Copyhold

A form of land tenure where the tenant held land ‘by copy of court roll’. The manorial court roll recorded the terms on which the lord granted the land, and the tenant’s copy of this entry was their proof of title. Unlike freehold, copyhold land could not be bought or sold on the open market; all transfers had to pass through the manor court by surrender and admission. A common variant was ‘copyhold for lives’ where the tenancy was agreed for the duration of (usually) three lives. A tenancy could pass through the manor court at any time to be reissued with different tenants or terms, or surrendered completely for the lord to decide the next tenant. The arrangement allowed tenancies to be passed heirs etc without undue fuss.