Legal Definitions - apportum

Apportum is a historical legal term referring to the financial benefit, such as revenue, profit, or emolument, that an asset, property, or right generates for its owner. It describes the yield or return derived from something possessed.

Here are some examples to illustrate this concept:

• Imagine a landowner in the 17th century who leased out several plots of agricultural land to tenant farmers. The regular payments of rent received from these tenants would be considered the apportum of the land, representing the revenue it brought to the owner.

• Consider a town clerk in a medieval borough who was entitled to collect specific fees for registering documents or performing official duties. The total sum of these fees, which constituted the income derived from holding that public office, would be the apportum of their position.

• In a historical context, if a merchant owned a thriving water mill that processed grain for the local community, the net income generated from charging for milling services, after deducting operational costs, would be the apportum of the mill, as it represents the profit it yielded for its owner.