?
(via Delia Venables)