A historical judicial assembly or local government meeting in Anglo-Saxon England.
From Old English har or hearm 'army, multitude' + mot 'meeting or assembly' (from moot). The harmoot was a military muster and justice court combined, serving both military and civilian administrative purposes in early medieval England.
Harmoots are a fascinating window into how early English democracy worked—they were bottom-up assemblies where local people gathered to judge crimes and settle disputes, and they influenced the development of jury trials. The word 'moot' (as in moot point) comes from the same root as harmoot.
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