Legal Definitions - wort

The term wort is an archaic legal term, meaning it is no longer commonly used in modern legal practice. Historically, it referred to a piece of land, specifically in two main contexts:

• A country farm: This encompassed agricultural land along with its associated buildings, such as a farmhouse, barns, and outbuildings.
• A curtilage: This refers to the area of land immediately surrounding a dwelling house, which is used for domestic purposes and is considered part of the house itself for legal purposes (e.g., privacy rights, search and seizure laws). This area is often enclosed or clearly defined.

Here are some examples illustrating the historical use of "wort":

• Example 1 (Country Farm): In a will drafted in England during the 17th century, a landowner might have bequeathed "my entire wort, including the fertile fields, grazing pastures, and the dwelling house with its barns, to my eldest son."

  Explanation: In this context, "wort" refers to the entire country farm, encompassing all the agricultural land and the structures necessary for its operation and habitation, as a single property unit.

• Example 2 (Curtilage): An old property deed from the 18th century might describe the boundaries of a village cottage and its "wort," specifying the small garden, privy, and woodshed immediately adjacent to the dwelling, all enclosed by a low stone wall.

  Explanation: Here, "wort" is used to denote the curtilage—the specific, defined area directly surrounding the cottage that was considered part of the home for daily domestic use, distinct from any larger communal or agricultural lands.

• Example 3 (Historical Land Survey): During a historical land dispute in the early 19th century, surveyors might have referenced old maps that delineated the "wort of the Blacksmith's residence," clearly marking the small plot where the house stood, along with the smithy and a small yard, separate from the common village green.

  Explanation: This example illustrates "wort" as the specific, immediate grounds and associated outbuildings belonging to a dwelling, emphasizing its role in defining the precise extent of a residential property in historical land records.