A Short Dictionary of Medieval Terms
A
- Advowson: the right of a patron to present to the bishop a nominee for appointment to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice. See Wikipedia for more.
- Appurtenance: a right, privilege or improvement belonging to a property
- Assize: or assize of mort d'ancestor, was a legal action brought by the relative of a deceased property owner to try to regain title to land that was currently held (often entirely legally) by someone else. Wikipedia.
- Assize of novel disseisin: a claim to recover land that had been dispossesed, established by Henry II in the wake of the Clarendon Assize. Wikipedia.
C
- Cartulary: a manuscript containing transcripts of charters, usually relating to land and property held by the church or religious house. Wikipedia
- Carucate: an old English unit of land area, used particularly in Suffolk, Norfolk, York, Lincoln, Derby, Nottingham and Leicestershire, that typically corresponded to one hide, or 120 acres
- Court leet: a type of medieval court which unlike a manorial court baron could handle criminal acts. Wikipedia.
D
- Danelaw: the part of England that was under Danish rule in the 9th and 10th centuries, roughly coinciding with the present-day East Midlands (including Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire). Wikipedia.
- Demesne: under the feudal system, all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor for his own use and occupation or support, as distinguished from the land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. Wikipedia.
E
- Essoin: in old English law, an excuse for not appearing in court. Wikipedia.
F
- Fee, also fief: a unit of land deemed sufficient to support one knight. Wikipedia
- Feoffee: a trustee who holds a fee or fief. Wikipedia
- Feoffment: a deed by which a person was given land in exchange for a pledge of service. Wikipedia
Also known as infeftment
- Fine: also fine of lands, was a type of property conveyance in use in England (and later, Wales) from the 12th century until its abolition in 1833. It allowed one party (the property owner) to sell land to another party, accompanied by legal documents that could be used to prove the transfer of ownership. Feet of fines were the archival copies of a fine (which consisted of three copies, one for each party and one at the foot of the page for archival). Wikipedia
Also known as Final concord.
- Forinsec: Describing the service owed to the superior of one's feudal lord. Obligations under feudal law, including military service, the supply of labour and certain payments.
G
- Glebe: an area of land within a parish, used exclusively to support the parish priest. See Wikipedia.
H
- Hide: an old English unit of land area, commonly 120 acres
- Honour: a large barony containing a significant castle. Wikipedia.
- Hundred: an division of a shire for military and judicial purposes; until 1894, hundreds were the only widely-used assessment unit intermediate between parish and county. Wikipedia
J
- Justice in eyre: the highest magistrate in medieval law, presiding over the court of justice-seat. There were two at any one time. Wikipedia.
L
M
- Messuage: premises / tract of land with the buildings thereon / a building or part of a building usually with its appurtenances
O
- Oxgang: a unit of land, roughly 20 acres (but could be as low as 15); typically used in the Danelaw. Wikipedia.
R
- Resignation: occurred when a vassal surrendered his estate to the superior, either ad remanentiam, permanently, or in favorem, where the intention was that the superior should make a new grant, by a charter of resignation, in favour of another, probably a purchaser from the person resigning the land. More info
S
- Seise: to be in legal possession of something; to have or receive freehold possession of property.
See also Assise of novel disseisin
- Soke and socage: a legal term of Anglo-Saxon, denoting the right to hold a court. Wikipedia
- Subinfeudation: the practice by which tenants, holding land under the king or other superior lord, carved out new and distinct tenures in their turn by sub-letting or alienating a part of their lands. Past tense is sub-enfeoffed. Wikipedia
T
- Tacksman: in Scotland, a tacksman was a landholder of intermediate legal and social status, below a laird. He generally paid yearly rent for his land, but would often be related to his landlord (i.e. belonging to a cadet branch of the family).
U
- Umquhile: archaic, chiefly Scottish term meaning "former, late or deceased"
W
- Wapentake: an administrative division, found in the Danelaw region, that was roughly equivalent to an Anglo-Saxon Hundred. Wikipeda.