The
Vehmic courts,
Vehmgericht,
holy vehme, or simply
Vehm, also spelt
Feme,
Vehmegericht,
Fehmgericht, are names given to a "proto-
vigilante" tribunal system of
Westphalia in
Germany active during the later
Middle Ages, based on a fraternal organisation of lay judges called “free judges” ( or ). The original seat of the courts was in
Dortmund. Proceedings were sometimes secret, leading to the alternative titles of “secret courts” , “silent courts” , or “forbidden courts” . After the execution of a death sentence, the corpse could be hung on a tree to advertise the fact and deter others.