ancient demesne

Ancient demesne — Ancient An cient, a. [OE. auncien, F. ancien, LL. antianus, fr. L. ante before. See {Ante }, pref.] 1. Old; that happened or existed in former times, usually at a great distance of time; belonging to times long past; specifically applied to the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

Ancient demesne — Demesne De*mesne , n. [OE. demeine, demain, rule, demesne, OF. demeine, demaine, demeigne, domaine, power, F. domaine domain, fr. L. dominium property, right of ownership, fr. dominus master, proprietor, owner. See {Dame}, and cf. {Demain},… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

ancient demesne — Manors which in the time of William the Conqueror were in the hands of the crown, and are so recorded in the Domesday Also, in old English law, a species of copyhold, which differs, however, from common copyholds in certain privileges, but yet… …   Black's law dictionary

ancient demesne — noun : demesne held from ancient times; specifically : the demesne belonging to the English crown at the time of the settlement of the Norman Conquest as recorded in the Domesday Book …   Useful english dictionary

Ancient Demesne — See: Demesne, Ancient …   Medieval glossary

court of ancient demesne — A court held by the king s bailiff for tenants of the king s demesne. Some tenants in ancient demesne had special immunities and favors granted to them, such as to try the right of their property in the court of ancient demesne, by a peculiar… …   Ballentine's law dictionary

Court of Ancient Demesne — In English law, a court of peculiar constitution, held by a bailiff appointed by the king, in which alone the tenants of the king s demesne could be impleaded …   Black's law dictionary

tenure in ancient demesne — A tenure embracing all those lands or manors, which, though subsequently granted out to private subjects, were actually in the hands of the crown in the time of Edward the Confessor, or William the Conqueror, and are recorded as so being in the… …   Ballentine's law dictionary

Demesne — De*mesne , n. [OE. demeine, demain, rule, demesne, OF. demeine, demaine, demeigne, domaine, power, F. domaine domain, fr. L. dominium property, right of ownership, fr. dominus master, proprietor, owner. See {Dame}, and cf. {Demain}, {Domain},… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

Ancient — An cient, a. [OE. auncien, F. ancien, LL. antianus, fr. L. ante before. See {Ante }, pref.] 1. Old; that happened or existed in former times, usually at a great distance of time; belonging to times long past; specifically applied to the times… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

Ancient lights — Ancient An cient, a. [OE. auncien, F. ancien, LL. antianus, fr. L. ante before. See {Ante }, pref.] 1. Old; that happened or existed in former times, usually at a great distance of time; belonging to times long past; specifically applied to the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English