Legal Definitions - cosinage

Cosinage (pronounced kuh-zuh-nij) is a historical legal document used by an heir to claim the right to land that was owned by their great-great-grandfather or certain distant relatives. It is also known as cosenage or cousinage. This document was used to prove that the heir was related to the previous owner of the land and had a rightful claim to it.

An example of cosinage would be if a person wanted to claim the land that their great-great-grandfather owned. They would use cosinage to prove that they were related to their great-great-grandfather and had a rightful claim to the land.

Another example would be if a person wanted to claim the land that their first cousin owned. They would use cosinage to prove that they were related to their cousin and had a rightful claim to the land.

These examples illustrate how cosinage was used to establish a legal claim to land based on familial relationships.