ENGROSSING, in law, an act which, on statute books, when the natural laws of trade were little understood, and political economy not even guessed at, was set down as a crime. It consisted in something similar to what now adays is known as the market* by buying up the crops or the herds wholesale (Fr. en Bros) before they were fit for use, in order to retail them at a great profit when they ma tured and were available for consumption. The offense was not only a statutory offense in Eng land, but a crime in common law, and from the time of Edward VI to that of Queen Anne laws were repeatedly passed for its repression. Even in the last century a prosecution for en grossing was witnessed in an English law court. In 1844 all English, Irish and Scottish statutes, in respect to the offenses known as forestalling, engrossing and regrating, or retailing at a profit, were repealed. In more recent times there has been a good deal of litigation in the United States, and much discussion all over the civilized world with regard to the legality of corporations formed for the express purpose of monopolizing the trade in certain necessities or luxuries of life. (See COMBINATION; MONOP
OLY; RESTRAINT OF TRADE; TRUSTS). Consult Cunningham, W., 'The Growth of English In dustry and Commerce' (3 vols., Cambridge 1903-12) ; Girdler, J. S., 'Observations on the Pernicious Consequences of Forestalling, Re grating and Ingrossing, etc.' (London 1809) ; Illingworth, W., 'An Inquiry into the Laws, Ancient and Modern, Respecting Forestalling, Regrating and Ingrossing, etc.' (London 1800) ; Marwick, Sir J. D., 'On Forestalling, Regrat ing and Engrossing, etc.' (in Society of Anti quaries of Scotland, Proceedings, Session 1902 03, Vol. XXXVII, pp. 145-159, Edinburgh 1903).
The term is also used to denote the careful transcription of a deed, statute, or other legal document in large hand; and is often applied, in the United States, to the final and certified copy of a statute, which is ready to be signed by the President, or the governor of a State.