Legal Dictionary of Pakistan

frankalmoin

[Law French "free alms"] Hist. A spiritual tenure by which a religious institution held land, usu. in return for a nonenforceable duty to pray for the donor. ( This tenure differed from the tenure by divine service, which required the performance of certain divine services. - Also spelled frankalmoign; frankalmoigne. - Also termed almoign; almoin; free alms; libera eleemosyna. See spiritual tenure under TENURE. "Frankalmoin, or free alms, was a survival of AngloSaxon law, and implied simply an indefinite promise to pray for the soul of the donor; but since it was deemed a tenure by which the land was held, the general doctrine of 'services' was applied. On the other hand, in the case of Divine Service, which was much less frequently met with, the tenant promised a definite number of prayers, a duty which might be enforced in the King's courts." A.K.R. Kiralfy, Potter's Outlines of English Legal History 210 (5th ed. 1958).