Legal Definitions - forprise

Forprise is a historical legal term that referred to an exception or a reservation within a legal document. It was commonly used in property transactions, such as leases (agreements to rent property) and conveyances (the transfer of property ownership). When something was "forprised," it meant that a specific right, area, or condition was explicitly excluded or held back from the general scope of the agreement.

• Example 1: Historical Lease Agreement

  Imagine a 17th-century lease agreement for a large agricultural estate. The landlord grants the tenant the right to farm the land and reside in the manor house for a set period. However, the lease might contain a clause that, using the term "forprise," states that the landlord reserves the exclusive right to quarry stone from a specific hillside on the property, and that particular area is thereby excepted from the tenant's general use of the estate.

  This example illustrates "forprise" as an exception because the landlord explicitly holds back a specific resource (stone) and the right to exploit it from the tenant's otherwise comprehensive leasehold.

• Example 2: Property Conveyance (Sale)

  Consider an 18th-century deed documenting the sale of a large parcel of land from one family to another. While the deed transfers ownership of the entire parcel, it might include a "forprise" indicating that a small, specific plot containing a family chapel and burial ground is excluded from the sale and remains the property of the original seller, or that the seller reserves a perpetual right of way across the sold land to access an adjacent property they still own.

  Here, "forprise" signifies that a particular part of the property (the chapel and burial ground) or a specific right (the right of way) is explicitly excepted or reserved from the transfer of ownership, even though the larger parcel is being conveyed.