A fine was a customary payment made to the lord of the manor upon changes to tenancy arrangements. It acknowledged the lord’s superior ownership and his consent to changes in the tenant’s legal relationship to the property. Common occasions included entry into a new tenancy (entry fine), permission to sublet or alienate holdings, or renewal of tenancy agreements. The amount could be fixed by custom or set at the lord’s discretion (“arbitrary fine”). Unlike modern usage, the term carried no punitive connotation.
Note: Heriots were distinct from fines and typically involved the payment of a sum of money or the best beast or chattel to the lord upon the death of a tenant, representing a separate form of manorial due.