1. A kind of tenure in England of ancient origin: tenure of lands being parcel of a manor, ‘at the will of the lord according to the custom of the manor,’ by copy of the manorial court-roll (see COPY sb. 5).
1483. Act 1 Rich. III., c. 4 § 1. Lands and Tenements holden by Custom of Manor, commonly called Copyhold.
1493. Newminster Cartul. (1878), 195. Which ye said Alexandr’ helde be copy holde of ye riall & noble Raufe Erle off Westm’lande.
1551. Crowley, Pleas. & Payne, 471. Let the pore man haue and enioye The house he had by copyeholde.
1641. Termes de la Ley, 84. Copyhold is a tenure for which the Tenaunt hath nothing to shew but the copies of the Rolles made by the Steward of his Lords Court.
1765. Blackstone, Comm. (1778), I. 218. The queen is of ability to purchase lands, and to convey them, to make leases, to grant copyholds, and do other acts of ownership, without the concurrence of her lord.
1848. Wharton, Law Lex., Copyhold, a base tenure founded upon immemorial custom and usage…. Because this tenure derives its whole force from custom, the lands must have been demisable by copy of court roll from time immemorial…. No copyhold estate can … be created at the present day.
1875. Maine, Hist. Inst., i. 7. A rule of which there are plain traces in our English law of copyhold.
b. fig.
1641. Milton, Reform., II. (1851), 58. Set free … from the meere vassalage and Copy-hold of the Clergie.
a. 1658. Cleveland, Gen. Poems (1677), 69. T’ enjoy a Copyhold of Victory.
a. 1713. Ellwood, Autobiog. (1765), 17. What he said did touch, as I suppose, my Father’s (religious) Copy-hold, as the Phrase is.
2. An estate held by this tenure; a copyhold estate.
a. 1529. Skelton, Agst. Scottes, 125, Wks. (1843), I. 186. Ye bare yourselfe som what to bold, Therfore ye lost your copyehold.
a. 1618. Raleigh, Maxims St. (1651), 58. To provide that the richer men place in their Farms and Coppieholds, such decayed Citizens.
1846. M’Culloch, Acc. Brit. Empire (1854), II. 173. The lord of a manor, in which there are copyholds … holds a distinct court for that species of tenants, for the purpose both of determining pleas of land between them and for the alienation of their copyholds.
1884. Gladstone, in Standard, 29 Feb., 2/5. By the voter in respect to property I mean the man who votes in respect to freehold, copyhold, or leasehold.
3. attrib. or adj. Held by copyhold; relating to or of the nature of copyhold.
1511–2. [see COPYHOLDER].
1527. Test. Ebor. (Surtees), V. 235. All my landes, as well copiehold as freehold.
1677. Yarranton, Eng. Improv., 27. The Mannor of Taunton Dean in Somersetshire is … but a Copy-hold Mannor.
1765. Blackstone, Comm., Introd. § 3 (1778), 75. The special and particular customs of manors … which bind all the copyhold and customary tenants that hold of the said manors.
1846. M’Culloch, Acc. Brit. Empire (1854), I. 450. Copyhold estates are held of a subject as part of a royalty, honour, or manor, and are liable to fines on account of deaths, transfers, and other such circumstances, according to the customs of the royalty, honour, or manor of which they form a part.
1876. Digby, Real Prop., v. § 6. 257, note. Land held by copyhold tenure is always parcel of, and included in, a manor.
