Confirmation Of The Meanings Of The Words `mease` And `tenement` When Referred To As Part Of A Medieval Village?

[Sellergarth]

With reference to 16th and 17th century English villages what is the difference between a `mease` and a `tenement` when referred too in connection with the villager`s property? Thanks.

[ABerrant]

Presumably in relation to this...

http://www.barrowhistorysociety.org.uk/page39.html

From the original pleading by William Case and wife Isabel there is meant to be no substantive difference between the terms mease and tenement.

"they... were possessed of a mease or tenement built in the said town"

http://archive.org/stream/recordsociety32recouoft#page/68/mode/2up

Mese, mease or meason (cf Fr maison) is a house with adjacent land appropriated to its use.

Tenement is the property held in tenure by a tenant.

In this case the mease is a tenement.

[Sellergarth]

Thank you very much for the clarification. Yes, you are correct my question was in relation to the deposition made by William Case. Did my username give it away? :)
Could I please ask if you could clarify another point in relation to the same document?
It states:
"Since that time the said Abbot has pulled down the said mease, together with 20 others in the said town" So I presume there were 21 in total. Then a little further in the document it states:
"pulled down the whole town called the Sellergarth in Furness, wherin there were 52 tenements and tenants"
So if there were 52 tenements and tenants and 21 mease(s?), does that mean that there were 31 tenants (52 - 21) and only 21 houses, or am I missing something obvious? Dont know if I`ve explained my question very well, but basically I`m asking how many tenants were there in the village and how may tenements (mease)? Thanks again.

[ABerrant]

A 'tenement' could comprise of rented land only, rented dwelling only, or both rented land and dwelling (mease).

It is feasible that the other tenements could include farms or farmland (i.e. rented land upon which a dwelling may have been built by the tenant, or pasture with no dwelling) and houses (for want of a better word) with no land.

[Sellergarth]

Once again ABerrant thank you very much for clarifying my query, its appreciated.