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Simple English definitions for legal terms
lay tenure
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A quick definition of lay tenure:
Lay Tenure: A way of holding land or property that is not connected to religious or military service. In the past, there were different types of lay tenure, like knight-service, socage, and serjeanty. Nowadays, lay tenure is also used to describe the legal protection of a long-term relationship, like employment. For example, teachers and professors have lay tenure to protect them from being fired without a good reason.
A more thorough explanation:
Definition: Lay tenure refers to any tenure not held through religious service, such as a base tenure or a freehold tenure. The three historical types of lay tenures are knight-service, socage, and serjeanty.
Example: In feudal times, real property was held predominantly as part of a tenure system. The lord paramount of all socage land was none other than the people of the state, and to them, and them only, the duty of fealty was to be rendered.
Explanation: This example illustrates how lay tenure was a common way of holding lands or tenements in subordination to a superior during feudal times. The people of the state were the lord paramount of all socage land, and the duty of fealty was owed to them. This shows how lay tenure was not held through religious service, but rather through a duty owed to a superior.