headright

[hed-rahyt]

noun

Law. a beneficial interest for each member of an Indian tribe in the tribal trust fund accruing from the lease of tribal oil, gas, and mineral rights, the sale of tribal lands, etc.

American History. a grant of land, usually 50 acres to a settler, given by certain colonies and companies in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Nearby words

Origin of headright

An Americanism dating back to 1695–1705; head + right

Examples from the Web for headright

Governors under the company issued patents based on the headright until dissolution by the crown in 1624.
Mother Earth|W. Stitt Robinson, Jr.
One of these grants by Governor Wyatt is the earliest extant form of the headright franchise.
Mother Earth|W. Stitt Robinson, Jr.
The meaning of "headright" was that any person who paid his own way to Virginia would receive 50 acres of land.
The Stronghold|Miriam Haynie
This headright system was later adopted in other colonies and continued in use for generations.
The First Seventeen Years: Virginia 1607-1624|Charles E. Hatch

It is not conclusively proved, then, that a certain person came as a servant merely because he is listed as a headright.
The Planters of Colonial Virginia|Thomas J. Wertenbaker