crown land

crown land, in Great Britain, land owned by the crown, the income from which has been, since the reign of George III (1760–1820), surrendered to Parliament in return for a fixed Civil List, an agreed sum provided annually for the maintenance of the sovereign’s expenses. In Anglo-Saxon times the king’s personal lands were differentiated from those held by the crown as such, but after the Norman Conquest (1066) they became merged as the estates of the crown, over which he had full power of disposal. Because the king was the feudal overlord, his lands were increased from time to time by estates forfeited by convicted rebels or escheating from lack of heirs. Management of crown lands is now entrusted to the commissioners of crown lands, who have statutory powers with regard to leasing, selling, or exchanging estates.