Legal Definitions - chartis reddendis

Chartis reddendis was a historical legal term referring to a specific type of legal order, or writ, used in medieval English law. This writ was issued to compel an individual to return a "charter of feoffment" – a crucial document that formally recorded the transfer or ownership of land.

Essentially, if someone had been entrusted with such a charter but then refused to hand it back to its rightful owner as instructed, the owner could seek a chartis reddendis writ to legally force its return.

• Example 1: The Reluctant Steward

  Imagine a wealthy landowner, Sir Reginald, who has just acquired a new estate. He entrusts the original charter of feoffment, which proves his ownership, to his trusted steward, Master Thomas, for safekeeping while Sir Reginald travels abroad. Upon Sir Reginald's return, Master Thomas, perhaps due to a misunderstanding or a desire to exert control, refuses to hand back the charter. Without this document, Sir Reginald struggles to assert his rights over the land. In this scenario, Sir Reginald would have sought a chartis reddendis writ to legally compel Master Thomas to return the vital land deed.

• Example 2: The Scribe's Ransom

  Consider a situation where a noble family commissions a skilled scribe to create a new, elaborate charter of feoffment for a significant land grant they are making to a younger son. Once the scribe has completed the intricate work, he demands an additional, exorbitant payment beyond their agreed-upon fee, refusing to release the finished charter until his demands are met. The family needs this charter to finalize the land transfer. Here, the family would have applied for a chartis reddendis writ to force the scribe to deliver the document he was holding improperly.

• Example 3: The Uncooperative Trustee

  A knight, Lord Alaric, places his charter of feoffment for a valuable pasture into the temporary custody of a local monastery's abbot. The agreement is that the abbot will hold the charter until a specific debt owed by Lord Alaric to the monastery is fully repaid. Once the debt is settled, Lord Alaric requests the return of his charter, but the abbot, for reasons unknown, refuses to release it, claiming the debt was not fully satisfied or simply ignoring the request. Lord Alaric would then have resorted to a chartis reddendis writ to legally recover his essential proof of land ownership from the abbot.