Burgage is a medieval land term used in Great Britain and Ireland, well established by the 13th century.A burgage was a town ("borough" or "burgh") rental property (to use modern terms), owned by a king or lord.As populations grew "burgage plots" could be split into smaller additional units.Burgage grants were also common in Ireland; for example, when the town of Wexford received its royal charter in 1418, English settlers were encouraged into the town and were given burgage plots at a rent of one shilling per year.Rothe House in Kilkenny is an exceptionally well-preserved medieval burgage.
The closes (passageways) off
Edinburgh
's
Royal Mile
follow the lines of the old burgage plots
Model of
Rothe House
and modern surroundings illustrating its burgage plot, with buildings in grey and garden in green
