Legal Definitions - arriage and carriage

Arriage and Carriage

Arriage and carriage refers to a historical legal concept describing a landlord's right to demand unspecified labor or services from their tenants. These services were not fixed or clearly defined in a contract but could be requested by the landlord as needed. This practice was common in earlier centuries, particularly in feudal and post-feudal systems, but was eventually abolished by statute in the 18th century due to its often exploitative nature.

• Imagine a tenant farmer in 17th-century England who rented land from a local lord. Beyond paying rent, the lord might suddenly demand that the tenant spend three days helping to repair the roof of the lord's manor house, or assist in clearing a new field on the lord's personal estate. This demand for unspecified labor, beyond any agreed-upon rent or fixed duties, would fall under the concept of arriage and carriage.

• Consider a tenant family living on a large estate who owned a sturdy cart and a horse. The estate owner might periodically require the tenant to use their cart and horse to transport goods, such as harvested crops or building materials, from one part of the estate to another, or even to a nearby market town. This obligation to provide transportation services on demand, without a specific prior agreement for each instance, exemplifies arriage and carriage.

• In another scenario, a tenant might be expected to contribute their physical labor to communal projects initiated by the landlord, such as digging new drainage ditches across the landlord's property or helping to construct a new barn for the landlord's use. The indefinite and uncompensated nature of these demanded services, where the tenant's labor could be called upon for various tasks at the landlord's discretion, illustrates the historical burden of arriage and carriage.