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alod

(Encyclopedia)alod ăˈlŏd [key]. In feudal tenure, lands held without obligation to any suzerain (overlord) were termed held in alod. Alodial lands existed in England and on the Continent. They became less common...

serjeanty

(Encyclopedia)serjeanty or sergeanty both: särˈjĕntē [key], a type of tenure in English feudalism in which the tenant held his lands from the king or overlord in return for the performance of some personal, oft...

Arthur, Chester Alan

(Encyclopedia)Arthur, Chester Alan, 1829–86, 21st President of the United States (1881–85), b. Fairfield, Vt. He studied law and before the Civil War practiced in New York City. In the war he was (1861–63) qu...

Irish Land Question

(Encyclopedia)Irish Land Question, name given in the 19th cent. to the problem of land ownership and agrarian distress in Ireland under British rule. The long-term result of conquest, confiscation, and colonization...

fee

(Encyclopedia)fee, in property law: see property; tenure. ...

Oliver, Andrew

(Encyclopedia)Oliver, Andrew, 1706–74, lieutenant governor of colonial Massachusetts (1771–73), b. Boston. Oliver was elected to the provincial council in 1746 and later served as secretary of the province. His...

Costello, John Aloysius

(Encyclopedia)Costello, John Aloysius, 1891–1976, Irish political leader. A barrister, he joined the attorney general's office of the newly founded Irish Free State in 1922. In 1926 he became attorney general und...

Duane, William, American journalist

(Encyclopedia)Duane, William, 1760–1835, American journalist, b. near Lake Champlain, N.Y., of Irish parentage. He learned the printer's trade in Ireland and in 1787 went to Calcutta (now Kolkata), where he edite...

term limits

(Encyclopedia)term limits, statutory limitations placed on the number of terms officeholders may serve. Focusing especially on members of the U.S. Congress, term limits became an important national political issue ...

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