Legal Definitions - farthing of land

Definition: A farthing of land is a historical unit of measurement for an area of land that is equivalent to one-quarter of a larger area. It is similar to a farthing, which is one-quarter of a penny. The size of a farthing of land can range from a quarter of a hide to a quarter of an acre.

• A farmer owned a hide of land, which was divided into four farthings of land.
• The lord of the manor granted a farthing of land to each of his tenants.

These examples illustrate how a farthing of land was used as a unit of measurement for dividing larger areas of land into smaller portions. It was a common practice in medieval England for landowners to divide their land into smaller units, such as hides or farthings, to make it easier to manage and distribute among tenants.