burgage
1
9.9
A town property in medieval times held in return for rent
- noun
- /ˈbɜrɡɪdʒ/
- Archaic
:
burgaje
- In the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, there were probably some eight free burgesses, holding burgages of the lord (freeholders).
Examples
-
The merchant owned several burgages in the town, which he rented out to local families.
-
During the medieval period, many towns had a system of burgage that allowed property owners to pay rent in exchange for voting rights.
-
In cities governed by a burgage system, property ownership often came with significant political privileges.
Surface Forms
Etymology
Burgage comes from the old root burg meaning 'town' and the ending -age that shows a thing or system. So, burgage was the way people held or rented small pieces of town land in medieval times, which is why it means town property or the system of town holding.