1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Uses

USES, in law, equitable or beneficial interests in land. In early law a man could not dispose of his estate by will nor could religious houses acquire it. As a method of evading the common law arose the practice of making feoffments to the use of, or upon trust for, persons other than those to whom the seisin or legal possession was delivered, to which the equitable jurisdiction of the chancellor gave effect. To remedy the abuses which it was said were occasioned by this evasion of the law was passed the famous Statute of Uses (1536), which, however, failed to accomplish its purpose. Out of this failure of the Statute of Uses arose the modern law of Trusts, under which heading will be found a full history of uses. See also Conveyancing.