v. Law. Forms: 5–7 attourne, 6–7 -urne, -orne, 7 -urn, 6– attorn. [a. OF. atorne-r, aturne-r, atourne-r (whence law Latin attornāre) to turn, turn to, assign, attribute, dispose, arrange, order, appoint, constitute, ordain, decree, f. à to + tourner to TURN. The analogical spelling is a(t)turn; but under the influence of med.L. attornāre, the late AF. became attorner, whence attorn passed into the Eng. law-books.]
1. trans. To turn over to another; to assign, transfer (goods, tenants’ service, allegiance, etc.).
[1292. Britton, II. 46. Ne voloms nous mie qe seignur puse attourner le homage et le service de soen tenaunt a qi qe ly plera.]
1649. Sadler, Rights Kingd., 16 (T.). In some case a lord might atturn and assign his vassal’s service to some other.
1676. Marvell, Wks., III. 147. A good Christian … cannot atturn and indenture his conscience over, to be represented by others.
1691. Bp. St. Asaph, God’s Transf. Power, I. i. § 44. This being follow’d by the People’s attorning their Allegiance.
1727. Cowell’s Interpr., s.v., To Attorn or turn over Money and Goods: i.e. to assign or appropriate them.
1865. Nichols, Britton, II. 46.
2. intr. (for refl.) In Feudal Law: To transfer oneself (i.e., one’s homage and allegiance) from one lord to another; to yield allegiance, or do homage to, as lord. Also fig.
1611. Speed, Hist. Gt. Brit., IX. xiii. 94. The Gascoignes … had sent into England to shew causes why they should not atturne to the Duke.
1650. B., Discolliminium, 13. Shall they do honestly to atturn, and do homage and fealty without a legall Salvo?
1863. Possibilities of Creat., 370. How sottish the soul would become were it required to attorn to the Devil.
1883. Healy, in Pall Mall Gaz., 23 Dec., 1/2. Mr. Parnell … has shown an undisguised contempt for every effort to compel him to attorn to British opinion.
3. Mod. Law. To agree formally to be the tenant of one into whose possession the estate has passed; to do some act which constitutes a legal acknowledgement of the new landlord.
1458. Lease, in Ld. Campbell, Chancellors (1857), I. xxii. 322. The said Joyes hath attourned to the said Sir John.
1574. trans. Littleton’s Tenures, 110 a. The more common attournement is to saye, sir I attorne to you by force of the same graunt, or I become your tenant, &c.
1628. Coke, On Litt., 27 b. Hee shall not be compelled to atturne.
1853. Wharton, Pa. Digest, II. 161. Tenant who attorns under mistake may defend against lessor.
1879. Echo, 12 April, 3/3. The defendant … had never recognised the plaintiff as his landlord, and never ‘attorned’ to the tenancy.
b. So to attorn tenant.
1844. Williams, Real Prop. Law (1877), 247. He could refuse to attorn tenant to the purchaser.
1871. Daily News, 23 May. Notice is given to the tenantry not to attorn tenant or pay rent to any person except Mr. Richard Wallace.
