Bockland

Preserved but no longer current.

Also seen as: Bookland

Meaning · English

Land severed from the folkland (i.e. the common land belonging to the people) and held either communally or in severally, and converted into a private estate of perpetual inheritance by a written hoc (or book) i.e. a deed.

Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)

Sources & notes

Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.

Common questions

What does “Bockland” mean?

Land severed from the folkland (i.e. the common land belonging to the people) and held either communally or in severally, and converted into a private estate of perpetual inheritance by a written hoc (or book) i.e. a deed.

Is “Bockland” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.