Legal Definitions - wood-geld

Wood-geld is a historical legal term that refers to either a payment made for the right to take wood from a forest or, conversely, an exemption from having to make such a payment.

• Meaning 1: A payment for the privilege of taking wood from a forest.

  This aspect of wood-geld involved a fee or tribute paid by an individual or group to the owner of a forest (often a lord or monarch) in exchange for the right to harvest timber, gather firewood, or collect other wood products from that land.

  • Example 1 (Individual Payment): In a medieval manor, a local carpenter needed specific oak timbers to build a new barn. The only suitable trees were in the lord's private woodland. The carpenter negotiated with the lord's steward and paid a sum of silver coins to be allowed to fell three specific oak trees and transport them for his project.

    Explanation: The silver coins paid by the carpenter to the lord's estate for the right to harvest specific timber from the forest represent wood-geld in its form as a payment for the privilege of taking wood.

  • Example 2 (Communal Payment): A small village community, whose homes relied on firewood for heating and cooking, did not own the large forest bordering their settlement. To ensure their continued access to fallen branches and deadwood, the village elders collectively paid an annual tribute, often in kind or labor, to the regional duke who owned the forest.

    Explanation: The annual tribute provided by the village to the duke for the collective right to gather wood from his forest is another instance of wood-geld, illustrating a communal payment for timber access.

• Meaning 2: Immunity or exemption from paying money for this privilege.

  In certain historical contexts, specific individuals, institutions, or communities might have been granted a special right to take wood from a forest without having to pay any fee. This immunity was often a privilege bestowed by a higher authority, such as a monarch or a powerful landowner.

  • Example 3 (Institutional Immunity): A prominent abbey, known for its charitable works and extensive library, received a royal charter from the king. Among its many privileges, the charter explicitly stated that the monks and their dependents were forever exempt from any charges for timber or firewood taken from any royal forest within a day's journey of the abbey.

    Explanation: The abbey's right to harvest wood from royal lands without making any payment, as guaranteed by the royal charter, exemplifies wood-geld in its second meaning – an immunity from paying for this privilege.