Purlieu

In English law

A space of land near a forest, known by certain boundaries, which was formerly part of a forest, but which has been separated from it. The history of purlieus is this: Henry II., on taking possession of the throne, manifested so great a taste for forests that he enlarged the old ones wherever he could, and by this means enclosed many estates which had no outlet to the public roads; and things increased in this way until the reign of King John, when the public reclamations were so great that much of this land was disforested, — that is, no longer had the privileges of the forests; and the land thus separated bore the name of "purlieu."