R ]•: N 



R K V 



diftrefs for nonkpaymeiit : fo called, becaule, in this man- 

 ner, the land is charj^ed with dlllrefs for thi' payment ot it. 

 Co. Litt. 143. 



Rkst-Scc, or Dry-Ren/, or B.in-en-Rfnl, is that which 

 a man, making over his citate by a deed ijidentrd, refcrveth 

 yearly to be paid to him, without any claufe ot diftrefs 

 mentioned in tlie indc-ntnro. There are alfo oth"r fpccics 

 of rents, which are reducible to thcfe three. 



Resits of A£ir.t, are the certain edablifhed rents of the 

 freeholders, and ancient copyholders of a manor ; thus 

 called, becaufe aflized and certain, in oppofition to rcdltus 

 mobiles. 



Thofe of the freeholders arc often called rbief rents, 

 reditus ciipitaks, and both forts are indifferently denominated 

 quit rents, becaufe by them the tenant goes quit and free of 

 all other fervices. When thefe payments were relVr\ ed in fil- 

 ver or white money, they were anciently called 'white rents, 

 or blanch-farms, reditus albi ; in contradiflinClion to rents, 

 referved in work, grain, or baler money, which wore called 

 reditus nigrti, or black-mail. 2 Inll. 19. 



Rent, Fee-farm, is a rent-charge ifluing out of an cllate 

 in fee ; of at leail one-fourth of the value of the lands at 

 the time of its refervation. (Co. Litt. 143.) /^i7f^-rent is 

 only a rent of the full value of the tenement, or near it. For 

 a grant of lands, referving fo confiderable a rent, is indeed 

 onlv letting lands to farm in fee-fimple, inllead of the ufual 

 method for life, or years. 



Thefe are the general divifions of rent ; but the difference 

 betvceen them (in refpedl tn the remedy for recovering 

 them) is now totally aboliflied ; and all pcrfons may Iiave 

 the like remedy by dillrefs for rents-fee, rents of aflize, and 

 chief-rents, as in cafe of rents referved upon leafe. Stat. 

 4 Geo. II. c. 28. 



Rents Refilute, are reckoned among the fee-farm rents 

 to be fold by the flat. 22 Car. II., being fuch rents or 

 tenths as were anciently payable to the crown from the 

 lands of abbeys and other religions houfes ; which lands, 

 upon the diffolution of abbeys, being demifed to others, 

 the faid rents were flill referved, and made payable to the 

 crown. 



Rf.nts, nffart, ehautitry, chief, gold, pafchal, rack, quit, 

 and -white. See the fcveral adjettivcs. 



Rent, in ylgrirulture, the price paid for lands as farms 

 by the tenants of the proprietors. The rents of lands are 

 fo extremely various, according to the nature of the fod, 

 fituation, markets, the ftate of the fences, buildings, and 

 other conveniences, the eafe of obtaining manures, and 

 many other circumftances, as to be ahnoft incapable of 

 having any general fpccitic prices affixed to them. Thcv 

 were formerly, efpeciallv in the northern parts of the ifland, 

 paid in produce and perfonal fervices ; but at ])relent, ac- 

 cording to Mr. Donaldlon, over the greatell part of the 

 ifland, they are paid in money, and at two periods or terms 

 in the y(?ar. In England, Michaelmas and Lady-day are 

 the cuftomary terms of payment ; the firll payment com- 

 mences fix months after entry to the pofleffion of the farm. 

 But that in Scotland, the ordinary terms are Martinmas and 

 Whitfuntide, or Whitfuntide and Martinmas, the tenant 

 being allowed twelve months' credit of the firll half oi the 

 rent m the one cafe, and in the other eighteen. And he 

 obferves, that this difference in the terms of the payment of 

 rents is material in the purchale of landed property, being 

 in general nearly one year's purchafe in favour of England. 

 And it is farther ftated, that it was the cuftom of former 

 limes, in various parts of Great Britain, for the tenants to 

 pay what was called fore-hand rents, that is, paying the 

 iialf, and in fome cafes, the whole year's rent immediately 



on entering to the farm, and before any benefit was derived 

 from the poffeflion of it. This pradtice is, however, now 

 geuerally dilufed, although Itill kept up in fome parts of 

 S'taffordihiiv and Perthfliire, in fome degree. And we be- 

 lieve that it ffill prevails in fome places in Ireland. It i.- 

 likewiie added, that letting lands for a term of years at the 

 former rent, but making the farmer pay a confiderable fum 

 in ready money by way of fin», war, alfo a very common 

 cullom ; but ia now chiefly confined to the crown and 

 church lands in England. This mode was evidently attended 

 with bad confequences. By draining the tenant of all, or 

 greatell part of his ready money, he was prevented from 

 improving his farm. I^eafes of lands are confidcred in law 

 as heritable property ; therefore, in the event of the demife 

 of the tenant, foon after having completed a tranfaclion of 

 this nature, his eldeft fon fucceeded to the leafe, and the 

 widow and other children were of courfe, in many inftanceg, 

 reduced to poverty ; all that was left to them being their 

 proportion of the flock on this farm, and often thereby the 

 heir was rendered incapable of keeping poli'efiion of the 

 farm. In a word, in nine cafes out of ten, it was robbing 

 the tenant of the well-earned reward of his induflry, during 

 the exillence of the former leafe, and depriving him of the 

 means of turning his new acquililioii to the befl account ; 

 without giving any folid advantage in return for it. 



It is remarked alfo, that along tlie greatell part of the 

 eafl coall of Scotland, which is the principal corn country 

 in the kingdom, a confiderable proportion of the rent of 

 almoll every fann is paid in grain and oatmeal. Thefe 

 articles being lefs flucluating in their value than money, 

 this appears the mofl equitable mode in which the rents of 

 corn farms can be paid. It may indeed affecl the farmer's 

 interefl when any fudden and unexpefted rife takes place in 

 the price of grain ; but if a judgment can be given from ex- 

 perience, it will be found this very fcldom happens. On 

 the contrary, for thefe lall twenty years, with only twu 

 exceptions, 1783 and 1795, the price of grain, owing to 

 the operation of the corn laws, has been extremely mode- 

 rate, while every other produftion of a farm has been 

 doubled in value, and in many cafes tripled. Since thefe 

 periods, the price of this article has, however, rifen, and con- 

 tinued high. The ])ublic are often effcntially benefited by 

 fo great a proportion of the rents being paid in this way. 

 Many of the proprietors have granaries eredled on their 

 cftates, where, in times of plentv, they i^ore the grain and 

 meal whicli thev receive from their tenants. And every 

 perfon, who is in any degree acquainted with the agricul- 

 tural exports and imports which take place between fome 

 diflricts in Scotland and others, mull, he thinks, know that 

 the fupphes afforded on many occafions from thefe ilore- 

 houfes have been the means of preventing fcarcity, and an 

 unreafonable advance in the price of thefe articles in the 

 large manufaciuring towns and other populous places. In 

 Eafl Lothian, according to the agricultural report of that 

 dillrifl, it has been fuggefled by fome proprietors, that 

 one half of the rent fhould only be paid in money, the 

 other in kind ; and affigned as a reafon, that the profit or 

 lofs arifing from any material, as the rife or fall in the price 

 of grain, would, in that way, be c-qually divided between 

 the landlord and tenant. This is a mode probably founded 

 on equity and jullice. And it is further Hated, by the firft 

 writer, that in the moll northern parts of Scotland, the 

 rents are, to a certain extent, paid in perfonal fervices. The 

 tenants are bound to plough and harrow a certain portion 

 of the landlord's farm, to reap, carry home, threfh, drefs. 

 and mill a certain quantity of the crop. They are alfo 

 bound to pay poultr)-, eggs, butter, checfe, fheep, fwine, 



linen 



