Legal Definitions - feu

The term feu refers to a historical form of land tenure, predominantly found in Scots law, where a person (the "vassal") was granted a perpetual right to hold and use land from a superior landowner. In return for this perpetual right, the vassal was obligated to provide an annual payment, known as "feu duty," which could be in the form of money, crops, or services. Essentially, it was a long-term, inheritable lease where the tenant owned the buildings on the land but paid a perpetual rent for the land itself. This system of land tenure was abolished in Scotland in 2000.

• Imagine a Scottish laird (landowner) in the 18th century who granted a small parcel of land to a skilled blacksmith. In exchange for the perpetual right to live on and use this land, the blacksmith agreed to maintain all the laird's agricultural tools and horseshoes without additional charge, year after year. This arrangement would be a feu, with the blacksmith's services constituting the feu duty.

• Consider a family in a Scottish village during the 19th century who wished to build a home and establish a small farm. A local estate owner granted them a perpetual right to a plot of land. In return, the family was required to pay an annual sum of money and deliver a portion of their harvest, such as a certain number of bushels of oats, to the estate. This perpetual grant of land in exchange for ongoing payments of money and crops exemplifies a feu.

• Before the year 2000, a developer in a Scottish town acquired a large tract of land from a private estate. Instead of purchasing the land outright, the developer entered into an agreement where they received a perpetual right to build houses on the land. In exchange, the developer, and subsequent homeowners, would pay a fixed annual ground rent to the estate. This arrangement, allowing for permanent use and development of the land in exchange for a fixed, ongoing payment, was a common application of a feu.