Definition
An archaic Law French verb meaning "to command" or "to enjoin" — that is, to formally direct or impose an obligation upon a person by judicial or authoritative order. The term appears in medieval Anglo-Norman legal texts as the operative word by which a court or official issued a binding command, equivalent in function to the modern English "enjoin."
Why It Matters in Research
Researchers encountering ENJOYNDRE will find it almost exclusively in primary sources written in Law French — the legal dialect used in English courts from the Norman Conquest through the early modern period. The term appears in procedural passages where a court imposes a condition or command upon a party, often following a judgment or interlocutory ruling. Its significance is grammatical as much as substantive: recognizing ENJOYNDRE as the verbal root of the modern "enjoin" allows a researcher to correctly parse medieval case records, year books, and treatises without mistaking it for a noun or a proper name. Researchers working with Britton — the late thirteenth-century Anglo-Norman legal treatise from which Burrill draws his citation — should expect Law French constructions of this kind throughout. The passage quoted by Burrill ("et puis lour soit enjoynt que si, &c.") illustrates the conditional command structure common in that source: a court first makes a determination, then issues an enjoinder upon the parties contingent on certain conduct. Understanding this construction is essential to reading procedural directions in medieval English equity and common law records accurately.
Historical Dictionary Support
Burrill's Law Dictionary provides the only substantive entry for ENJOYNDRE among the standard historical legal dictionaries. Burrill correctly identifies the term as Law French, supplies a concise translation ("to command; to enjoin"), and anchors the definition with a reference to Britton, chapter 29, with additional cross-references to chapters 70 and 74. The entry is brief but sufficient: ENJOYNDRE is a term of narrow historical use, and Burrill's treatment reflects that. No broader doctrinal content attaches to the word itself — it is a verbal form, not a term of art carrying independent legal significance. Burrill does not comment on the relationship between ENJOYNDRE and the subsequent English development of injunctive relief, which is a gap worth noting. The conceptual lineage from this medieval command verb to the modern equitable injunction is real, but the connection is linguistic and historical rather than doctrinal.
Jurisdictional Note
ENJOYNDRE is a historical term of English legal provenance, specific to the Law French tradition of medieval and early modern English courts. It has no operative role in any modern jurisdiction.