Curtesy

Curtesy, Tenant by. Tenancy by the curtesy of England is the right and title which the husband possesses to enjoy for his life, after his wife's decease, lands of his wife of which she and her husband were seized in the wife's right for an estate of inheritance during her life, and where issue of the marriage is born which by possibility may inherit. By the special custom of gavelkind, a man may be such tenant by the curtesy without having had issue by his wife; but in this case he has only an interest in one-half of the lands, and he loses that if he marries again. There is no tenancy by the curtesy of copyhold lands, except by special custom, but the customs of copyhold manors vary considerably.