EXCAMBION (a word connected with a large class of

See also:

• LOW, SETH (1850- )
• LOW, WILL HICOK (1853- )

Low Latin and

See also:

• ROMANCE

Romance forms, such as cambium, concambium, scambium, from

See also:

• LAT

Lat. cambire, Gr. KhOety or Kh/s7rTav, to

See also:

• BEND

bend, turn or

See also:

• FOLD

fold)  , in Scots law, the exchange (q.v.) of one heritable subject for another . The modern Scottish excambion may consist in the exchange of any heritable subjects whatever, e.g. a patronage or, what often occurs, a portion of a glebe for servitude . Writing is not, by the law of Scotland, essential to an excambion . Chiefly in favour of the class of cottars and small feuars, and for convenience in straightening marches, the law will consider the most informal memoranda, and even a verbal agreement, if supported by the subsequent possession . The power to excamb was gradually conferred on entailed proprietors . The Montgomery Act, which was passed in 1770, to facilitate agricultural improvements, permitted 50 acres arable and too acres not fit for the plough to be excambed . This was enlarged by the Rosebery Act in 1836, under which one-fourth of an entailed estate, not.including the mansion-house, home farm and policies, might be excambed, provided the heirs took no higher grassum (O.E. gersum, fine) than £200 . The power was applied to the whole estate by the Rutherford Act of 1848, and the necessary consents of substitute heirs are now regulated by the Entail(Scotland) Act 1882 .