Jurors

   1. Jurors ( jurés, geschworenen) were bourgeois citizens of Brussels appointed by the duke of Brabant beginning in 1235 to assist in municipal administration, including the maintenance of the public peace and the regulation of trade. The college of jurors consisted of 13 members. It proved short-lived as it was discontinued by the end of the century, its authority supplanted by the college of aldermen. It was briefly revived in the 14th century.

   2. Jurors were leaders of the craft guilds who, beginning in the 14th century, were nominated by their peers and appointed by the deans for the crafts engaged in cloth production and by the seven city aldermen for all other trades. They served one-year terms, eligible for reappointment after a long interval. Jurors assembled in a consultative body that served as an adviser to the magistracy. They acquired some share in decision making in the mid-15th century. From 1513, jurors were required to be chosen from the richest members of the guilds.

   See also Government.