(Redirected from Land estate)
'Landed property' or 'landed estates' is a
real estate term that usually refers to a
property that generates income for the owner without the owner having to do the actual work of the estate. In Europe, agrarian landed property typically consisted of a
manor, several
tenant farms, and some privileged enterprises such as a
mill. Modern landed property often consists of housing or industrial land, generating income in the form of rents or fees for services provided by facilities on the land, such as port facilities. The
Duke of Westminster, one of the UK's richest people, derives much of his wealth from property in what is now central
London.
Landed property was a key element of
feudalism, and freed the owner for other tasks, such as
government administration,
military service, the practice of Law or
religious practices.
In later times, the dominant role of landed estates as a basis of public service faded. Development of
manufacturing and commerce created
capitalist means of obtaining income, but ordinarily demanding the attention of the owner; at roughly the same time, governments began imposing taxes to fund government
bureaus and the military so that people of talent could perform government services for salaries without need for the proceeds of ownership of farmland. Parts of the
United States of America, typically
New England and
Pennsylvania, never had a landed
aristocracy, so their armed forces and government agencies could never be organized on the basis of a landed aristocracy.
See also
★
Feudalism
★
Landed gentry