Bible Encyclopedias
Hereditament

1911 Encyclopedia Britannica

Search for…

Enter query below:

or

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

Prev Entry
Herd

Next Entry
Heredity

Resource Toolbox

Print Article

Additional Links

Dictionaries
Webster Dictionary
• Hereditament
Encyclopedias
1911 Encyclopedia Britannica
• Hereditament

(from Lat. hereditare, to inherit, heres, heir), in law, every kind of property that can be inherited. Hereditaments are divided into corporeal and incorporeal; corporeal hereditaments are "such as affect the senses, and may be seen and handled by the body; incorporeal are not the subject of sensation, can neither be seen nor handled, are creatures of the mind, and exist only in contemplation" (Blackstone, Commentaries). An example of a corporeal hereditament is land held in freehold, of incorporeal herditaments, tithes, advowsons, pensions, annuities, rents, franchises, &c. It is still used in the phrase "lands, tenements and hereditaments" to describe property in land, as distinguished from goods and chattels or movable property.