Legal Definitions - locatarius

The term locatarius is a historical legal concept referring to an individual who has been entrusted with an item or property for safekeeping by another person. Essentially, it describes the recipient of a deposit, someone who holds something in trust for another.

Here are some examples illustrating the concept of a locatarius:

• Imagine a wealthy merchant in a historical port city who needs to travel for an extended period. Before departing, the merchant deposits a strongbox containing valuable coins and important ledgers with a trusted associate, instructing them to hold these items securely until the merchant's return. In this scenario, the trusted associate would be the locatarius, as they are the person with whom the valuable strongbox has been deposited for safekeeping.

• Consider a landowner in a bygone era who is preparing for a military campaign. The landowner entrusts their family's precious jewels and a collection of rare books to the care of a local monastery for the duration of their absence, seeking the monastery's protection for these valuable assets. Here, the monastery (or the specific monk designated to receive the items) would function as the locatarius, being the entity or individual receiving the deposited valuables.

• Picture a craftsman who has completed a custom piece of furniture for a client but the client is not immediately available to take possession. The craftsman agrees to store the finished furniture in their workshop for a few weeks until the client can arrange pickup. During this period, the craftsman acts as the locatarius, as they are holding the client's property in deposit until it can be retrieved.