1. Freehold land held by a feudal tenant, esp. land used to support the tenant. • Magna Carta exempted this property from seizure.
“Contenement, (contenementum) seemeth to be the free hould land, which lyeth to a mans tenement or dwelling house, that is in his owne occupation. For magna carta. ca. 14. you have these words: A free man shall not be amerced for a small fault, but after the quantity of the fault: and for a great fault, after the maner thereof, saving to him his contenement or free hould. And a merchant likewise shal be amerced saving to him his merchandies: and any other villaine then owers, shal be amerced saving his wainage ….” John Cowell, The Interpreter (1607).
2. A person’s reputation or standing in the community. • Though contenement as used in this sense is also rooted in the ownership of land, it may stem from the Law French contenance (“countenance”) rather than the Law Latin contenementum (“with tenement”), as used in sense (1).“Contenement signifies his Countenance, Credit, or Reputation, which he hath, together with, and by reason of his Freehold; and in this sense does the Statute of 1 Edw. 3 and Old Nat. Br. use it, where Countenance is used for Contenement: The Armor of a Soldier is his Countenance; the Books of a Schollar, his Countenance; and the like.” Thomas Blount, Nomo-Lexicon: A Law-Dictionary (1670).
