A person who held land or property from a lord or landowner under defined conditions.
A tenant was a person who held land or property from another person, usually the lord of the manor.
In a manorial context, tenants held their land according to particular forms of tenure and owed certain obligations in return. These obligations could include rents, customary services, attendance at court or payments connected with changes in ownership.
Tenants could hold land in different ways, including freehold, leasehold or customary tenure. Their rights and responsibilities varied according to the customs of the individual manor.
Court rolls frequently record tenants by name, making them important sources for studying families, occupations and communities.
See also:
Admission
Copyhold
Customary Tenant
Tenement
Tenure
