livery of seisin

Livery of seisin was the medieval English ceremony for transferring land ownership.

The seller would hand the buyer a symbolic piece of the property—a clod of earth, a twig, a key—while speaking words of transfer, often before witnesses.

This physical ritual served as the deed before written documents became standard.

The phrase persists in legal history and property law courses: The professor explained how livery of seisin worked before the Statute of Frauds.