Grand Coutumier of Normandy

a collection of ancient laws or customs of the Duchy of Normandy, in use in England during the reigns of the early Norman sovereigns, and which still form the basis of the laws of the Channel Isles, which formerly belonged to that duchy. It is supposed to have been compiled subsequently to the reign of Richard I. Grandees, a cla of nobility in the kingdom of Castile, in which the members of the royal family were included. Their honors were ae they held lands from the crown on the tenure of military service, were exempted from taxation, and could leave the kingdom, and even enter the service of a foreign prince at war with Castile, without incurring the penalties of treason. Under Ferdinand and Isabella they were deprived of most of their peculiar privileges; and Charles VY. converted them from an independent feudal nobility into a decourt nobility. Under Joseph onaparte their dignities and privileges were entirely abolished; but they were partially regranted at the subsequent restoration. Grandees are still members of the Spanish senate in their own right.