Article Nº 1954 Office or position Vol. II · p. 379
Juízes pedâneos (village judges)
Original title: Juízes Pedâneos
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They existed in Madeira and were also called juízes de vintena. They served in villages lying one légua (league, about 5 km) or more from the seat of the termo (municipal jurisdictional district, a subdivision of the comarca), and they judged cases of fines, damages and actions concerning movable property of small value.
Under the absolute regime the judicial district (comarca) was divided into termos, and the termos into vintenas.
There were juízes pedâneos in Ribeira Brava, Câmara de Lobos and Caniço, at the time when these places belonged to the municipality of Funchal, and it was the Municipal Council (Câmara Municipal) that appointed them.