Lydford Law
Preserved but no longer current.
Punish first and try afterwards. Lydford, in the county of Devon, was a fortified town, where were held the courts of the Duchy of Cornwall. Offenders against the stannary laws were confined before trial in a dungeon so loathsome and dreary that they frequently died before they could be brought to trial. Cp. CUPAR JUSTICE.
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 “Lydford Law” mean?
Punish first and try afterwards. Lydford, in the county of Devon, was a fortified town, where were held the courts of the Duchy of Cornwall. Offenders against the stannary laws were confined before trial in a dungeon so loathsome and dreary that they frequently died before they could be brought to trial. Cp. CUPAR JUSTICE.
Is “Lydford Law” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.