Legal Definitions - cornage

Cornage refers to a historical legal term with a few distinct meanings, primarily related to medieval landholding and feudal obligations in England. It describes specific types of service or rent owed by a tenant to a landowner.

• Military Service (Horn Blowing)

  In its most common sense, cornage was a type of land tenure where a tenant held land in exchange for a specific military duty: to blow a horn to warn others of approaching enemies. This obligation was particularly common in border regions, such as along the Scottish frontier, where early warning of invasions was crucial.

  • Example 1: A family living on a small estate overlooking a strategic coastal bay in medieval England held their land under cornage. Their duty was to maintain a constant vigil and, upon sighting any hostile ships, immediately sound a large horn from their watchtower to alert the nearest lord and villagers.
    Explanation: This illustrates cornage as a military service where land is held in exchange for the specific duty of providing an early warning signal using a horn.
  • Example 2: A feudal lord granted a parcel of land to a retainer situated at a mountain pass. The agreement stipulated that the retainer's primary obligation, a form of cornage, was to keep watch for raiding parties from a neighboring territory and use a horn to signal their approach to the castle further down the valley.
    Explanation: Here, the retainer's landholding is directly tied to the specific defensive service of horn-blowing to warn of invaders, fitting the definition of cornage.
• Rent Based on Horned Cattle

  Another historical meaning of cornage refers to a form of land tenure where the rent or tribute owed by a tenant to their landowner was determined by the number of horned cattle (such as cows or oxen) the tenant owned or grazed on the land.

  • Example 1: A farmer in the 12th century leased extensive pasture land from a local abbey. The annual payment for this land was not a fixed sum of money or grain, but rather a calculation based on the size of his herd of horned livestock, a payment system known as cornage.
    Explanation: This example demonstrates cornage as a form of rent where the amount owed is directly linked to the number of horned cattle possessed by the tenant.
  • Example 2: Records from a medieval manor show that villagers who used communal grazing fields were required to pay a collective tribute to the lord. This tribute, sometimes referred to as cornage, was assessed each year by counting the total number of horned animals belonging to the villagers that grazed on the lord's land.
    Explanation: Here, cornage represents a communal payment or tribute, the value of which is determined by the count of horned cattle, illustrating this specific sense of the term.
• Occasional Tribute of Grain

  Less commonly, cornage could also refer to a tribute or payment of grain (corn) that was due only on special, infrequent occasions, rather than as a regular, ongoing service or rent. This was distinct from routine agricultural services.

  • Example 1: When a new bridge was constructed over a major river, the local baron levied a special, one-time "cornage" on the surrounding villages, requiring each household to contribute a measure of grain to help fund the project, separate from their usual feudal dues.
    Explanation: This illustrates cornage as an extraordinary, occasional demand for grain, not a regular or recurring payment.
  • Example 2: Following a particularly bountiful harvest after a period of scarcity, a monarch might have historically demanded a special "cornage" from certain agricultural regions – a specific contribution of grain to replenish royal stores or feed the army, which was not part of any regular taxation or service.
    Explanation: This example shows cornage as an infrequent, special levy of grain, distinct from standard feudal obligations or rents.