thirlages
/ˈθɜrlɪdʒɪz/
noun
- In Scottish and northern English history, a legal obligation requiring tenants to have their grain ground at a specific mill owned by the landowner.
- Historians study thirlages to understand the feudal relationships between landowners and peasants.
- The old records show that thirlages forced farmers to use the lord's mill, even if it was far away.
- Under the system of thirlages, tenants paid a portion of their grain as a fee for grinding.
Synonyms