Greenwich.
_Ancient Tenure of Lands._--I should feel obliged to any of your readers
who would inform me as to the ancient tenure by which estates were held in
this country. For instance, a manor, including within its limits several
hamlets, is held by A, who grants by subinfeudation one of the said hamlets
to B; B dies, leaving a son and successor, who continues in possession of
the hamlet, and grants leases, &c., and thus for several generations. My
question is, did A, in granting to B, relinquish all interest in the
hamlet, or how much did he still retain, since in after years the hamlet is
found to have reverted to him, and no allusion is afterwards made to the
subinfeudatory lords who possessed it for some generations? It is presumed
that in early times lords of a manor were owners of the _lands_ of the
manor of which they were lords; at present an empty title is all that
remains. When did the practice of alienating lands by a piecemeal partition
and sale commence? and did a subinfeudatory lord possess the power of
alienation? In fact, what is the origin of the numerous small freeholds
into which our ancient manors are broken up?