Blacks Law Dict. 1st ed

484

PEODUM

FEME SOLE TRADER

some immovable property of his lord, to use the same and take the profits thereof, render ing unto the lord such duties and services as belonged to the particular tenure; the actual property in the soil always remaining in tht lord. Spel. Feuds & Tenures. FEODAL. Belonging to a fee or feud; feudal. More commonly used by the old writers than feudal. FEODAL ACTIONS. Real actions; so called in the old books, as originally relating to feoda, fees, or estates in land. Mirr. c. 2, § 6; 3 Bl. Comm. 117. FEODAL SYSTEM. See FEUDAL SYS TEM. FEODALITY. Fidelity or fealty. Cowell. See FEALTY. FEODARUMCONSUETTJDINES. customs of feuds. The name of a compilation, of feudal laws and customs made at Milan in the twelfth century. It is the most ancient woik on the subject, and was always re garded, on the continent of Europe, as pos sessing the highest authority. FEODARY. An officer of the court of wards, appointed by the master of that court, under 32 Hen. VIII. c. 26, whose business it was to be present with the escheator in every county at the finding of offices of lands, and to give evidence for the king, as well con cerning the value as the tenure; and his office was also to survey the land of the ward, after the office found, and to rate it. He also as signed the king's widows their dower; and received all the rents, etc. Abolished by 12 Car. II. c. 24. Wharton. FEODATORY. In feudal law. The grantee of afeod, feud, or fee; the vassal or tenant who held his estate by feudal service. Termes de la Ley. Blackstone uses "feuda tory." 2B1. Comm. 46. FEODI FIRMA. In old English law. Fee^farm, (q. v.) FEODI FIRMARIUS. The lessee of a fee-farm. FEODTJM. This word (meaning a feud or fee) is the one most commonly used by the older English law-writers, though its equiva lent, "feudum," is used generally by the more modern writers and by the feudal law writers. Litt. § 1; Spelman. There were various classes of feoda, among which may be enumerated the following: Feodum laU cum, a lay fee. Feodum militare, a knight's

bands. Mozley & Whitley; 2 Steph. Comm. 250. FEME SOLE TRADER. In English law. A married woman, who, by the cus tom of London, trades on her own account, independently of her husband; so called because, with respect to her trading, she is the same as a feme sole. Jacob; Cro. Car. 68. The term is applied also to women desert ed by their husbands, who do business as femes sole. 1 Pet. 105. FEMICIDE. The killing of a woman. Wharton. FEMININE. Of or pertaining to fe males, or the female sex. FENATIO. In forest law. The fawn ing of deer; the fawning season. Spelman. FENCE, «. In old Scotch law. To de fend or protect by formalities. To "fence a court" was to open it in due form, and inter dict all manner of persons from disturbing their proceedings. This was called "fenc ing, " q. ^...defending or protecting the court. FENCE, n. A hedge, structure, or par tition, erected for the purpose of inclosing a piece of land, or to divide a piece of land into distinct portions, or to separate two contig uous estates. See 63 Me. 308; 77 111. 169. FENCE-MONTH,or DEFENSE MONTH. In old English law. A period of time, occurring in the middle of summer, during which it was unlawful to hunt deer in the forest, that being their fawning sea son. Probably so called because the deer were then defended from pursuit or hunting. Man wood; Co well. FENERATION. Usury; thegain ofin terest; the practice of increasing money by lending. FEN GELD. In Saxon law. A tax or imposition, exacted for the repelling of en emies. FENIAN. A champion, hero, giant. This word, in the plural, is generally used to signify invaders or foreign spoilers. The modern meaning of "fenian" is a member of an organization of persons of Irish birth, resident in the United States, Canada, and elsewhere, having for its aim the overthrow of English rule in Ireland. Webster, (Supp.) FEOD. The same aafeud or fief, being the right which the vassal had in land, or

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