Legal possession of a property. (Gies, Frances and Joseph. Life in a Medieval Village, 245) Possession (often contrasted with ownership) of land. (Sayles, George O. The King's Parliament of England, 145) The possession of land enjoyed by a person who is "seated" on the land, who is in a position to take what the land produces. Seisin of a freehold is occupation by one other than a tenant in villeinage, a tenant-at-will, a tenant for a term of years, or a guardian. (Hogue, Arthur R. Origins of the Common Law, 257) Feudal possession; the exercise and enjoyment of rights deriving from possession, usually of land, held as a freehold (but not as leasehold or a servile tenure). To be "in seisin" was to be "seized of" control of such an estate or other freehold rights. Livery of seisin (i.e., delivery of seisin by a grantor) was usually by some symbolic act. To be disseised was to be ousted from seisin. (Warren, W.L. Henry II, 636) Related terms: Disseisin / Mort d'Ancestor / Novel Disseisin
Possession of land by someone holding a freehold estate in the land.
Possession of land under a claim of freehold (also spelled seizing).
the tangible possession of a real estate property by the individual or entity who has rightful possession or ownership and intends to claim freehold.
Possession - especially of real estate.
The possession of real estate with the intent on the part of the possessor to claim an estate of freehold in the land, either a fee simple or a life estate.
possession of land or other property
the right to possession of estates of freehold. This possession was sometimes delivered by a common law ceremony in which the seller handed the buyer a twig or other item from the land.
(Also spelled "Seizin") An old English term meaning legal possession or the right to legal possession of real estate under a freehold title.
"Feudal possession. The relation in which someone stands to land or a hereditament when that person has an estate of freehold in possession in them." Dukelow
feudal possession of a freehold estate; not applicable to leasehold estates or beneficial ownership under a Use, (q.v.).
a freehold (held in fee or for life) estate - at one time land could only be held in seisen, because all land was owned by the reigning sovereign
The legal possession of property. In law, the term refers more specifically to the possession of land by a freeholder. For example, a owner of a building has seisin, but a tenant does not, because the tenant, although enjoying possession, does not have the legal title in the building.
Possession of realty by one who claims to own a fee-simple estate or a life estate or other salable interest.
Actual possession of property by one who claims rightful ownership of a freehold interest therein. A person is seized of property when he is in rightful possession with the intention of claiming a freehold estate.
Seisin (from Middle English saysen, seysen, in the legal sense of to put in possession of, or to take possession of, hence, to grasp, to seize; the Old French seisir, saisir, is from Low Lat. sacire, generally referred to the same source as Goth. satjan, 0. Eng. settan, to put in place, set) is the possession of such an estate in land as was anciently thought worthy to be held by a free man (Williams, On Seisin, p. 2).
