Steven Till

Fee-Farm

1) A fixed sum, usually paid annually, for the right to collect all revenues from land; in effect, rent. Lords may farm land to vassals, receiving a fixed annual rent in place of the normal feudal obligation. Many sheriffs farm out their shires, contracting in advance to pay a fixed annual sum to the crown, thus obtaining the right to collect any additional royal revenues for their own profit. (MEDIEV-L. Medieval Terms)

2) A fixed annual payment, a lease. (Waugh, Scott. England in the Reign of Edward III, 238)

3) A fixed annual payment. The “borough farm” or “fee-farm” (firma burgi) was the basic lump sum from a town which had to be paid into the Exchequer each year either by the sheriff of the county or by the town’s own officials. (Reynolds, Susan. An Introduction to the History of English Medieval Towns, 198)

*definitions retreived from NetSERF’s Medieval Glossary (http://www.netserf.org/Glossary/)

From the Magna Carta:

If anyone holds of us by fee-farm, by socage, or by burgage, and holds land of another by knight service, we will not, by reason of that fee-farm, socage, or burgage, have the wardship of his heir or of land of land of his that is of the fief of the other; nor will we have custody of the fee-farm, socage, or burgage, unless such fee-farm owes kngiht service. We will not have custody of anyone’s heir or land which he holds of another by knight service by reason of any petty serjeanty which he holds of us by the service of rendering to us knives or arrows or the like.

Filed under: Middle Ages History, Medieval Glossary, Medieval History on February 19th, 2010