Gavelling sharply, the judge restored order to the chaotic courtroom.

The gavelman appealed to the lord, insisting that the recent levy exceeded what any such tenant should be required to pay.

The gavelmen at the estate sale moved swiftly, calling bids and closing lots with practiced taps.

The legal historian examined how several gavelkinds shaped land inheritance practices in medieval England.

The gavel-to-gavel coverage of the trial kept the public informed from opening statements to the verdict.

Under medieval Kentish law, gavelkind ensured that when a tenant died intestate his land was divided equally among all his sons.