Each tribe, in forming its settlement, seized more land than it
actually needed. This excess was known as Folkland (the People's
land,[3] and might be used by all alike for pasturing cattle or
cutting wood. With the consent of the Witan, the King might grant
portions of this Folkland as a reward for services done to himself or
to the community. Such grants were usually conditional and could only
be made for a time. Eventually they returned to the community.
Other grants, however, might be made in the same way, which conferred
full ownership. Such grants were called Bocland (Book land), because
conveyed by writing, or registered in a charter or book. In time the
King obtained the power of making these grants without having to
consult the Witan, and at last the whole of the Folkland came to be
regarded as the absolute property of the Crown.