Legal Definitions - gavelbred

Gavelbred is a historical legal term referring to a type of rent payment where a tenant provided goods, produce, or services to their landlord instead of money. This form of payment is often described as rent paid "in kind," meaning with actual commodities or provisions rather than currency.

Here are some examples to illustrate the concept of gavelbred:

• Imagine a medieval farmer who leased a plot of land from a local lord. Instead of paying with coins, their tenancy agreement might have stipulated that they provide the lord with ten bushels of wheat and two fat geese from their harvest each year. This arrangement would be an example of gavelbred, as the rent is satisfied by delivering agricultural produce directly to the landlord.

• Consider a family living in a cottage on a large estate during a historical period. Their obligation to the estate owner might have included supplying the manor house with a certain quantity of firewood and a specific number of cured hams annually. This payment in provisions, rather than monetary funds, clearly demonstrates the concept of gavelbred.

• Picture a village artisan, such as a weaver, who rented their workshop space from the wealthiest landowner in the area. Their rental agreement could have required them to provide the landowner's family with three bolts of finely woven cloth each year. This payment in manufactured goods, rather than currency, exemplifies gavelbred.