Legal Definitions - dole-meadow

A dole-meadow refers to a piece of meadowland that is temporarily divided among several individuals or families for a specific purpose, typically for harvesting hay. After the designated task is completed, the land often reverts to common use or is re-allocated for the next period. The term "dole" in this context signifies a share or portion that is distributed.

• Example 1: Medieval Village Hay Harvest
  In a medieval English village, a large, fertile meadow bordering the river might be designated as a dole-meadow. Each spring, before the hay grew tall, the village elders would mark out individual strips within the meadow. Each family in the village would be assigned a specific strip for the summer, allowing them to cut and collect hay for their livestock. Once the hay harvest was complete, the temporary divisions would be removed, and the entire meadow would become common pasture for all village animals until the following spring when the process would repeat. This illustrates a dole-meadow because the land was temporarily divided for a specific purpose (haymaking) and then reverted to communal use.

• Example 2: Inherited Family Custom
  Consider a historical family farm where, for generations, a particular meadow has been managed as a dole-meadow according to an ancient family custom. Each year, the eldest son of the family is granted the exclusive right to harvest hay from the eastern half of the meadow, while the second eldest son harvests from the western half. This arrangement ensures that each generation has access to a vital resource for their own livestock. After the hay is gathered, the entire meadow is then opened up for communal grazing by all the family's sheep and cattle until the next hay season. Here, the dole-meadow concept is demonstrated by the temporary, allocated shares for hay production before the land returns to a broader shared use.

• Example 3: Inter-Hamlet Resource Sharing
  Two neighboring hamlets, separated by a small stream, historically shared a crucial river meadow. To ensure fair access to its valuable hay, they established an agreement centuries ago: in odd-numbered years, Hamlet A would have the exclusive right to harvest hay from the northern half of the meadow, and Hamlet B from the southern half. In even-numbered years, this allocation would reverse. During the non-harvesting periods, the entire meadow was open for grazing by livestock from both hamlets. This arrangement exemplifies a dole-meadow because the land is periodically divided and allocated to different parties for a specific resource (hay), with the shares rotating over time.