Defensor

In Civil Law. A defender; one who takes upon himself the defense of another's cause, assuming his liabilities. An advocate in court. In this sense the word is very general in its signification, including advocatus, patronus, procurator, etc. A tutor or guardian. Calv. Lex. In Old English Law. A guardian or protector. Spelman. The defendant; a warrantor. Bracton. In Canon Law. The advocate of a church. The patron. See "Advocatus." An officer having charge of the temporal affairs of the church. Spelman. DEFENSOR CIVITATIS (Lat. defender of the state).

In Roman law. An officer whose business it was to transact certain business of the state. Those officers were so called who, like the tribunes of the people at first, were chosen by the people in the large cities and towns, and whose duty it was to watch over the order of the city, protect the people and the decuriones from all harm, protect sailors and naval people, attend to the complaints of those who had suffered injuries, and discharge various other duties. As will be seen, they had considerable judicial power. Du Cange; Schmidt, Civ. Law, Introd. 16. DEFENSUM (Law. Lat.)

In old English law. An inclosure, or any fenced ground.,2 Mon. Ang. 114; 3 Mon. Ang. 306. Inclusum et positum in defensum, inclosed and put in defense or fence. Bracton, fol. 228. A part of an open field, appropriated to a particular use, as for hay, which was hence said to be in defenso. Cowell. A state of several occupancy or appropriation. Magna Charta, c. 16. Defense, in the old sense of prohibition; a state of prohibition, or in which the use of a thing is prohibited by law. St. Westminster II. c. 47.

In Civil Law. A defender; one who takes upon himself the defence of another's cause, assuming his liabilities. An advocate in court. In this sense the word is very general in its signification, including advocatus, patronus, procurator, etc. A tutor or guardian. Calvinus, Lex. In Old English Law. A guardian or protector. Spelman, Gloss. The defendant; a warrantor. Bracton. In Canon Law. The advocate of a church. The patron. See Advocatus. An officer having charge of the temporal affairs of the church. Spelman, Gloss. DEFENSOR CIVITATIS (Lat. defender of the state). In Roman Law. An officer whose business it was to transact certain business of the state. Those officers were so called who, like the tribunes of the people at first, were chosen by the people in the large cities and towns, and whose duty it was to watch over the order of the city, protect the people other duties. As will be seen, they had considerable Judicial power. Du Cange; Schmidt, Civ. Law, Introd. 16.

In the civil law. A defender; one who assumed the defense of another's case in court. Also an advocate. A tutor or curator.

In canon law. The advocate or patron of a church. An officer who had charge of the temporalities of the church.

In old English law. A guardian, defender, or protector. The defendant in an action. A person vouched in to warranty.

— Defensor civitatis. Defender or protector of a city or municipality. An officer under the Roman empire, whose duty it was to protect the people against the injustice of the magistrates, the insolence of the subaltern officers, and the rapacity.of the money-lenders. Schm. Civil Law, Introd. 16; Cod. 1, 55, 4. He had the powers of a judge, with jurisdiction of pecuniary causes to a limited amount, and the lighter species of offenses. Cod. 1, 55, 1; Nov. 15, e. 3, § 2; Id. c. 6, 1: He had also the care of the public records, and powers similar to those of a notary in regard to the execution of wills and conveyances.

— Defensor fidei. Defender of the faith. See Defender.

I.

In old English law. A defender or defendant; a warrantor of title.

In the canon law. A protector or advocate of a church; a provincial officer having charge of the patrimony of the church; an officer having charge of church temporalities.

In the civil law. A defender; one who defends another in court; a person chosen to prosecute or defend a certain cause; a municipal magistrate having certain judicial powers; a guardian. Defensor ciritatis: a defender or protector of a city or municipality; an officer whose duty it was to protect the people against the injustice of the magistrates, the insolence of the subaltern officers and the rapacity of the money-lenders.

In the civil law. A defender; one who assumed the defense of another’s casein court. Also an advocate. A tutor or curator.

In canon law. The advocate or patron of achurch. An officer who had charge of the temporalities of the church. In old English law. <A guardian, defender, or protector. The defendant in an action. A person vouched in to warranty.

/. A defendant; guardian, protector; warrantor.

Lat. [from defendere, q. v.] In the civil law. A defender; one who defends another in court. A species of advocate, who, without commission, undertook the defence of a reus (defendant or accused person) that was absent. Calvin. Lex. Jurid. A municipal magistrate, having certain judicial powers. Id. Inst. 1. 20. 5. Spelman. A guardian, (tutor, vel curator.) Calv. Lex. Jurid.

In early European law. A protector or guardian. LL. Longobard. lib. 1, tit. 30, l. 13. Spelman.

In old English law. The party accused in an appeal; the defender or defendant. Bract. fol. 141 b. The party warranting another's title in a real action; otherwise called warantus. Id. fol. 257 b.

In the canon law. The protector or advocate of a church, (defensor ecclesiae.) Spelman. See Advocatus. A provincial officer having charge of the patrimony of the church. Spelman. An officer having charge of the temporalities of a parish church. Hence churchwarden, (gardianus ecclesiae.) Id.