socage

socage
/sok"ij/, n. Medieval Eng. Law.
a tenure of land held by the tenant in performance of specified services or by payment of rent, and not requiring military service.
Also, soccage.
[1275-1325; ME sokage < AF socage, equiv. to soc SOKE + -age -AGE]

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▪ law
      in feudal English property law, form of land tenure in which the tenant lived on his lord's land and in return rendered to the lord a certain agricultural service or money rent. At the death of a tenant in socage (or socager), the land went to his heir after a payment to the lord of a sum of money (known as a relief), which in time became fixed at an amount equal to a year's rent on the land. Socage is to be distinguished from tenure by knight service, in which the service rendered was of a military nature, although, by statute in 1660, all knight-service tenure became socage tenure. In time, most of the land in England came to be held in socage tenure. In the United States, lands in the early colonies were given in socage, particularly in Pennsylvania, where the royal charter given to William Penn created a socage tenure with an annual rent of two beaver skins for the land. After the American Revolution, lands held in socage tenure from the crown were deemed to be held by the state as sovereign, and several states passed statutes or enacted constitutional provisions abolishing tenure.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Socage — was one of the feudal duties and hence land tenure forms in the feudal system. A farmer, for example, held the land in exchange for a clearly defined, fixed payment to be made at specified intervals to his feudal lord, who in turn had his own… …   Wikipedia

  • Socage — Soc age, n.[From {Soc}; cf. LL. socagium.] (O.Eng. Law) A tenure of lands and tenements by a certain or determinate service; a tenure distinct from chivalry or knight s service, in which the obligations were uncertain. The service must be certain …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • socage — [säk′ij] n. [ME: see SOKE & AGE] a medieval English system of land tenure in which a tenant held land in return for a fixed payment or for certain stated nonmilitary services to his lord …   English World dictionary

  • socage — /sowkaj/ A species of tenure, in England, whereby the tenant held certain lands in consideration of certain inferior services of husbandry to be performed by him to the lord of the fee. In its most general and extensive signification, a tenure by …   Black's law dictionary

  • socage — Land tenure by nonmilitary service. See common socage; free socage; guardian in socage; simple socage …   Ballentine's law dictionary

  • socage — soc•age [[t]ˈsɒk ɪdʒ[/t]] n. law (in medieval England) the system permitting a tenant to hold land in exchange for specified services or the payment of rent, and not requiring military service on behalf of the lord • Etymology: 1275–1325; ME… …   From formal English to slang

  • socage — n. (also soccage) a feudal tenure of land involving payment of rent or other non military service to a superior. Etymology: ME f. AF socage f. soc f. OE socn SOKE …   Useful english dictionary

  • socage tenure — See socage …   Ballentine's law dictionary

  • socage — also soccage noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo French, from soc soke Date: 14th century a tenure of land by agricultural service fixed in amount and kind or by payment of money rent only and not burdened with any military service •… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Socage — Tenure of land for which a rent of money or kind such as labour at sowing time and harvest or ploughing was given but which did not include military service. [< 12c Lat. socagium = form of free tenure] …   Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases

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