Demesne
English feudalism |
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Manorialism |
Feudal land tenure in England |
Feudal duties |
Feudalism |
A demesne (
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, royal demesne is the land held by the Crown, and ancient demesne is the legal term for the land held by the king at the time of the Domesday Book in 1086.[2]
Etymology
The word derives from Old French demeine, ultimately from Latin dominus, "lord, master of a household" – demesne is a variant of domaine.[3][4]
The word barton, which is historically synonymous to demesne and is an element found in many place-names, can refer to a demesne farm: it derives from Old English bere (barley) and ton (enclosure).[5]
Development
The system of manorial land tenure, broadly termed feudalism, was conceived in France, but was exported to areas impacted by French expansion during the Middle Ages, including the British Isles after the Norman Conquest.
In this feudal system, the demesne was all the land retained and managed by a
Initially, the demesne lands were worked on the lord's behalf by
Demesne lands that were leased out for a term of years remained demesne lands, though no longer in the occupation of the lord of the manor. See, for example, Musgrave v Inclosure Commissioners (1874) LR 9 QB 162, a case in which the three judges of the Queen's Bench Divisional Court and everyone else concerned assumed without argument that farms which were let by the lord of the manor were part of the lord's demesne land.
In Ireland, demesne lands were often demarcated with high stone walls.[8][9] Today, 24 townlands in Ireland bear the name of "Demesne", and many others contain the word.[10]
Royal demesne
Immediately following the
The royal demesne was not a static portfolio: it could be increased, for example, as a result of
In the Lordship of Ireland, King Henry II claimed a large area as the royal demesne in 1171: Dublin, its hinterland, the coastline down to Arklow and the towns of Wexford and Waterford.[13][14] This region around Dublin would evolve into the Pale.[15]
See also
References
- ^ "demesne". Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on January 2, 2020.
- ^ a b Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 7 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 980.
- ^ "Demesne – Define Demesne at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.com.
- ^ James Robert Vernam Marchant; Joseph Fletcher Charles. "Cassell's Latin Dictionary". cdict.giga.net.tw. Archived from the original on 2008-10-12. Retrieved 2007-07-12.
- ^ Corèdon and Williams, p. 33
- ISBN 9781108062480.)
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- ^ "A map of Ballyfin demesne 200 years ago". January 5, 2015. Archived from the original on August 15, 2020. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
- ^ "The Demesne Landscape". www.askaboutireland.ie.
- ^ "'Demesne'". Logainm.ie.
- ^ Corèdon and Williams, p. 272
- ^ "What is ANCIENT DEMESNE?". The Law Dictionary. 4 November 2011. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
- ^ "Newcastle had strategic importance". independent.
- ^ ""Relentlessly striving for more": Hugh de Lacy in Ireland". February 22, 2013.
- ^ "Highest Kings: The Normans In Ireland". May 26, 2019.
Sources
- Corèdon, Christopher; Williams, Ann (2004). A Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases. Cambridge: D. S. Brewer. ISBN 1-84384-023-5.