Vocabulary for the <I>Magna Carta</I>

Vocabulary for the Magna Carta

Term Meaning

aid revenue paid to the lord, under special circumstances: usually, the lord's ransom; his eldest son's becoming a knight; his eldest daughter's marriage.

amerced To have been punished with a fine at the discretion of the court.

assizes A special court called to determine, generally, guilt or innocence, but most often used to determine the rightful owner of property.

bailiffs The king's officers, often charged with enforcing the law.

bailiwicks The office or district of a bailiff.

barons [five and twenty barons] A group of the upper nobility, who were charged with overseeing the king and the kingdom--though they never formed a long-lasting unit, parliamentary government can be said to begin with them.

burgage The feudal relationship of a town or city to its overlord, often the king; a yearly rent was paid in order to secure the rights and privileges of the municipality

darrein presentment Action of "last presentment" to discover the most recent patron of a church: establishing legitimate heirs through a court trial fixing the last legal determination.

demesne The lord's domain, land that he holds directly, rather than through a vassal.

disafforestation Removal from the royal forest.

disseised Removed from one's land through a court order.

distrain To seize goods pending legal action.

escheat The reversion of a fief to the overlord on the extinction of a line, or simply in the absence of legal heirs.

fee-farm A fixed annual payment. The "borough farm" or "fee-farm" (firma burgi) was the basic lump sum from a town which had to be paid into the Exchequer each year either by the sheriff of the county or by the town's own officials.

freeholders Possessors of an estate for life or more; a property interest longer than a lease for a period of years; an inheritable estate.

guardian Often minor orphans who stood to inherit land were placed by the king under the care of a guardian; the Magna Carta seeks to protect the interest of the orphan.

hundred 1) Anglo Saxon institution. Subdivision of a shire. Theoretically equals one hundred hides (100-120 acres in a hide) but hardly ever that precise dimension. Generally it has their own court which meets monthly to handle civil and criminal law. In Danish is called a wapentakes (at the end, one may take up one's weapons). 2) Subdivision of the shire based on groups of estates adding up to 100 hides: probably artifically imposed in Midlands 900-939, but in the south based on older units. 3) An administrative sub-division of the shire, embracing several vills, and having a court to which men of the hundred owed suit at regular intervals.

John The notorious King John (1199-1216), who possibly had the worst luck of any of the Plantagenets.

L Librum, a pound of silver, divided into twenty shillings of twelve pence. It had a purchasing power of between $500-1000 of our money.

kydells This is a fish-weir.

marches The "Marches" were the border areas between England and Wales; there was a kind of frontier justice prevalent, and the "march lords" had wide powers.

mort d'ancestor Action to discover whether one's ancestor died in possession of land, thus validating his heir's succession.

novel disseisin Action concerning "recent dispossession" of land unjustly and without judgement.

praecipe A "command" from the king, often ordering the surrender of contested land.

"relief" the sum paid to the overlord by the vassal upon coming into the fee.

scutage 1) The sum that the holder of a knight's fee may pay his lord in lieu of military service. Sometimes used as a form of tax. 2) Shield-tax, a tax paid in lieu of military service. 3) Feudal payment in place of knight service in the field. 4) Literally "shield-money"; a payment in lieu of military service, paid in respect of the knights which a tenant-in-chief owed to the Crown. The personal obligation to serve of the tenant-in-chief himself could not be discharged by scutage, but only by fine.

seisen 1) possession of a property. 2) Possession (often contrasted with ownership) of land. 3) The possession of land enjoyed by a person who is "seated" on the land, who is in a position to take what the land produces. Seisin of a freehold is occupation by one other than a tenant in villeinage, a tenant-at-will, a tenant for a term of years, or a guardian. 4) Feudal possession; the exercise and enjoyment of rights deriving from possession, usually of land, held as a freehold (but not as leasehold or a servile tenure). To be "in seisin" was to be "seized of" control of such an estate or other freehold rights. Livery of seisin (i.e., delivery of seisin by a grantor) was usually by some symbolic act. To be disseised was to be ousted from seisin.

serjeancy Petty royal service.

socage The humblest of medieval freehold tenures; the tenant is commonly a free man, an agricultural worker, who owes to his lord money rent or clearly specified agricultural services such as plowing or harvesting.

sureties pledges.

tithings One tenth of a hundred; when a male villager came of age, he was put into a group of ten men, who were responsible for his behavior.

wainage The obligation to carry the king's goods on carts (wains). This could be transformed into a money payment.

wapentake weapons were not allowed at judicial meetings, so this term, which came to mean the same as "hundred," originally referred to the ability to take up one's weapons at the end of the time set aside for court proceedings. The term is used in the Danelaw (area to north and west of England, in Danish control during the Viking Period).

ward An orphan under the protection of a guardian (see, above).

widow "No widow shall be compelled to marry." Technically, the king as tenant-in-chief could choose a husband for a widow who was his vassal; the barons want to stop this practice.

Term	Meaning
aid	revenue paid to the lord, under special circumstances: usually, the lord's ransom; his eldest son's becoming a knight; his eldest daughter's marriage.
amerced	To have been punished with a fine at the discretion of the court.
assizes	A special court called to determine, generally, guilt or innocence, but most often used to determine the rightful owner of property.
bailiffs	The king's officers, often charged with enforcing the law.
bailiwicks	The office or district of a bailiff.
barons [five and twenty barons]	A group of the upper nobility, who were charged with overseeing the king and the kingdom--though they never formed a long-lasting unit, parliamentary government can be said to begin with them.
burgage	The feudal relationship of a town or city to its overlord, often the king; a yearly rent was paid in order to secure the rights and privileges of the municipality
darrein presentment	Action of "last presentment" to discover the most recent patron of a church: establishing legitimate heirs through a court trial fixing the last legal determination.
demesne	The lord's domain, land that he holds directly, rather than through a vassal.
disafforestation	Removal from the royal forest.
disseised	Removed from one's land through a court order.
distrain	To seize goods pending legal action.
escheat	The reversion of a fief to the overlord on the extinction of a line, or simply in the absence of legal heirs.
fee-farm	A fixed annual payment. The "borough farm" or "fee-farm" (firma burgi) was the basic lump sum from a town which had to be paid into the Exchequer each year either by the sheriff of the county or by the town's own officials.
freeholders	Possessors of an estate for life or more; a property interest longer than a lease for a period of years; an inheritable estate.
guardian	Often minor orphans who stood to inherit land were placed by the king under the care of a guardian; the Magna Carta seeks to protect the interest of the orphan.
hundred	1) Anglo Saxon institution. Subdivision of a shire. Theoretically equals one hundred hides (100-120 acres in a hide) but hardly ever that precise dimension. Generally it has their own court which meets monthly to handle civil and criminal law. In Danish is called a wapentakes (at the end, one may take up one's weapons). 2) Subdivision of the shire based on groups of estates adding up to 100 hides: probably artifically imposed in Midlands 900-939, but in the south based on older units. 3) An administrative sub-division of the shire, embracing several vills, and having a court to which men of the hundred owed suit at regular intervals.
John	The notorious King John (1199-1216), who possibly had the worst luck of any of the Plantagenets.
L	Librum, a pound of silver, divided into twenty shillings of twelve pence. It had a purchasing power of between $500-1000 of our money.
kydells	This is a fish-weir.
marches	The "Marches" were the border areas between England and Wales; there was a kind of frontier justice prevalent, and the "march lords" had wide powers.
mort d'ancestor	Action to discover whether one's ancestor died in possession of land, thus validating his heir's succession.
novel disseisin	Action concerning "recent dispossession" of land unjustly and without judgement.
praecipe	A "command" from the king, often ordering the surrender of contested land.
"relief"	the sum paid to the overlord by the vassal upon coming into the fee.
scutage	1) The sum that the holder of a knight's fee may pay his lord in lieu of military service. Sometimes used as a form of tax. 2) Shield-tax, a tax paid in lieu of military service. 3) Feudal payment in place of knight service in the field. 4) Literally "shield-money"; a payment in lieu of military service, paid in respect of the knights which a tenant-in-chief owed to the Crown. The personal obligation to serve of the tenant-in-chief himself could not be discharged by scutage, but only by fine.
seisen	1) possession of a property. 2) Possession (often contrasted with ownership) of land. 3) The possession of land enjoyed by a person who is "seated" on the land, who is in a position to take what the land produces. Seisin of a freehold is occupation by one other than a tenant in villeinage, a tenant-at-will, a tenant for a term of years, or a guardian. 4) Feudal possession; the exercise and enjoyment of rights deriving from possession, usually of land, held as a freehold (but not as leasehold or a servile tenure). To be "in seisin" was to be "seized of" control of such an estate or other freehold rights. Livery of seisin (i.e., delivery of seisin by a grantor) was usually by some symbolic act. To be disseised was to be ousted from seisin.
serjeancy	Petty royal service.
socage	The humblest of medieval freehold tenures; the tenant is commonly a free man, an agricultural worker, who owes to his lord money rent or clearly specified agricultural services such as plowing or harvesting.
sureties	pledges.
tithings	One tenth of a hundred; when a male villager came of age, he was put into a group of ten men, who were responsible for his behavior.
wainage	The obligation to carry the king's goods on carts (wains). This could be transformed into a money payment.
wapentake	weapons were not allowed at judicial meetings, so this term, which came to mean the same as "hundred," originally referred to the ability to take up one's weapons at the end of the time set aside for court proceedings. The term is used in the Danelaw (area to north and west of England, in Danish control during the Viking Period).
ward	An orphan under the protection of a guardian (see, above).
widow	"No widow shall be compelled to marry." Technically, the king as tenant-in-chief could choose a husband for a widow who was his vassal; the barons want to stop this practice.