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Simple English definitions for legal terms
free and common socage
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A quick definition of free and common socage:
Free and Common Socage: A type of land ownership where a person holds land in exchange for providing services related to farming instead of military service. It was a type of free tenure that did not fall under knight-service, serjeanty, or frankalmoin. If the duties were fixed, like helping the lord with sowing or reaping at specific times, it was called socage. Free socage was when the services were certain and honorable, while villein socage was when the services were of a baser nature than those provided under free socage.
A more thorough explanation:
Definition: Free and common socage is a type of lay tenure where a tenant holds lands in exchange for providing the lord with husbandry-related service instead of military service.
Example: If a peasant's duties were fixed, such as helping the lord with sowing or reaping at specified times, the tenure was usually called socage. This was originally the tenure of socmen, but it became a generic term for all free services other than knight-service, serjeanty, or spiritual service.
Explanation: The example illustrates how free and common socage was a type of tenure where a tenant provided certain services to the lord in exchange for holding lands. These services were not military-related but rather related to agriculture and husbandry. The example also shows how the term socage was used to refer to all free services other than knight-service, serjeanty, or spiritual service.