Legal Definitions - cotland

Cotland is a historical legal term referring to a small parcel of land traditionally held by a cottager, who was typically a rural laborer or peasant. This land was not owned outright but held under a system of tenure, meaning the cottager had rights to use the land in exchange for specific obligations to a lord or landowner. These obligations varied significantly, ranging from regular rent payments (known as socage tenure) to providing labor services on the lord's estate (known as villeinage tenure), which reflected different degrees of personal freedom and dependency for the cottager.

• Imagine a village in 14th-century England. A man named Thomas, who earned his living as a cooper (barrel maker), lived in a small cottage. He held a small plot of land, just enough for a kitchen garden and a few fruit trees, from the local manor lord. Each year, Thomas paid a fixed sum of silver coins to the lord for the right to occupy and cultivate this land.

  This plot of land is an example of cotland. Thomas, as a cottager, held this small parcel under socage tenure, where his primary obligation was a monetary payment rather than extensive labor service, granting him a degree of personal freedom in how he managed his time and resources.

• Consider Eleanor, a widow living in a humble dwelling on the edge of a large estate in 12th-century England. Her small patch of land, which provided her with some vegetables and herbs, was granted to her by the lord of the manor. In return, Eleanor was obligated to spend several days each week working in the lord's fields, harvesting crops or tending livestock, and she could not leave the estate without the lord's permission.

  Eleanor's small plot is also an example of cotland. She held it under villeinage tenure, meaning her right to the land was tied to providing labor services to the lord, and she had limited personal freedom, characteristic of a villein's dependent status.