A tenure of lands and tenements by a certain or determinate service; a tenure distinct from chivalry or knight's service, in which the obligations were uncertain. The service must be certain, in order to be denominated socage, as to hold by fealty and twenty shillings rent.
a free, heritable tenure generally by a money rent.
A form of feudal tenure in which the land was held in return for money rent. Although no knight service was required, the tenant still had to do fealty to the King. Also called Scutage (shield money) where the owner of the land paid instead of fighting for the king.
land tenure by agricultural service or payment of rent; not burdened with military service
tenure of lands by service fixed and determinate in quality
A form of tenure of agricultural land. Holding of land by a tenant in return for fixed payment or originally for non-military service to the lord.
A term of the feudal system which referred to the tenure which was exchanged for certain goods or services which were not military in nature. Socage is often described as "free and common socage" although the "free and common" qualification is now of a purely historical significance.
a type of land tenure; in early England, a tenure in return for "inferior" services (such as husbandry) as versus, for example, knight-service (See Knights Fee)
Socage was one of the feudal duties and hence land tenure forms in the feudal system. A farmer, for example, held the land in exchange for a clearly-defined, fixed payment to be made at specified intervals to his feudal lord, who in turn had his own feudal obligations to the Crown. In theory this might involve supplying the lord with produce but most usually it meant a straightforward payment of cash, i.e., rent.