| Term |
Meaning |
| aid | dues owed by the tenants to their new lord when the old lord had died or retired (to help the lord with the "relief" [see below] that he must pay) |
| allod | holding a land free of feudal obligations |
| assizes | A special court called to determine, generally, guilt
or innocence, but most often used to determine the rightful owner of
property. |
baillis | royal officers charged with administering a disctrict in the name of the lord |
| cotter | tenant on a manor having a cottage ("cot") |
| croft | an area of land adjacent to a cottage, which could be independently farmed |
| demesne | the lord's domain; land that he possesses outright,
as opposed to the land that he leases to tenants |
| fealty | faith [Latin, fidelitas], fidelity to the lord |
| fief (fee) | a reward (or "benefice"), a grant of land or office
offered in return for support and service | "
| heriot | the duty owed the lord on the death of a tenant (like relief) |
| hide | approximately the amount of land needed to feed a family (between 40 and 125 acres, by account usually 120) |
| homage | "promise to keep faith" [from homo, homme, to become someone's man] |
| liege | lord who was entitled to receive primary service (compare "allegiance") |
| manor | usually a village, a fief of a lord |
| mark | thirteen shillings, four pence (160 d.) [8 ounces of silver] |
| messuage | a section of land surrounding the manor house, containing
outbuildings |
| novel disseisin | Action concerning "recent dispossession" of land
unjustly and without judgement. |
| penny [1 d.] | a 240th of a 12-ounce pound of silver (Troy == 1 pennyweight) |
pound [1 l.] | 12 ounces of silver (Troy) |
| precipe in capite | a court trial ("action") to
determine who has a right to the land: hence, an "Action of Right". |
| reeve | the manager of a manor in the land holder's absence |
| relief | dues owed to the overlord when a vassal dies or retires |
revenue farmers | collectors of rent; the right was "farmed" out to them |
| rod | one quarter acre (35 yards by 35 yards) |
| "sake and soke" | a basic right of the lowest freeholder (as
opposed to a serf, who was tied to the land)
|
| seisen |
possession (but not ownership) of land; the exercise and enjoyment of rights
deriving from possession, usually of land, held as a freehold (but not as
a serf's tenure). To be "in seisin" was to be "seized of"
control of such an estate or other freehold rights. Livery of seisin (i.e.,
the delivery of seisin by a lord) was usually by some symbolic act. To be
disseised was to be ousted from seisin. |
sergeant | a king's officer, with military duties |
shilling [1 s.] | one twentieth of a pound of silver (Troy);
also a unit of weight [== 3/5 ounce] |
| tallage | toll paid the lord |
| tenancy-in-chief | tenure directly under the overlord, in this
case, the King |
| tenure | using [from tenire, to hold] land or an office |
| vassal | one who holds a fief (Latin, vassus == servant") |
| vill | township, manor |
| villein | villager, with more land than a cottager |
| virgate | one fifth of a hide |