ROOTS Genealogical Dictionary
ROOTS
Dictionary of Genealogy & Archaic Terms
[L]
Last Edited:
January 17, 2012
This file contains many of the common "buzzwords", terminology and legal
words found in genealogy work. If you think of any words that should be added to
this list, please notify Randy Jones.
-
A
| B
| C
| D
| E
| F
| G
| H
| I
| J
K
| L
| M
| N
| O
| P
| Q
| R
| S
| T
| U
| V
| W
| X
| Y | Z
-
- LAADRING
- guide
- LABEL
- [Heraldric] A line with points horizontally across the top part of the
shield
- LÆNLAND
- land held on conditional lease
- LÆTUS
- a member of the class of coloni
- LAGAN
- the right to items thrown up by the sea and on the shore
- LAHSLIT
- a fine for offenses committed by Danes
- LAND PATENT
- a grant of land in colonial America
- LANDCEAP, LANDCOP
- purchase of land
- LANDGABLE
- rent paid for a messuage of land
- LANDGRAVE/LANDGRAVINE
- are another pair of German titles that have achieved their own regular
word in English. It corresponds roughly to a count or earl, but in the case of
Hesse-Homburg, it was a ruling title. The German forms are Landgraf and
Landgrafin.
- LANDKREIS
- [German] a governmental administrative body one level higher than village,
equivalent to the American county (but not French/English county).
Sometimes shown just as "Kreis".
- LANDRICA, LANDHLAFORD
- landlord
- LANDS AND TENEMENTS
- real property, as opposed to personal property
- LAS
- [Welsh blue]
- LASTAGE
- (1) a toll exacted at markets or fairs
- (2) a custom exacted on a ship's lading
- LATE
- 1. died recently (although this term is relative and may span a number of
years)
2. formerly belonging to, or living at
- LATELY DWELT
- [archaic] livived at a location until recently
- LAUDS
- part of the monastic timetable for liturgy, called
horarium. This worship service
typically occurred between 6am-7am in winter and 4am-5am in summer
- LAUNDER
- one who washes linen
- LE
- surnames
with "le", for example "le Palefrayor", were occupational names, in this case,
"the chap who looked after the nobleman's horse". The name itself was not a
surname, but an identifier name, but it later developed into a surname. --
Renia Simmons (edited)
- LEASE AND RELEASE
- a simple and ancient method of conferring all rights, title and interest
from a buyer to a seller. The "buyer" is put in possession of the land
through a lease, then at a later date, say a year, the property is transferred
by seizen, recombining the title and the
leasehold.
- LEASE FOR LIVES
- a legal instrument dating back to the English manorial system, and
sometimes used in Colonial America. Under this instrument, a property
is leased to three individuals for their lifetime. From a genealogical
standpoint, the three individuals are almost always related.
- LEASEHOLD ESTATE
- a lease of land
for life, but not the title
- LEET
- a subdivision of land in Kent equivalent to a
hundred
- LEFT HAND INDENTURE
- in medieval times, indentures
were cut into three pieces along a wavy line, so the bearers could compare
them later for authenticity. The portions were the left and right halves
of the page, as well as a third bottom piece. The left portion as the
left hand indenture.
- LEGACY
- money or property bequeathed to someone by will
- LEGATEE
- one who is named as a recipient of part of an estate under a will
- LEOD
- man, people
- LEODGELD
- a fine paid for killing a man. Also called
manwryth.
- LESTAGE
- see LASTAGE
- LETTER OF ADMINISTRATION
- a document from a probate
court authorizing the administrator
of an estate
to settle the estate
- LEVIRATE
- when a man dies one of his brothers has the
right and obligation to marry the wife and raise children "to the name of'"
the dead man.
- LEVY, LEVE
- (1) a capitation or poll tax
- (2) a fee for permission to trade
- (3) to draft; a
draftee
- LEVY FREE
- exemption from the tithe requirement due to some service or status or in
some cases a "prepayment" such a large gift to a church such as an irrevocable
codicil
in a will giving property (usually land) to the church. On occasion, levy free
can indicate a waver of Tithe. This is occasionally seen for widows,
particularly if the husband died in service to the community (defense against
Indians or the French).
- LEYWRITE
- a fine paid by an unmarried pregnant woman
- LIBERTI
- freedmen
- LIBLAC, LYBLAC
- witchcraft
- LIBRATE
- [Medieval English] the quantity of land with an annual value of £1.
- LIDUS
- one of the class of coloni
- LIFE ESTATE
- a property held by a person for the duration of their lifetime.
This device is common for widow/widowers, for use of property ultimately
intended for one's children, but for which the surviving spouse must use until
their decease
- LINEAL DESCENDANT
- being in the direct line of descent from an ancestor. Synonymous
with direct
descendent.
- LITURGY
- public prayer
- LIVERY
- (1) to be given land by the king
- (2) the right to wear a lord's colors
- LIVERY OF SEISIN
- Delivery of possession; called by the feudists "investiture."
The appropriate ceremony, at common law, for transferring the corporal
possession of lands or tenements by a grantor
to his grantee.
It was livery in deed where the parties went together upon the land,
and there a twig, clod, key, or other symbol was delivered in the name of the
whole.Livery in law was where the same ceremony was performed, not
upon the land itself, but in sight of it.{B}
- LLEIAF
- [Welsh smallest]
- LLWYD
- [Welsh brown, grey] Also as 'lloyd'.
- LOCO
- [Latin to place, to establish, to give in marriage]
- LOCUS
- [Latin place]
- LOGRIA
- gain or profit
- LOOSE PAPERS
- original papers supporting any type of court record - law, criminal or
chancery actions; probate records; land records; bonds of all sorts; road
orders; bridge orders; Free Negro certificates, etc.
- LORD
- anyone holding land with feudal tenants was a lord, that is, a landlord,
whether a king or lowliest landholder. Lordship here simply refers to his
tenurial position. Only if he were a peer of the realm, no matter what degree,
would he be referred to as Lord Cockburn. -- Ivor West. Not all lords were
Barons. Some had multiple titles. A lord is generally known by the family's
superior title, and his son by the next superior title, until the father dies,
when the son takes on the superior title, and his son is known by the lesser
title. For example, today, Earl Spencer's son is known as Lord Althrop, being
Viscount Althrop, another of the family's (lesser) titles. When Princess Diana
was married, she was escorted up the isle by her father, the then Earl
Spencer, while her brother was still Viscount Althrop. -- Renia Simmons. See
also HOUSE
OF LORDS
- LORD LIEUTENANT
- after the 16th C., was the English Crown's representative in each county
- LORD OF THE MANOR
- this was someone who held a manor, but not necessarily a barony. Today,
gullible people are buying up Lord of the Manor titles, which are totally
worthless, because the manor (a system of local government, in effect) no
longer exists, and neither does the title, except as a piece of paper. Lords
of the manor have never been entitled to sit in the House
of Lords, nor have they ever been peers.
-- Renia Simmons
- LORD OF SESSION
- a member of a court of justice comprising the Chancellor and other persons
chosen by the king who met three times a year to deliberate on cases which had
previously brought before the king and council.
- LOYALIST
- a Tory (person who remained loyal to England during the Revolutionary War)
who later moved to Canada or to another British possession
- LOZENGE
- [Heraldry] a diamond-shape used in place of a shield to denote a widow or
spinster
- LOZENGY
- [Heraldy] a diamond-shaped checkered pattern
- LUMENARIUS
- an individual who pays a tax in wax for lighting a church
- LUNARIUS
- an individual who ploughed a field, taking a month to do so
- LYSWE
- injury to kin
-
A
| B
| C
| D
| E
| F
| G
| H
| I
| J
K
| L
| M
| N
| O
| P
| Q
| R
| S
| T
| U
| V
| W
| X
| Y | Z
Sources:
{A}The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Third
Edition copyright © 1992 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
{B} Black's Law Dictionary, 6th Edition
{D} Dictionary.com
{E} Evans, Barbara Jean. The New A to Zax
{F}The Dictionary of Genealogy by Terrick V H Fitzhugh
{H} History of the Later Roman Empire, Vol.1, J.B. Bury,
1958.
{O}The Oxford English Dictionary
{P} Pepys' diary
{R} Random House Unabridged Dictionary (2006)
{Q} Hinshaw, William Wade, "Encyclopedia of America Quaker Genealogy," (1938,
Rpt., Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1994)
{W} Webster's Collegiate Dictionary; Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA,
Inc.
Return to Genealogy
Home Page
Send your comments to Randy
Jones