Legal Term Dictionary

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  • VILL
    In old English law, this word was used to signify the parts into which a hundred or wapentake was divided. It also sig-nifies a town or city. Demi-vill. A town consisting of five free-men, or frank-pledges. Spelman. Villa est ez pluribus mansionibns vi-cinata, et oollata ea pluribus vioinis, et sab More...
  • VILLA REGIA
    Lat. In Saxon law. A royal residence. Spelman.
  • VILLAGE
    Any small assemblage of houses for dwellings or business, or both, in the country, whether they are situated upon regularly laid out streets and alleys or not, constitutes a village. Hebert v. Laval le, 27 111. 448. In some states, this is the legal description of a class of municipal More...
  • VILLAIN
    An opprobrious epithet, implying great moral delinquency, and equiv-alent to knave, rascal, or scoundrel. The word is libelous. 1 Bos. A P. 831.
  • VELLANIS REGIS SUBTRACTIS REDUCINDAS
    A writ that lay for the bringing back of the king's bondmen, that hatf been carried away by others out of his manors whereto they belonged. Reg. Orig. 87.
  • VUXANUM SERVITIUM
    In old Eng¬lish law. Villein service. Fleta, lib. 3, c. 13, § L
  • VILLEIN
    A person attached to a man¬or, who was substantially in the condition of a slave, who performed the base and ser¬vile work upon the manor for the lord, and was, in most respects, a subject of property and belonging to him. 1 Washb. Real Prop. 26.—Villein in gross. A villein More...
  • VILLENAGE
    A servile kind of tenure belonging to lands or tenements, whereby tbe tenant was bound to do all such services as the lord commanded, or were fit for a vil-lein to do. Cowell. See VILLEIN. Pure villenage A base tenure, where a man holds upon terms of doing whatsoever is More...
  • VILLENOUS JUDGMENT
    A judgment which deprived one of his libera lex, whereby he was discredited and disabled aa a juror or witness; forfeited his goods and chattels and lands for life; wasted the lands, razed the houses, rooted up the trees, and committed his body to prison. It has be¬come obsolete. 4 More...
  • VINAGIUM
    A payment of a certain quantity of wine Instead of rent for a vine-yard. 2 Mon. Ang. p. 980.
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