Legal Definitions - wanlass

Wanlass refers to a historical form of land tenure, a system prevalent in medieval times where the right to hold land was granted in exchange for specific services rather than monetary rent. Under a wanlass agreement, the tenant's primary obligation was to assist their lord in hunting by actively driving deer or other game towards a designated spot, known as a "stand," where the lord would be positioned to take a shot.

• Imagine Lord Reginald, a powerful medieval baron, owned vast tracts of forested land. He granted a small estate to Sir Alaric, not for a payment of gold or crops, but under a wanlass tenure. This meant that whenever Lord Reginald organized a major deer hunt, Sir Alaric and his retainers were legally bound to participate by strategically herding deer through the woods and guiding them towards Lord Reginald's hunting blind, ensuring his lord had prime opportunities for a successful kill.

• In the historical records of a 14th-century English manor, it might be noted that the inhabitants of the village of Oakhaven held their communal lands under a wanlass arrangement. During the annual autumn hunt hosted by the manor's lord, the villagers were collectively responsible for forming a line of beaters. Their duty was to flush deer from the dense thickets and direct them into specific clearings where the lord and his noble guests were waiting, bows drawn, to engage in the hunt.