Legal Definitions - creditrix

Creditrix

In civil law, a creditrix is an archaic term referring specifically to a female creditor. A creditor is an individual or entity to whom money is owed. While the term is no longer in common use, it historically designated a woman who had lent money or extended credit to another party.

Here are some examples illustrating the historical application of this term:

• Imagine a scenario in a historical village where Mrs. Eleanor Vance, a wealthy widow, lent a sum of money to a local farmer to help him purchase new equipment for his fields. In this situation, Mrs. Vance would have been considered the creditrix, as she was the female party to whom the farmer owed the debt.

• Consider a 19th-century merchant family where the wife, Mrs. Beatrice Sterling, managed the family's lending activities. If she provided a loan to a neighboring business owner to expand their shop, Mrs. Sterling would legally be the creditrix because she was the woman who extended the credit and to whom the repayment was due.

• In a historical context, if a woman named Lady Margaret held a mortgage on a piece of property, meaning she had lent money for its purchase and the property served as collateral for the debt, she would have been the creditrix. The individual who borrowed the money and owned the property would owe the debt to her.