Legal Definitions - superoneratio

Superoneratio (s[y]oo-p^ər-on-^ə-ray-shee-oh) is a term from Law Latin that has two meanings:

1. The act or practice of surcharging a common.
2. The placement of more cattle on a common than is allowed; overstocking.

Example 1: In medieval England, lords would sometimes charge their tenants for the right to graze their animals on the common land. This was called superoneratio.

Example 2: A farmer puts 100 cows on a common that is only meant to hold 50 cows. This is an example of superoneratio.

These examples illustrate the two meanings of superoneratio. In the first example, the lord is overcharging the tenants for the use of the common land. In the second example, the farmer is overstocking the common with more cows than it can handle. Both examples show a violation of the rules governing the use of common land.