Legal Definitions - perquisitor

A perquisitor is a historical legal term referring to an individual who acquires a specific estate or property through means other than hereditary succession. This typically involves obtaining the property by purchase, gift, or other non-inherited methods, making them the initial owner of that particular estate through such a transaction.

• Example 1: In the 16th century, Sir Reginald, a successful merchant, purchased a large tract of undeveloped land from a local baron. This land had never been part of Sir Reginald's family holdings, and he intended to build a grand manor house on it.

  Explanation: Sir Reginald is considered a perquisitor because he acquired the estate (the land) through a direct purchase, rather than inheriting it from his ancestors. He is the first in his family line to own this specific property through such a transaction.

• Example 2: Lady Isabella, a favored lady-in-waiting to the Queen in the 14th century, was granted a valuable manor and its surrounding lands by royal decree as a reward for her loyal service. Her family had no prior claim or ownership of this particular estate.

  Explanation: Lady Isabella acts as a perquisitor because she acquired the estate through a gift (a royal grant), not through inheritance. She is the initial acquirer of this property in her family's possession via this non-hereditary method.

• Example 3: A farmer named Thomas, in the late 17th century, exchanged a smaller, less fertile plot of land he had inherited from his father for a larger, more productive farm owned by a neighboring landowner. The new, larger farm was not part of Thomas's ancestral holdings.

  Explanation: Although Thomas already owned land, his acquisition of the *new*, larger farm through an exchange (a form of transaction) makes him a perquisitor with respect to that specific new estate. He is acquiring it by means other than inheritance from his direct lineage, becoming its first owner through that particular acquisition.