- Mesne lord
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A mesne lord was a lord in the feudal system who had vassals who held land from him, but who was himself the vassal of a higher lord. A mesne lord did not hold land directly of the king, that is to say he was not a tenant-in-chief. His subinfeudated estate was called a "mesne estate". He was thus an intermediate or "middle" tenant, which status is reflected in the mediaeval French word mesne, in modern French moyen.[1]
Related links
References
- ^ Sir William Searle. "An historical introduction to the land law page 105 & page 106". Google Books Preview. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=NscKQr-aqNIC&pg=PA105&lpg=PA105&dq=mesne+lord&source=bl&ots=hgjzUJlaII&sig=kcA1p8sAx4037Hn5imxTY5RCg1A&hl=en&ei=tKxMTMPuLJKy0gSYoOmECw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBQQ6AEwADgK#v=snippet&q=mesne%20lord&f=false.
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