LACE

9 definitions found across Law Mind sources

LACEAuthored
The Law Mind • 785 words
Definition
In law, LACE is a unit of land measurement equal to one pole (also called a rod). One pole equals 16.5 feet, or one-quarter of a chain. The term was historically used in land surveys and conveyancing documents, with particular prevalence in Cornwall, England.
Common Language
Modern common usage (Wiktionary): A light fabric containing patterns of holes, usually built up from a single thread; or a cord or ribbon passed through eyelets in a shoe or garment; or spirits added to a beverage. Historical common usage (Webster's 1913): That which binds or holds, especially by being interwoven; a string, cord, or band passing through eyelets and used in drawing and holding together parts of a garment or shoe; also a snare or gin made of interwoven cords. The legal meaning of LACE shares no connection with the fabric, fastening, or snare senses found in ordinary English. A researcher encountering "lace" in an old deed or survey record should not import any common meaning — the term functions purely as a unit of linear or square measure.
Why It Matters in Research
LACE appears almost exclusively in historical English land records, particularly those originating from or influenced by Cornish conveyancing practice. Researchers working with pre-modern deeds, estate surveys, glebe terriers, or tithe apportionment documents from Cornwall or surrounding regions may encounter this term as a measurement unit. The critical research trap: because "lace" is a common English word with well-understood everyday meanings, it is easily misread or silently passed over in archival documents. A transcriber or indexer unfamiliar with the legal usage may flag the word as an error or simply ignore it, meaning a search for the term in digitized document collections may return no useful hits even when the term is present in the underlying text. Researchers should also be aware of the closely related term LACERTA, noted by Rapalje & Lawrence as appearing in old records to mean a fathom — a unit of depth or length (six feet). LACE and LACERTA are distinct units and should not be conflated, but their proximity in historical glossaries suggests they may appear together in the same class of archival sources. Because LACE equals one pole, any calculation of land area described in laces should convert through the standard surveying chain: 40 poles (laces) = 1 furlong; 4 roods = 1 acre; 160 square poles = 1 acre. Errors in unit conversion are a recurring problem in historical land dispute records.
Historical Dictionary Support
All three source dictionaries — Black's (1st Ed.), Black's (2nd Ed.), and Rapalje & Lawrence — give identical definitions: a measure of land equal to one pole, widely used in Cornwall. There is complete agreement and no meaningful divergence among the sources. What the historical dictionaries omit is any guidance on square versus linear application. "One pole" can describe a linear distance (16.5 feet) or, when squared, a unit of area (272.25 square feet). The sources do not specify which application was standard in Cornish usage, and researchers should treat this ambiguity as a live interpretive question when reading original documents. Context — whether a boundary description or an acreage calculation — will usually resolve the question, but the dictionaries provide no help here. Rapalje & Lawrence appends the LACERTA entry immediately after LACE, which is editorially suggestive: both terms belong to the same family of archaic measurement vocabulary found in old English land records, and the pairing implies they were understood as companion terms by practitioners working with historical documents.
Jurisdictional Note
LACE as a legal term of art is effectively a regionalism of English land law, concentrated in Cornwall. It does not appear to have been carried into American surveying practice in any systematic way, and American legal dictionaries include it primarily for reference purposes when interpreting English title chains. Researchers working exclusively with American land records are unlikely to encounter it.
Related Terms
Pole (rod) — the unit to which LACE is equated; the standard term in general English surveying usage Lacerta — a fathom; adjacent archaic measurement term appearing in the same class of old records Chain — the surveying unit of which a pole is one-quarter (Gunter's chain = 4 poles) Furlong — 40 poles; the next larger traditional unit Perch — a synonym for pole/rod in many historical contexts; may appear interchangeably with lace in Cornish records Rood — a land area measure equal to 40 square poles; relevant when lace is used to calculate acreage Glebe — a category of historical land records (church lands) where archaic measurement terms frequently appear
LACEmain
Black's Law Dictionary • 1891
A measure of land equal to one pole. This term is widely used in Cornwall.
LACEmain
Black's Law Dictionary (2nd Ed.) • 1910
A measure of land equal to one pole. This term is widely used in Cornwall.
LACEmain
Rapalje & Lawrence • 1883
A measure of land equal to one pole. This term is widely used in Cornwall. LACERTA.-In old records, a fathom.
LACEn.
Websters Unabridged Dictionary (1913) • 1913
That which binds or holds, especially by being interwoven; a string, cord, or band, usually one passing through eyelet or other holes, and used in drawing and holding together parts of a garment, of a shoe, of a machine belt, etc. His hat hung at his back down by a lace. Chaucer. For striving more, the more in laces strong Himself he tied. Spenser. A snare or gin, especially one made of interwoven cords; a net. [Obs.] Fairfax. Vulcanus had caught thee [Venus] in his lace. Chaucer. A fabric of fine threads of linen, silk, cotton, etc., often ornamented with figures; a delicate tissue of thread, much worn as an ornament of dress. Our English dames are much given to the wearing of costlylaces. Bacon. Spirits added to coffee or some other beverage. [Old Slang] Addison. Alencon lace, a kind of point lace, entirely of needlework, first made at Alencon in France, in the 17th century. It is very durable and of great beauty and cost. -- Bone lace, Brussels lace, etc. See under Bone, Brussels, etc. -- Gold lace, or Silver lace, lace having warp threads of silk, or silk and cotton, and a weft of silk threads covered with gold (or silver), or with gilt. -- Lace leather, thin, oil-tanned leather suitable for cutting into lacings for machine belts. -- Lace lizard (Zoöl.), a large, aquatic, Australian lizard (Hydrosaurus giganteus), allied to the monitors. -- Lace paper, paper with an openwork design in imitation of lace. -- Lace piece (Shipbuilding), the main piece of timber which supports the beak or head projecting beyond the stem of a ship. -- Lace pillow, and Pillow lace. See under Pillow.
LACEv.
Websters Unabridged Dictionary (1913) • 1913
To fasten with a lace; to draw together with a lace passed through eyelet holes; to unite with a lace or laces, or, figuratively. with anything resembling laces. Shak. When Jenny's stays are newly laced. Prior. To adorn with narrow strips or braids of some decorative material; as, cloth laced with silver. Shak. To beat; to lash; to make stripes on. [Colloq.] I'll lace your coat for ye. L'Estrange. To add spirits to (a beverage). [Old Slang]
LACEv.
Websters Unabridged Dictionary (1913) • 1913
To be fastened with a lace, or laces; as, these boots lace.
lacenoun
Wiktionary (English) • 2026
Wiktionary contributorsCC BY-SA 4.0 • via Kaikki
Extracted and formatted for display by Law Mind. Source link opens the current Wiktionary page and its contributor history; it is not a frozen copy of this extract.
A light fabric containing patterns of holes, usually built up from a single thread. | A cord or ribbon passed through eyelets in a shoe or garment, pulled tight and tied to fasten the shoe or garment firmly. | A snare or gin, especially one made of interwoven cords; a net. | Spirits added to coffee or another beverage.
laceverb
Wiktionary (English) • 2026
Wiktionary contributorsCC BY-SA 4.0 • via Kaikki
Extracted and formatted for display by Law Mind. Source link opens the current Wiktionary page and its contributor history; it is not a frozen copy of this extract.
To fasten (something) with laces. | To interweave items. | To interweave the spokes of a bicycle wheel. | To beat; to lash; to make stripes on. | To adorn with narrow strips or braids of some decorative material. | To intersperse or diversify with something. | To add alcohol, poison, a drug or anything else potentially harmful to (food or drink). | To cover intricately with bands, strips, or the like, so as to resemble lace.

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