Pimp tenure
Encyclopedia
Pimp tenure was a form of feudal land tenure
which required the land-holder to keep and maintain whores for the king or his army. It was thus a variety of serjeanty
. It was described in Bouvier's Law Dictionary
, volume 5, as: "A very singular and odious kind of tenure mentioned by old writers". The term is not contemporary, pimp
being a neologism dating from 1607. At least three such tenures are recorded, the earliest in the 12th.c., the other two during the reign of King Edward I
(1272–1307):
, in-chief
from the king, by the service of being marshal of the king's meretrices (Latin for whores, sing. meretrix) and of dismembering malefactors and measuring the gallons and bushels in the royal household. Longcroft, C. quotes as his source "Pas. Comms. 24 & 25 Edw. I" (i.e. 1295/6).
Translated by Bouvier thus:
Bouvier quotes "12 Edw. 1" (i.e. 1283) as a source, possibly Close or Patent Rolls.
The Victoria County History quotes as source for the same: "Assize Roll, 48, m. 28 d.: sex daunsellas scilicet meretrices".
In fact ad usum means "for the use" of the king; "at the cost" comes from a suggestion of misreading by a copyist.
Lower, M.A. suggested that the gloss as meretrices was mistaken and the reference was to female hunting dogs.
(Pla. Coronae 19 Henry 2 Surrey, given in Ancient Tenures of Land etc. )
Feudal land tenure
Under the English feudal system several different forms of land tenure existed, each effectively a contract with differing rights and duties attached thereto. Such tenures could be either free-hold, signifying that they were hereditable or perpetual, or non-free where the tenancy terminated on the...
which required the land-holder to keep and maintain whores for the king or his army. It was thus a variety of serjeanty
Serjeanty
Under the feudal system in late and high medieval England, tenure by serjeanty was a form of land-holding in return for some specified service, ranking between tenure by knight-service and tenure in socage...
. It was described in Bouvier's Law Dictionary
Bouvier's Law Dictionary
Bouvier's Law Dictionary is a book with a long tradition in the United States legal community. The first edition was written by John Bouvier.John Bouvier was born in Codogno, France, but came to the United States at an early age. He became a U.S. citizen in 1812, was admitted to the bar in 1818,...
, volume 5, as: "A very singular and odious kind of tenure mentioned by old writers". The term is not contemporary, pimp
Pimp
A pimp is an agent for prostitutes who collects part of their earnings. The pimp may receive this money in return for advertising services, physical protection, or for providing a location where she may engage clients...
being a neologism dating from 1607. At least three such tenures are recorded, the earliest in the 12th.c., the other two during the reign of King Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
(1272–1307):
Sherfield-on-Loddon, Hampshire
The manor of Sherfield-on-Loddon was held in the reign of Edward I (1272–1307) by Thomas de Warblington, sheriff of HampshireHigh Sheriff of Hampshire
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Hampshire, the title was often given as High Sheriff of the County of Southampton until 1959.-List of High Sheriffs:*1070–1096: Hugh de Port *1105: Henry de Port *1129: William de Pont de l'Arche...
, in-chief
Tenant-in-chief
In medieval and early modern European society the term tenant-in-chief, sometimes vassal-in-chief, denoted the nobles who held their lands as tenants directly from king or territorial prince to whom they did homage, as opposed to holding them from another nobleman or senior member of the clergy....
from the king, by the service of being marshal of the king's meretrices (Latin for whores, sing. meretrix) and of dismembering malefactors and measuring the gallons and bushels in the royal household. Longcroft, C. quotes as his source "Pas. Comms. 24 & 25 Edw. I" (i.e. 1295/6).
Bockhampton, Berks.
Wilielmus Hoppeshort tenet dimidiam virgatam per servitium custodiendi sex damisellas, scilicet meretrices, ad usum domini regis.
Translated by Bouvier thus:
"William Hoppeshort holds 1/2 a yard-land (i.e. virgateVirgateThe virgate or yardland was a unit of land area measurement used in medieval England, typically outside the Danelaw, and was held to be the amount of land that a team of two oxen could plough in a single annual season. It was equivalent to a quarter of a hide, so was nominally thirty acres...
) of the king by the service of keeping for the king 6 damsels, to wit whores, at the cost of the king"
Bouvier quotes "12 Edw. 1" (i.e. 1283) as a source, possibly Close or Patent Rolls.
The Victoria County History quotes as source for the same: "Assize Roll, 48, m. 28 d.: sex daunsellas scilicet meretrices".
In fact ad usum means "for the use" of the king; "at the cost" comes from a suggestion of misreading by a copyist.
Lower, M.A. suggested that the gloss as meretrices was mistaken and the reference was to female hunting dogs.
Guildford
Such tenure is recorded in the reign of Henry II(1154-1189), dated here to 1172:
Robertus Testard tenuit quandam (quondam ?) terram in Volla de Guideford per scriantiam (serjantiam?) custodiendi meretrices in Curia Domina (Domini ?) Regis
"Robert Testard held at a certain time land in Volla in GuildfordGuildfordGuildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
by serjeantySerjeantyUnder the feudal system in late and high medieval England, tenure by serjeanty was a form of land-holding in return for some specified service, ranking between tenure by knight-service and tenure in socage...
of keeping whores in the court of the Lord King".
(Pla. Coronae 19 Henry 2 Surrey, given in Ancient Tenures of Land etc. )
Sources
- Bouvier's Law DictionaryBouvier's Law DictionaryBouvier's Law Dictionary is a book with a long tradition in the United States legal community. The first edition was written by John Bouvier.John Bouvier was born in Codogno, France, but came to the United States at an early age. He became a U.S. citizen in 1812, was admitted to the bar in 1818,...
, 1914, vol.5 http://www.facsnet.org/bouvier-law-dictionary-5/Pimp-Tenure.html - Longcroft, Charles John. A Topographical Account of the Hundred of Bosmere in the County of Southampton, Including the Parishes of Havant, Warblington and Hayling. London, 1857 http://www.archive.org/stream/topographicalac00longgoog/topographicalac00longgoog_djvu.txt
- Discussion in Liebrecht, Felix. "Die Folk-lore society in London". Englische Studien 3 (1880) pp. 1–12, p. 10, citing Jacob's Law Dictionary.
- Ancient tenures of land etc. by T.B. (now known to be Thomas BlountThomas Blount (lexicographer)Thomas Blount was an English antiquarian and lexicographer.-Background:He was the son of Myles Blount of Orleton in Herefordshire and was born at Bordesley, Tardebigge, Worcestershire...
) of the Inner Temple, London 1679 (page 8) quoted in Sombart, Werner. Luxus und Kapitalismus. 1913. p. 82: Beispiele für die Belehnung mit Land für das Halten von Dirnen (Examples of enfeoffment with land in exchange for keeping whores). Discussed in Brentano, Lujo. Der wirtschaftende Mensch in der Geschichte. Leipzig: Meiner, 1923. pp. 261–62, note 3