Legal Definitions - lay tenure

Definition: Lay tenure refers to any tenure not held through religious service, such as a base tenure or a freehold tenure. The three historical types of lay tenures are knight-service, socage, and serjeanty.

Example: In feudal times, real property was held predominantly as part of a tenure system. The lord paramount of all socage land was none other than the people of the state, and to them, and them only, the duty of fealty was to be rendered.

Explanation: This example illustrates how lay tenure was a common way of holding lands or tenements in subordination to a superior during feudal times. The people of the state were the lord paramount of all socage land, and the duty of fealty was owed to them. This shows how lay tenure was not held through religious service, but rather through a duty owed to a superior.