Simple English definitions for legal terms
Read a random definition: NCCUSL
Chief rents were a type of small, yearly payment that freeholders of a manor had to make to the lord. It was like a rent that had to be paid every year. However, in 1922, chief rents were abolished and are no longer required to be paid.
Chief Rents
Chief rents refer to a small, fixed, and annual rent that a freeholder of a manor pays to the lord. It is also known as an annual quit rent. However, chief rents were abolished in 1922.
For instance, if a person owned a freehold property in a manor, they would have to pay a small amount of money to the lord every year. This payment is known as a chief rent. For example, if a person owned a freehold property in a manor, they might have to pay £5 per year to the lord as a chief rent.
Another example is if a person owned a freehold property in a manor, they might have to pay a chief rent of a few pence or shillings per year. This payment was usually made in cash or kind, such as a chicken or a bushel of wheat.
These examples illustrate how chief rents were a way for lords to collect a small amount of money from freeholders every year. This payment was a way for lords to maintain their authority over the manor and its inhabitants.