Legal Definitions - carucate

Definition: Carucate (kar-uh-kayt) is a historical measure of land used for assessment purposes. It is usually considered to be around 120 acres, which was thought to be the amount of land that one plow with eight oxen could plow in a year. The carucate was used to assess taxes.

Examples: In medieval England, a carucate of land was used to determine how much tax a landowner had to pay. For example, if a landowner had two carucates of land, they would pay twice as much tax as someone with only one carucate. Another example is that a carucate of land was often given to a knight in exchange for their military service.

Explanation: The examples illustrate how the carucate was used as a unit of measurement for taxation and land ownership. It was a way to determine the value of land and how much tax a landowner had to pay based on the amount of land they owned. The carucate was also used as a way to reward knights for their military service by giving them a certain amount of land.