Simple English definitions for legal terms
Read a random definition: line of demarcation
Year, Day, and Waste: A long time ago, when someone did a really bad thing like hurting or killing someone, the King or Queen would take their land and keep all the money it made for a year and a day. They would also let the land become all messy and not take care of it. After that time, the land would be given back to the person who owned it before, but they would have to pay the King or Queen some money to get it back. This rule was stopped in 1814.
Definition: Year, day, and waste is a historical right of the Crown to take the profits and waste of the land of people who were convicted of petty treason or felony for a year and a day. After that time, the Crown had to return the property to the lord of the fee. This right was abolished by the Corruption of Blood Act of 1814.
Example: If someone was convicted of a crime, their land could be taken by the Crown for a year and a day. During that time, the Crown would collect any profits from the land and could allow it to become waste or unused. After the year and a day, the land would be returned to the original owner or their lord.
Explanation: This example illustrates how the right of year, day, and waste worked in practice. It shows how the Crown could take control of someone's land for a limited time and use it for their own benefit. However, the original owner or their lord would eventually regain control of the land.