Legal Definitions - suling

A suling (also spelled swoling) is a historical unit of land measurement, predominantly used in the county of Kent, England, during the Anglo-Saxon and medieval periods. It represented an area of land generally considered sufficient to support a household or family, and it served as a fundamental basis for assessing taxes, rents, and feudal services. While its precise acreage could vary based on land quality and local custom, it was broadly equivalent to a "hide" in other English regions.

• Example 1: Taxation and Feudal Obligations

  In a 12th-century manorial roll from Kent, a tenant farmer named Thomas was recorded as holding "three sulings" of arable land. This entry determined his annual tax payments to the lord of the manor, as well as the number of days he was required to provide labor service on the lord's demesne fields.

  Explanation: This example demonstrates how the "suling" served as a standardized unit for calculating a tenant's landholding and, consequently, their financial and labor obligations within the feudal system.

• Example 2: Land Grants and Property Description

  A medieval charter from the year 1080 documented a royal grant to a monastery, bestowing upon them an estate described as "five sulings of fertile land near the Stour River, including meadows and woodland." This precise measurement helped define the extent of the monastery's new property and its associated rights.

  Explanation: Here, "suling" is used to quantify a significant land grant, establishing the boundaries and total area of the property being transferred, which was crucial for legal ownership and administration.

• Example 3: Inheritance and Division of Estates

  A 14th-century will from a Kentish landowner specified that his eldest son would inherit "two sulings of the family's best farmland," while his younger daughter would receive "half a suling of pasture and a cottage." This division clearly allocated portions of the estate using the recognized unit of a suling.

  Explanation: This scenario illustrates how "suling" was employed in legal documents like wills to divide and distribute land among heirs, indicating its role as a common and understood measure of land value and extent for property transactions.