Legal Definitions - common at large

Common at Large

The term common at large refers to a specific type of "right of common," which is a legal entitlement allowing a person or a group of people to use another individual's land for a particular purpose. What makes this right "at large" is that it is not tied to the ownership of any specific piece of land by the person holding the right. Instead, it belongs to the individual or group personally, existing independently of any property they might own. It's a personal privilege or entitlement to use another's land for a defined purpose, such as grazing animals, fishing, or gathering resources.

• Example 1: Historical Grazing Rights
  In a historic English village, certain families might have held a traditional right to graze their livestock on the village common pasture. This right was passed down through generations within those families, regardless of whether they owned a specific cottage or farm adjacent to the common land. The right belonged to the family members personally, allowing them to use the pasture even if they lived elsewhere in the village or had no direct land ownership connected to the common.

  How this illustrates the term: The right to graze is a "common" because it involves using another's land (the village common). It is "at large" because it is not linked to the ownership of a particular piece of land by the families exercising the right; it's a personal or familial entitlement.

• Example 2: Fishing Club Entitlement
  A local angling club might have a perpetual legal right to fish in a private lake owned by a large estate. The club members do not own any land bordering the lake; their right to fish is granted to the club itself, or its registered members, as a personal privilege. This right exists independently of any property ownership by individual club members.

  How this illustrates the term: The right to fish is a "common" as it involves using another's property (the lake). It is "at large" because the right belongs to the club or its members personally, not because they own any specific land that would naturally grant them access to the lake.

• Example 3: Gathering Firewood
  Consider a situation where a specific community group in a rural area has a long-standing legal right to collect fallen timber for firewood from a particular section of a privately owned forest. This right is not dependent on the group members owning land adjacent to the forest; it is a right granted to the community group itself, allowing its members to gather resources from the forest regardless of their individual property holdings.

  How this illustrates the term: The right to collect timber is a "common" as it involves taking resources from another's land. It is "at large" because this right is held by the community group personally and is not tied to the ownership of any specific land by the individuals exercising the right.