FRANCIGENA. A designation for merly given to aliens in England. FRANKALMOIGNE. A species of ancient tenure, still extant in England, whereby a religious corporation, aggregate or sole, holds its lands of the donor, in con sideration of the religious services it per forms.
2. The services rendered being divine, the tenants are not bound to take an oath of fealty to a superior lord. A tenant in frankal moigne is not only exempt from all temporal service, but the lord of whom he holds is also bound to acquit him of every service and fruit of tenure which the lord para mount may demand of the land held by this tenure. The services to be performed are either spiritual, as prayers to God, or tem poral, as the distribution of alms to the poor. Of this latter class is the office of the queen's almoner, which is usually bestowed upon the archbishop of York, with the title of lord high almoner. The spiritual services which were due before the Reformation are de scribed by Littleton, 135 ; since that time they have been regulated by the liturgy, or book of common prayer of the church of England. Coke, 2d Inst. 502 ; Coke, Litt. 93, 494 a. Hargrave ed. note (b) ; 2 Blackstone, Comm. 101.
3. In the United States, religious corpo rations hold land by the same tenure with which all other corporations and individuals hold ; and the only approach to a tenancy in frankalmoigne may be found in the exemp tion from taxation which is enjoyed by churches in common with charitable and scientific institutions. Our religious corpo rations are generally restricted to the hold ing of any more land than is required for the immediate purposes of their incorpora tion ; nor can they make absolute sales with out first obtaining the permission of a court of equity. Subject to this restriction, they have a fee-simple estate in their lands for the purpose of alienation, but only is determi nable fee for the purpose of enjoyment. On a dissolution of the corporation, the fee will revert to the original grantor and his liens ; but such granter will be forever excluded by an alienation in fee ; and in that way the corporation may defeat the possibility of a reverter. 2 Kent, Comm. 281 ; 2 Preston, Est. 50. And see 3 Binn. Penn. 626 ; 1 Watts, Penn. 218 ; 3 Pick. Mass. 232 ; 12 Mass.537 ; 8 Dan. Ky. 114.