| English feudalism |
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| Manorialism |
| Feudal land tenure in England |
| Feudal duties |
| Feudalism |
Copyhold was a form of customary land ownership common from the Late Middle Ages into modern times in England. The name for this type of land tenure is derived from the act of giving a copy of the relevant title deed that is recorded in the manorial court roll to the tenant, rather than the actual land deed itself. The legal owner of the manor land remained the mesne lord, who was legally the copyholder, according to the titles and customs written down in the manorial roll.[1][2] In return for being given land, a copyhold tenant was required to carry out specific manorial duties or services. The specific rights and duties of copyhold tenants varied greatly from one manor to another and many were established by custom. By the 19th century, many customary duties had been replaced with the payment of rent.
Copyhold was directly descended from the feudal system of villeinage which involved giving service and produce to the local lord in return for land. Although feudalism in England had ended by the early 1500s,[3] forms of copyhold tenure continued in England until being completely abolished by the Law of Property Act 1925.
- ^ Wilkes, J. (1815). "Lord". Encyclopaedia Londinensis. Vol. 13. J. Wilkes, 1815. p. 661. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
Lord is also a title ... Lord mesne is he that is owner of a manor, and by virtue thereof hath tenants holding of him in fee, and by copy of court-roll; and yet holds himself of a superior lord called lord paramount.
- ^ "Reports of cases: House of Lords". The Jurist. 10 (1). S. Sweet: 893–895. 1865. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
- ^ Salmon, J. H. M. (1979). "The End of Feudalism". Society in Crisis: France in the Sixteenth Century. pp. 19–26.