Tenancy at will

…Originally, it included not only the provision that the land was held “based on the customs of the manor” but also that it was held “by the will of the lord.” For example, the English “copyhold” had both of these provisions. However, over time, the two were separated, and the original customary tenancy became (1) “tenancy at will,” in which the land held could be taken away at any time according to the lord’s will, and (2) “customary tenancy,” in which the lord’s will was to some extent restricted by the customs of the manor. When it came to “hereditary copyholding,” it was not much different in substance from “freehold,” regardless of legality. …

*Some explanations of terms that refer to "tenancy at will" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…もともとそれは，〈荘園の慣習にもとづく〉という規定だけではなく，〈領主の意志による〉保有という規定を含んでおり，たとえばイギリスの〈謄本保有copyhold〉(コピーホールダー)は，その二つの規定をもつものであった。しかし，時代とともに両者が分離し，本来の慣習保有は，(1)領主の意志に従っていつでも保有地を取り上げられる〈任意保有tenancy at will〉と，(2)領主の意志が荘園の慣習によってある程度制限される〈慣習保有〉となった。〈世襲的謄本保有〉となると，法的にはともかく，実質的には〈自由保有〉とあまり違わなくなった。…

※「tenancy at will」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報