Legal Definitions - mesnalty

Mesnalty is a historical term that refers to the estate or manor held by a mesne lord. The word mesne means "middle" in Law French and English. Mesnalty also refers to the right of the mesne lord and their tenure.

• Lord A holds the mesnalty of the estate, which means he is the middle lord between the king and the tenant.
• The mesnalty of the manor was passed down from father to son for generations.

These examples illustrate how mesnalty refers to the estate or manor held by a mesne lord and their right to it. It was a common term used in feudal times to describe the hierarchy of land ownership.