About the year 1000, hundreds and shires were the dominant and probably the only local assemblies for doing legal and other business in England.
These can be seen clearly by the early twelfth century, and were the basis from which the later ma.
However, this simple pattern did not last long, for Lords established separate Courts which allowed them to manage and discipline their dependents without external interference, and therefore to intensify and redefine their claims over their dependents.
About the year 1000, hundreds and shires were the dominant and probably the only local assemblies for doing legal and other business in England