The formal giving up of a customary holding, usually recorded before the manorial court.
A surrender was the formal process by which a tenant gave up a customary holding or rights in land.
In a copyhold or customary tenancy system, a tenant could not simply transfer land by private agreement. Instead, the surrender was made before the manorial court and recorded in the court roll.
The surrendered holding could then be granted or admitted to another person, often through the related process of admission.
Surrenders are among the most valuable entries in court rolls because they reveal changes in land occupation, family succession and relationships between tenants.
See also:
Admission
Copyhold
Court Roll
Fine
Tenement
