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First published 2001 (DOST Vol. X).
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Tenement(e, Tennement, n. Also: tenemint, teniment, tenyment(e, tenment, ten(e)mend, tenniement, -yment, -ament. [ME and e.m.E. tenemen(t (a1325), tennement (1592), OF tenement, med. L. tenementum, L. tenēre]

1. a. A holding of land. Cf. Franktenement n. b. Such a holding with a building or group of buildings occupying part or all of its area, usually within a burgh. Passing into sense 2 below. Also in collocation with Land n.¹ 8, q.v., esp. c, for many further examples, and houssis (Hous n.¹)Some examples may belong in 2. 12… Reg. Dunferm. 104.
[Ad warantizandum dictas bovatas eisdem abbati & monachis in hac prenotata libertate obligo heredes meos & residuum tenementi mei contra omnes homines ?12… Liber Melros II 684.
Totam terram meam in territorio de molle … vna cum dimidia parte molendini in dicto tenemento 1286–7 Reg. Episc. Morav. 341.
Ac etiam omnes alias terras quas … habere poterunt in futuro in tenemento de Strathnavyr 1253–98 Reg. Episc. Morav. 143.
De tenemento infra burgum de Suthbervie 1326 Liber Scon 99.
Omnibus terris tenementis et possessionibus eisdem concessis per predecessores nostros Reges Scotie 14.. Acts I 358/2.]
Statutum est quod nemo in burgo intendens procedere ad recuperacionem tenementi vasti et indistringibilis ratione alicuius annui redditus debiti et non soluti tenetur deuastare terram aut tenementum suum presentando ad curiam burgi hostia fenstras ligna et huiusmodi(1) 1400 MacRae Early Sc. Texts No. 7.
Al my landis of Athokir wyth the … constabalri of the castal Murton & a tenement in Anderston … liand in the northgat betuene the housis of the vicar … & the wynde a1500 Adv. MS 25. 4. 15 96a.
Tenemint 14.. Reg. Maj. c. 102.
Quhasa has made humagis till ony woman of ony tenement [etc.] 1439 Charter (Reg. H.) C.O. No. 49.
Tva oxgang of land … lyande in the tenemente of Hodholme 1454 Glasg. Univ. Mun. I 14.
To tak vp the said tenement and the acris with erd and stane in thar awin hande 1476 Ayr B. Ct. 138b (3 July).
Lyande betwex the tenement of John Stele on the sulde side and the tenement of Wilȝam Brisban on the north side 1494 Acta Conc. I 320/1.
That the said Thomas … has done na wrang in the inputting of the saidis gudis in the said tennement again & manurin of the sammyn landis 1498–9 Acta Conc. II 321.
That the tennandis duelland in tenement that Maister James Henresone has redemyt fra him suld remane still in the sammyn 1508–9 Reg. Privy S. I 281/2.
To big a volt … under the commoun streit … before the tenement of the said Thomas … the said volt or voltis haifand the lenth of the forefront of the said tenement 1513 Doug. v xii 169.
Eneas with a pleuch The cite circulit and merkit be a seuch By cavillys syne the tenementis dyd depart 1513 Doug. xiii x 9.
Eneas forto found hys town began … Syne Troianys fundis tenementis for thame self 1522 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 64.
All nychburis … that hes hedrowmes of thair awin nocht efferandis to the quantite of thair gudis and tenementis 1526 Cart. S. Nich. Aberd. I 154.
All and haill his tenement that is to say forland, inland, new and ald barne and ȝard 1535 Stewart 50054.
Oure heretage … tour and toun, with tenement and steid 1536 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 166.
Anent the vay takin of the tymmer of his faderis tenement and uther growand wod 1545 Reg. Cupar A. II 51.
Ane tenement … quhilk the said Fyndlay lawbouris and manuris now instantlie c1575 Balfour Pract. 439.
The breve of perambulatioun may be raisit for perambulating of landis lyand without burgh and the breve of lyne may be impetrat … for lineatioun of burrow-landis and tenementis 1609 Skene Reg. Maj. i 25b.
The wife may clame na mair nor the third of the tenement (heretage) quhilk perteined to her husband, the time of the mariage 1641 Acts V (1817) 500/2.
Vassellis quha halds landis mylnes fischeings tenements [etc.] 1656 Douglas Bequest IV 16 Feb.
To have … access to the said luidging and tenement 1658 Paisley B. Rec. 139.
John Fyif, maltmans tenement, bewest that 1663 Marischal Coll. Rec. 283.
In the west syd of the clos of the tenement somtyme perteining to the deceised James Rolland 1665 Aberd. B. Rec. IV 222.
Seing ther was ane peice wast bounds … desyring the counsell … to grant to him … the libertie of the samen for making vp ane duelling house for ane tenement, with ane barne 1677 Cullen B. Rec. 28th August.
Ane donatione of the tenements of Dowcroft … I John Lorimer … proprietar of the croft of land called Dowcroft with the tenement housses beggingis yairdes [etc.] … me the said John Lorimer … to hawe alienated … all and hail the forsaid tenement of Dowcroft with housses biggingis yairdes [etc.] 1679 Reg. Privy C. 3 Ser. VI 159.
There were three conventicles keept within that house of the said tenement(b) 1475–6 Ayr B. Ct. 149b (4 Feb.).
The tennement of the parsone of Air 1478 Acta Conc. I 18/2.
The lordis continuis the summondis … apon … a certane tennement lyand in Edinburgh … & ordanis that … the partijs hafand … clame to the said land to be summond 1479 Dunferm. B. Rec. I 2.
His tennement liand on the sutht sid of the He gat 1575 Rec. Earld. Orkney 138.
And eftir … metting of athir the saidis tennementis, bayth bak and forlandis, findis the said Janet Guidis tennement to be of breid on the foir gait and bigit land thairof tuentie tua futtis and ane handbred mair; and thairfoir ordanis hir to have the said tuentie tua futtis … to breid of yaird, straikand fra hir southmest gavill of hir said tennement unto the commoun loyn 1641 Aberd. B. Rec. III 258.
Ane wther saising of the inland and yeard of the said tennement, to be givin to Michaell Findlater(c) 1480 Newburgh B. Ct. 24a.
Hys awyne tenymente lyand … betwex the landis off Jhames Philp … & the landis off Thome Wynton 1480 Newburgh B. Ct. 24a.
Tennyment 1556 Melrose Reg. Rec. III 217.
Ane … chertour of few of thair teniment and lugyne 1696 Cullen B. Rec. 75 (19 Sept.).
Tenniement(d) 1680 Irvine Deeds.
The tennament of William Tayleor on the south; the hous possest be James Fullartoune … on the north(e) 1520 Wigtown B. Ct. 105b.
For the vrangus occupyin of ane tenmend of his 1537 Reg. Episc. Aberd. I 413.
The … emolumentis of the foirsaid tenment, foirland, inland, bygyt and for to be bygyt 1537 Reg. Episc. Aberd. I 414.
Tene schillingis … payit to my lord of Abirdene ȝeirlie … for the anwell of the said tenment(f) 1530 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 105.
Jhone Achesone … lais in vod ane tenement of his quhilkis he vynnes in to, vith the tother tenement and the croft that Voll Ker hes in vod(2) 1597 Skene Verb. S. s.v. Annvell.
Top annuell is ane certaine dewtie given and disponed furth of onie bigged tenement or land, of the quhilk tenement the propertie remains with the disponer 1609 Skene Reg. Maj. i 85b.
Escheits falles … some tyme in moveable gudes, and some tyme in lands and tenements 1609 Skene Reg. Maj. i 113.
Life, lim, land, tenement or escheit may not be judged in latter courts then courts of baron 1641 Acts V (1817) 519/2.
The … burghe … of Sanct Androis … with all lands tenementis rudis ȝairds orchȝairds [etc.](3) 1550 Rec. Earld. Orkney 104.
Of all landis, land malis, gudis movable and unmovable … and of all inseycht geir, and als of the tennement and houses the quhilk the said Williame occupiis 1550 Reg. Cupar A. II 68.
Powar … to … rais the malis [etc.] … of our said tenement and houssis with thair pertenentis

c. With a qualifier specifying the nature of the holding.Fre tenement, land held by freehold tenure. 14.. Acts I 71/2.
Malaris of carlis borne or thai that ar of foul kyn … or ony othir the quhilkis has na fre tenement 14.. Acts I 113/2.
Nane sal be castyn out of his fre tenement of the quhilkis he clamys to be vestit & seysit as of fe wythoutin the kyngis breif 14.. Reg. Maj. c. 102.
Humagis ar maid of landis & of fre tenementis allanerly of seruice & rentis assignet in pennys & other gudis 1639 Aberd. B. Rec. III 181.
Mr. Robert Farquhar dissassentit to the exacting of any forder entres silver frome any assignay, or to other persone … entering to any of these tenementis, bot as is done be the magistrattis to intrantis to any other burgage tenement … be resone that the saids tempill tenementis and lands hauldin of old of the abbacie of Aberbrothok ar … to be hauldin in frie burgage 1652 Retours I Inq. Spec. Edinburgh (1028).
A cott tenement and half cott tenement

2. A building or buildings built upon a holding or tenement of land; a main building or dwelling-house, a house or building containing a number of separate dwellings.Some examples may belong in 1. 1434 Liber Coll. Glasg. 249.
To byg a sufficiand tenement on the said akyr of land 1479 Acta Conc. I 42/1.
For brekin vp of durris & lokis of a tennement lyand in Leith Wynde & for wrangwis occupacion of the said tennement a1500 Bernardus 269.
Thow may se Off tenementis and biggynis ryche agane 1549 Prot. Bk. Sir A. Gaw 8.
Twa akir of land vyth tenement, barne, housis, kyl and ȝardis 1560–1 Inverness Rec. I 49.
For the downe castyng of hys hereditabyll byggynis and tenementis c1567 Thomson Hist. Dundee App. xiii.
Furth of the east end of the tenement callit the auld tolbwith 1569 Canongate Ct. Bk. 5.
Ane … tenement … contenand hall, chalmer, ketching 1575 Rec. Earld. Orkney 138 (see 1 (b) above).
Fra hir southmest gavill of her said tennement 1580 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. I 127.
For bigging beitting reparing mending and vphaulding of tua tenementis … and ane barne within the said burgh and yairdis of the same 1608 Reg. Episc. Brechin. II 237.
The foirsaid tenement … to be reputit in all tyme cuming ane hospitall and mansioun for the puir 1608 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. II 31.
The tua lauche buithis of Patrik Forresteris tenement 1610 Dunferm. B. Rec. II 78.
James Kingorne cravis licence to big ane fore penteis to his tenement 1614 Ayr Friars Pr. Chart. 109.
The said uthir tenement callit Johne Symis barne 1631 Dumbarton B. Rec. 35.
Countess of Glencairne, being within his grit tenement and ludgeing 1657 Balfour Ann. II 99.
The toune of Dunfermling … wich did consist of 120 tenements, and 287 families, was brunt 1669 Dumbarton B. Rec. 85.
Divers ruinous tenements … in the Hie Street 1674 Edinb. B. Rec. X 177.
Many famillies lodged in the severall stories of the respective tenements 1674 Edinb. B. Rec. X 177.
When any house … doeth … take fyre the wholl tenement is in a short tyme destroyed … the dry timber being a reddie fewall 1674 Edinb. B. Rec. X 177.
Ane tenement entirely built with stone and lyme 1688 Irvine Deeds 8 June.
The back tennements of Wm. Thompsone armourer 1689 T. Morer in P. H. Brown Early Trav. 279.]
[Most of the houses [in Edinburgh], as they are parted into divers tenements, so they have as many landlords as stories [etc.]

b. Maner tenement, ? = Maner-place n.c1420 Bute MS 141a (see Maner n.² 3).

3. a. Tenement of land, = 1 or 2 above. 1478 Grey Friars 15.
The said tenement of land quher the said almouse house is biggit 1498–9 Acta Conc. II 300.
Ane bern beand biggit on the ground of a tenement of land liand in the burgh of Dunde 1515 Reg. Privy S. I 401/2.
Ane tenement of land with the hous, bigingis and yardis of the sammyn 1529 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 99.
Tenemend 1550 Reg. Privy S. IV 120/1.
The gyft of the maillis and deuiteis of the lugeing and tenyment of land, bakland and foirland 1561 Prot. Bk. J. Robeson 103b.
Ane tenement of land contenand fyve rudis of land 1562 Milne-Home MSS 237.
His tenement or cottage of land called the Hewcheid 1574 Dunferm. B. Rec. II 7.
To gif saissing of sum ȝairdis and tenement of land liand within the samin [burgh] 1587 Antiq. Aberd. & B. II 438.
The tenementis of landis and housis vnderwrittin layand withtin the burght of Aberdene 1649 Aberd. B. Rec. IV 99.
Ane tenement of land … lyand in the Schipraw, quhilk … wes almost rwinous 1679 Wodrow Hist. III (1829) 10.
Isobel Crauford (who had a chamber in a tenement of land belonging to him)

b. Tenement of houssis, = 1 or 2 above. 1578–9 Glasg. Univ. Mun. I 120.
Decerning him to hawe na richt to the tenement of howssis occupeit presentlye be him 1587 Antiq. Aberd. & B. II 438 (see sense 3 a above). 1654 Retours I Inq. Spec. Clackmannan (31).
Ane tenement of houses, yaird, and croft of land