Legal Definitions - sur disclaimer

Definition: A historical legal writ used by a lord to recover land from a tenant who has disclaimed their tenure.

Example: If a tenant refused to acknowledge their obligation to their lord and disclaimed their tenure, the lord could use a sur disclaimer writ to take back the land.

This legal term is not commonly used today, but it refers to a specific type of legal action that was used in feudal times. The example illustrates how a lord could use this writ to regain control of land that was rightfully theirs, but which a tenant had refused to acknowledge.