Legal Definitions - cornage

Cornage (pronounced kor-nij) is a type of historical military tenure that originated in Anglo-French culture. It has two main meanings:

1. A type of grand-sergeanty military tenure in which the tenant was bound to blow a horn to alert others whenever an enemy approached.
2. A form of tenure entitling a landowner to rent based on the number of horned cattle owned by the tenant.

The term cornage may have developed into a type of serjeanty or knight-service tenure that obligated the tenant to blow a horn to warn of invaders, especially along the border with Scotland. This was a way to protect the land and people from enemy attacks.

Another meaning of cornage is a tribute of corn due only on special occasions, as distinguished from a regularly provided service. This was a way for tenants to pay their rent to the landowner.

The term has often been spelled coraage or coraagium, stemming perhaps from a spelling error in the 1569 edition of Bracton's De Legibus et Consuetudinibus Angliae.

• A tenant who held cornage tenure was required to blow a horn to warn others of approaching enemies. This was a way to protect the land and people from harm.
• A landowner who held cornage tenure was entitled to rent based on the number of horned cattle owned by the tenant. This was a way for the landowner to make money from the tenant's use of the land.
• During special occasions, such as a harvest festival, a tenant might be required to pay a tribute of corn to the landowner as part of their cornage obligation. This was a way for the tenant to pay their rent to the landowner.

These examples illustrate how cornage was a way for landowners and tenants to interact and protect their interests in medieval times. It was a system of obligations and benefits that helped to maintain order and stability in society.