Legal Definitions - herdwerch

Herdwerch refers to a historical practice, common in feudal societies, where tenants of a lord were obligated to perform specific, often agricultural or pastoral, labor for the lord without direct payment. This customary service was typically demanded from lower-status tenants, such as shepherds or other agricultural workers, and was performed at the lord's discretion as a condition of their tenancy.

Here are some examples to illustrate herdwerch:

• Imagine a medieval manor where a tenant shepherd, named Elara, holds a small plot of land from the local baron. One spring, the baron's bailiff commands Elara to spend five days guiding the lord's large flock of sheep across several miles to new, richer pastures. This task is unpaid, and Elara is expected to perform it as part of her customary duties to the baron, even though it takes her away from tending her own small flock.

  This situation demonstrates herdwerch because Elara, an "inferior tenant" (a shepherd), is performing "herdsmen's work" (guiding sheep) as a "customary labor" obligation "at the lord's will," without receiving wages for this specific service.

• Consider a feudal village during the autumn harvest. A small farmer, named Thomas, who holds his land from the local count, is required to leave his own fields for a week to help bring in the count's extensive grain harvest. This service is not compensated with wages but is an expected, annual condition of his tenancy, ensuring the count's granaries are filled.

  This scenario exemplifies herdwerch as Thomas, an "inferior tenant," is performing "customary labor" (harvesting) for his lord "at the lord's will," fulfilling an uncompensated obligation tied to his land tenure.