CURFEW (French, couvre, to cover, and feu, fire). This is generally supposed to be an institution of William the Conqueror, who required, by ringing of the bell at eight o'clock in the evening, that all lights and fires in dwellings should then he extinguish ed. But the custom is evidently older than the Norman; for we find an order. of King Alfred that the inhabitants of Oxford should at the ringing of that bell cover up their fires and go to bed.- And there is evidence that the same practice prevailed at this pe riod in France, Normandy, Spain, and prob ably in most of the other countries of Europe. Henry, Hist. of Britain, vol. 3, 567. It was doubtless intended as a precaution against fires, which were very frequent and destruc tive when most houses were built of wood.
That it was not intended as a badge of in famy is evident from the fact that the law was of equal obligatioU upon the nobles of court and upon the native-born serfs. And yet we find the name of curfew law employ ed as a by-word denoting the most odious tyranny.
The curfew is spoken of in 1 Social Eng land 373, as having been ordained by Wil liam I. in order to prevent nightly gather ings of the people of England.
It appears to have met with so much op position that in 1103 we find Henry I. repeal ing the enactment of his father on the sub ject; and Blackstone says that, though it is mentioned a century afterwards, It is rather spoken of as a time of night than as a still subsisting custom. Shakespeare fre
quently refers to it in the same sense. This practice is still pursued, in 'many parts of England (Lincoln's Inn, among them) and of this country, as a very convenient mode of apprising people of the time of night. It was enacted in Utah (1903) and other states.
In Roman Law. One of the divi sions of the Roman people. The Roman peo ple were divided by Romulus into three tribes and thirty curia: the members of each curia were united by the tie of common religious rites, and also by certain common political and civil powers. Dion. Hal. 1. 2, p. 82; Liv. 1. 1, cap. 13; Plut. in Roinulo, p. 30; Festus Brisson, in In later times the word signified the sen ate or aristocratic body of the' provincial cities of the empire. Brisson, in verb.; Or tolan, Histoire, no. 25, 408; Ort. Inst. no. 125.
The senate-house at Rome ; the senate house of a provincial city. Cod. 10. 31. 2; Spelman, Gloss.
In English Law. The king's court ; the palace; the royal household. The residence of a noble ; a manor or chief manse; the hall of a manor. Spelman, Gloss.
A court of justice, whether of general or special jurisdiction. Pieta, lib. 2, 1. 72, § 1; Feud. lib. 1, 2, 22.; Spelman ; Cowell ; 3 Bla. Com. c. iv. See COURT.
A court-yard or enclosed piece of ground ; a close. Stat. Edw. Conf. 1, 6; Bracton, 76, 222 b, 335 b, 356 b, 358; Spelman, Gloss. See