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Simple English definitions for legal terms
free socage
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A quick definition of free socage:
Free Socage: A type of land ownership where a person holds land in exchange for providing services to their lord, usually related to farming. This type of ownership was different from knight-service, serjeanty, or frankalmoin. If the services were certain and honorable, it was called free socage. If the services were of a baser nature, it was called villein socage. In 1660, most tenures by knight-service were converted into free socage by law.
A more thorough explanation:
Definition: Free socage is a type of land tenure where a tenant holds lands in exchange for providing the lord with husbandry-related services instead of military service.
For example, if a peasant had to help 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.
Free socage is socage in which the services were both certain and honorable. By the statute 12 Car. 2, ch. 24 (1660), all the tenures by knight-service were, with minor exceptions, converted into free socage.
Villein socage, on the other hand, is socage in which the services, though certain, were of a baser nature than those provided under free socage.
Overall, free socage was a way for tenants to hold lands without having to provide military service, and instead, provide other types of services to the lord.