medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
On 16/12/2011 18:26, Christopher Crockett wrote:
> From: John Briggs<[log in to unmask]>
>
>> Try reading the entry for "corrody".
>
> oakiedoakie.
>
> CORRODY | CORODY, n.
>
> Etymology:< medieval Latin corrōdium , also -rādium , variants of
> corrēdium , earlier ...
>
> a. Provision or allowance for maintenance, aliment; pension. ‘Originally the
> right of free quarters due from the vassal to the lord on his circuit; but
> later applied esp. to certain contributions of food, provisions, etc., paid
> annually by religious houses‥Sometimes the contribution might be commuted,
> and then it would be practically undistinguishable from an annuity or
> pension’ (C. Plummer Fortescue Notes pp. 337–8). Little in use since the
> Reformation; the legal antiquaries of the 17th c. dealt with it as an obsolete
> word, and it is now chiefly a historical term, though surviving as the name of
> some local charities.
>
> this don't sound like what Anne (or someone) meant when asking for the English
> word which might be applied to a person who gives a piece of property (e.g.)
> to an abbey with the stipulation that he/she shall enjoy the usufruct of it
> during the rest of their life's time.
>
> i submit (with the help of the OED) that the English word for that fellow/girl
> is an "usufructuary".
No, absolutely not. What Meg (for it was she) was describing was
*exactly* what is described here: receiving board and lodging at
monastery (or the equivalent as a pension) for life in return for a gift
(of property, etc). It is precisely *not* the usufruct - the monastery
were taking a gamble as to whether the gift would ever cover their total
outlay. This practice was extremely common - who knows, it may even have
occurred in France...
(The OED suggests "corrodiary" as the noun for the recipient: historians
sensibly use "corrodian".)
John Briggs
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