Legal Definitions - reddendo

In Scots law, a reddendo refers to an obligation, duty, or service owed by a landholder (historically known as a "vassal") to a superior landowner (the "superior") as part of a land grant or charter. It can also refer to the specific clause within the legal document that outlines this obligation. These duties could range from monetary payments (such as rent or "feu duty") to specific services or even symbolic gestures, all serving to acknowledge the superior's ultimate ownership of the land.

• Example 1: Service Obligation

  Imagine a historical scenario where a Scottish laird (the superior) granted a parcel of land to a tenant farmer (the vassal) through a formal charter. The charter included a reddendo clause stating that, in addition to a small annual monetary payment, the tenant was required to provide two weeks of labor each year to help maintain the laird's main estate grounds. This labor was a direct acknowledgment of the laird's superior title to the land.

  This example illustrates reddendo in two ways: it is both the specific clause within the land charter and the actual service (two weeks of labor) that the tenant owed to the laird, demonstrating a non-monetary duty tied to land ownership.

• Example 2: Feu Duty Payment

  Centuries ago, a prominent Scottish family received a large grant of land from a powerful noble. The original charter stipulated a reddendo requiring them to pay a fixed annual sum, known as "feu duty," to the noble's descendants in perpetuity, even if the land was subsequently sold. This payment was a perpetual acknowledgment of the noble family's original superior title to the land.

  Here, reddendo refers to the clause in the original land grant and the ongoing financial obligation (the feu duty) that the landholders owed to the superior, showcasing its application to a specific type of rent or payment.

• Example 3: Symbolic Gesture

  Consider a historic Scottish estate that was granted to a new owner by the Crown many centuries ago. The original charter contained a reddendo clause specifying that the owner, and all subsequent owners of the estate, must present a single red rose to the monarch's representative on a specific day each year. This symbolic act was a perpetual acknowledgment of the Crown's ultimate superior ownership of the land.

  This example demonstrates reddendo as both the clause within the charter and the specific, symbolic duty (presenting a rose) owed by the landholder to the superior, highlighting that the obligation could be non-monetary and serve as a symbolic recognition of superior title.