Approvement Law and Legal Definition
In English law, approvement refers to the right of an owner of common lands to enclose them partially and receive income arising from them. This right was originally granted by the Statute of Merton ( 1235). This right is still available, but a landowner seeking to approve the land must receive the government’s consent to do so.
Approvement also refers to the act by which a person indicted of treason or felony, confesses the same and accuses his accomplices of the same crime in order to avoid capital conviction. This practice is now not in use. In modern practice, an accomplice is permitted to give evidence against his associates.
