Synopses & Reviews
Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. Excerpt from book: Section 3century that the energies of the stronger kings were directed to checking the growth of feudal doctrines in the conduct of the government. But almost immediately the efforts of the Norman lawyers took effect in two directions. On the one hand, (0 Simpli- the numerous English tenures were reduced to textit{a few uniform fication of textit{types, and the varying customary rights were interpreted by a few simple rules. Thus folkland became in name what it had long been in reality ? the lord's demesne; and the tenants of laen- land, while gaining a permanent tenure for themselves and their heirs, were ranked among the villans of the manorial system; and although the monasteries remained practically undisturbed in their possessions, the private owners of bocland found their estates confiscated, or at best were compelled to take up the position of free but dependent feudal non-military tenants. This tendency to simplification and uniformity of outward form was much assisted by the feudal theory that all land was in some one's manor, for even towns were regarded as forming part of a lord's demesne: and it was a strictly logical conclusion that a commended freeman held his land of the lord at whose court he did suit and service. The second immediate effect of the introduction of Feudalism was the establishment of textit{Primogeniture. Under the Anglo-Saxons it is probable that wills (or in the legal phrase, 'alienation post mortem ' as distinguished from ' alienation inter vivos, ' or the disposal of property by sale or gift during lifetime) were only common to the owners of great estates in bocland. Folkland, as a rule, descended to all the sons equally by the custom of gavelkind, though there were exceptions in favour both of the eldest son, and even of the youngest by a rule of descent known as Borough English...
Synopsis
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