Legal Definitions - husgablum

Husgablum is a historical Old English term referring to a tax or tribute levied upon a house. It could also denote the rent paid for a house.

Husgablum

Husgablum refers to a historical payment, either a tax or a form of rent, specifically associated with a house or dwelling. It was a financial obligation levied upon the property or its inhabitants.

• Imagine a medieval village where the local lord, as part of his feudal rights, required every household to pay an annual sum for the privilege of residing on his land. This mandatory yearly payment, directly linked to the occupation of a house, would be considered a husgablum. It functions here as a tribute or tax on the dwelling.

• Consider a scenario where a tenant farmer rented a small cottage and a plot of land from a wealthy estate owner. The regular monetary payments made by the farmer to the estate owner specifically for the use of the cottage, separate from any agricultural rent, would also be an example of husgablum. In this context, it represents the rent paid for the house itself.

• During a period of royal financial strain, a monarch might have decreed a special, one-time levy on all residential properties within a specific shire to fund a public project or military campaign. This direct tax imposed on each house, regardless of its occupant's income, would historically be termed a husgablum, serving as a specific house-based tribute.