grant to uses
grant to uses. Hist. A conveyance of legal title to real property to one person for the benefit of another. • If, for example, A conveyed land to B and his heirs to the use of C and his heirs, B — the feoffee to uses — acquired seisin in and had possession of the land and was considered the legal owner. C — the cestui que use — was considered the equitable owner of the land and was entitled to the land’s rents, profits, and benefits. Because the cestui que use did not have seisin in the land, he was not subject to feudal payments. From the 13th century forward, the grant to uses was an increasingly popular mode of conveyance. See CESTUI QUE USE; STATUTE OF USES; USE(4).
