Legal Definitions - cheze

Cheze is a historical legal term that refers to a homestead or a farmyard. It describes the primary dwelling and the immediate surrounding land where a family resided and often conducted their agricultural activities.

• Imagine a family in 16th-century rural England living on a small plot of land. Their modest cottage, a small barn for their animals, and the enclosed garden where they grew vegetables would collectively be considered their cheze. This term highlights the central, residential, and agricultural core of their property.

• Consider a legal document from the early American colonies, perhaps a deed or a will, that refers to "the grantor's cheze, comprising the main dwelling house and all adjacent outbuildings and cultivated grounds." This usage specifically identifies the core residential and operational area of a farm property being transferred or inherited, distinguishing it from larger, undeveloped tracts of land.

• In a historical context, if a local ordinance mentioned maintaining the cleanliness of one's cheze, it would be referring to the immediate area around a person's home and farm buildings. This would include the yard, the space between the house and barn, and any small enclosures for livestock, emphasizing the direct living and working space of the inhabitants.