Legal Definitions - free-bord

Free-bord is a historical legal term referring to a narrow strip of land, typically about two and a half feet wide, situated immediately outside a property owner's fence or boundary wall. It also refers to the legal right of the property owner to claim and use this specific strip of land.

Historically, this concept allowed property owners to maintain their fences or walls, manage drainage, or prevent encroachment without technically overstepping their official property line onto an adjacent neighbor's land or common ground. It provided a small, practical buffer zone for such purposes.

• Imagine a farmer in medieval England who built a wooden fence around their cultivated fields to keep livestock contained. The free-bord would be the narrow strip of land just outside this fence. This allowed the farmer or their workers to walk along the fence line to inspect for damage, make repairs, or clear weeds without technically stepping onto the neighboring lord's land or a common pasture. It provided a practical allowance for essential fence maintenance.

• Consider an old manor house with a substantial stone wall enclosing its formal gardens. The estate owner would have the right to the free-bord, the small strip of land immediately outside this wall. This right would permit them to clear ivy or other vegetation growing on the exterior of the wall, ensure proper drainage at the base of the wall, or make structural repairs without needing explicit permission from the owner of the adjacent property or encroaching on public land.

• In a historical village setting, a homeowner might have erected a fence to delineate their small yard from a public pathway or a neighbor's plot. The concept of free-bord would grant that homeowner the right to utilize the very narrow strip of land directly beyond their fence. This could be used, for example, to allow for the slight overhang of a roof eave, to dig a small trench for rainwater runoff, or simply to maintain a clear boundary without technically owning that specific sliver of land according to their deed.