Legal Definitions - socman

A socman (pronounced SOK-man) was a historical term, primarily used in medieval England, to describe a person who held land under a specific type of land tenure known as socage.

Unlike other forms of landholding that required military service (like knight service), socage tenure typically involved providing non-military services or making payments, such as rent in money or agricultural produce, or performing specific labor duties for the landowner (often a lord or the Crown). Therefore, a socman was essentially a free tenant who held land in exchange for a defined, non-military obligation.

Here are some examples to illustrate the concept of a socman:

• Example 1: The Rent-Paying Farmer
  Imagine a farmer named John in 13th-century England. John cultivates a plot of land that belongs to the local baron. Instead of joining the baron's army or providing military support, John's agreement is to pay a fixed annual sum of silver coins to the baron for the right to live on and farm the land. In this scenario, John would be considered a socman because he holds his land through a monetary payment rather than military service.

• Example 2: The Labor-Providing Villager
  Consider a villager named Alice in the 14th century who holds a small cottage and an adjacent garden plot from the manor lord. Her tenure agreement stipulates that she must spend a certain number of days each year working in the lord's fields during planting and harvest seasons, or perhaps maintain a section of the manor's fences. Alice, by providing these specific agricultural labor services in exchange for her land, would be functioning as a socman.

• Example 3: The Specialized Service Provider
  In some historical contexts, a family might hold a parcel of land with a very specific, non-military duty attached. For instance, a family might hold land in exchange for ensuring a particular bridge on the lord's estate is always in good repair, or for providing a certain quantity of firewood to the lord's castle each winter. The head of such a household, fulfilling these precise, non-military obligations for their land, would be recognized as a socman.