Definition
To attorn; to acknowledge a new lord and transfer feudal obligation to that lord upon a change in the ownership of land. The act of atturning was the tenant's formal acceptance of a new landlord, converting what might otherwise be a mere change in title into a recognized tenurial relationship binding on both parties. The term is the infinitive or verbal form of the concept more fully treated under ATTORN and ATTORNMENT.
Why It Matters in Research
Researchers encountering atturner in historical sources should treat it as a direct pointer to the doctrine of attornment rather than as an independent legal concept. Because Burrill cites Littleton's Tenures (sections 553 and 554) as the primary reference, any research into atturner must begin there — Littleton remains the foundational text for understanding the feudal mechanics of the act. The term appears in Law French legal sources and is essentially an archaic verbal form; it will not appear in modern American or English cases under this spelling. Its presence in a document is a strong signal of pre-modern or antiquarian legal writing. Researchers should pivot immediately to ATTORN and ATTORNMENT for the substantive doctrine, case development, and modern survivals of the concept in landlord-tenant and real property law.
Historical Dictionary Support
Burrill's Law Dictionary provides the entire recorded entry for this term: the Law French infinitive form "to attorn," with a bare citation to Littleton sections 553 and 554. The brevity is itself informative — Burrill treats atturner as a form word only, directing all substantive weight to the underlying act rather than giving the verb independent treatment. No definition, explanation of legal consequences, or contextual commentary accompanies the entry. This reflects the standard approach of historical law dictionaries to Law French verbal forms: they are catalogued for identification purposes, with doctrine located elsewhere. No other dictionary in the standard historical shelf (Bouvier, Black, Tomlin's New Law Dictionary) gives atturner a standalone entry, which confirms its status as a form word rather than a term of art requiring its own doctrinal treatment.
Jurisdictional Note
Atturner as a term has no modern jurisdictional footprint. The doctrine it names — attornment — survived in modified form in landlord-tenant law in both common law England and American states, but the Law French verbal form itself is purely historical.