cupar justice
Preserved but no longer current.
Same as "Jedburgh justice," hang first and try afterwards. It is sometimes called "Cowper law," and it had its rise from a baron-baile in Coupar-Angus, before heritable jurisdictions were abolished. Abmgdon Law is a similar phrase. It is said that Major-General Browne, of Abingdon, in the Commonwealth, first hanged his prisoners and then tried them. See JEDWOOD JUSTICE; LYDFORD LAW.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “cupar justice” mean?
Same as "Jedburgh justice," hang first and try afterwards. It is sometimes called "Cowper law," and it had its rise from a baron-baile in Coupar-Angus, before heritable jurisdictions were abolished. Abmgdon Law is a similar phrase. It is said that Major-General Browne, of Abingdon, in the Commonwealth, first hanged his prisoners and then tried them. See JEDWOOD JUSTICE; LYDFORD LAW.
Is “cupar justice” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.