mainpernor

(meɪnˈpɜːnə)

(Law) legal history a person who gives a guarantee that a prisoner will appear in court

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

Mentioned in ?

Mainpernable

References in periodicals archive ?

mainepernour 17th cent variant of 'mainpernor', surety for a prisoner's court appearance (OED)

Buried states

(10) Marlowe would have been summarily arrested and required to stay in the Marshalsea prison if he could not find bail, that is, two people prepared to act not only as mainpernors or sureties for his appearance in court, but also as guarantors liable for the plaintiff's debts and costs should the defendant lose the case and fail to satisfy any judgment against him.

New sightings of Christopher Marlowe in London

When a loan was negotiated, the borrower had to find mainpernors, or pledges, who would stand as surety against payment.