Burgage: Difference between revisions

'''Burgage''' is a [[medieval land terms|medieval land term]] used in [[England]] and [[Scotland]], well established by the 13th century. A burgage was a town ("[[borough]]") rental property (to use modern terms), owned by a king or lord. The property ("burgage tenement") usually, and distinctly, consisted of a house on a long and narrow plot of land ([[Scots language|Scots]], ''toft''), with a narrow street frontage. Rental payment ("tenure") was usually in the form of money, but each "burgage tenure" arrangement was unique, and could include services. As populations grew, "burgage plots" could be split into smaller additional units. Burgage tenures were usually money based, in contrast to rural tenures which were usually services based. In [[Anglo-Saxon England|Saxon times]] the rent was called a ''landgable'' or ''hawgable''.

 

Burgage was the basis of the franchise in many boroughs sending [[Member of Parliament|members]] to the [[unreformed House of Commons]] before 1832. In these boroughs the right to vote was attached to the occupation of particular burgage tenements. These could be freely bought and sold, and the owner of the tenement was entitled to [[conveyancing|convey]] it for the duration of the election to a nominee, who could then vote. Thus by purchasing the majority of the burgages one could acquire the right to nominate the Members of Parliament. Most of the burgage boroughs became [[pocket borough]]s in this way. The practice was abolished by the [[Reform Act 1832|Great Reform Act 1832]] which applied a uniform franchise to all boroughs.

 

 

==See also==

*[[History of English land law]]

*[[Land tenure]]