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History vocabulary · Economic History

Demesne

Meaning in history, with examples

nounCommon term

In history, demesne means: The part of a lord's estate reserved for the lord's own use or direct benefit rather than tenant holdings.

In Turkish: senyörün doğrudan işlettiği toprak, domen

How it is used

Distinguish the demesne from the whole manor; its cultivation could use different kinds of labour.

Example sentences

  1. Peasants owed several days of work on the demesne.

    The labour benefits the lord's reserved holding.

  2. The estate later leased parts of its demesne to tenants.

    Land use can change without the term naming the entire estate.

Common collocations

  • demesne land
  • cultivate the demesne
  • feudalismA term for the social and political order of medieval Europe in which lords granted land to vassals in return for loyalty and military service, while peasants worked the land.
  • peasantA person who lives in the countryside and farms a small piece of land with family labour, often paying rent, taxes or labour services to a landowner or the state.

More terms: Economic History

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