uodal

Udal, also written uodal or odal, is a historical system of customary law governing inheritance and land tenure that originated in Norse-ruled areas and persisted in the Orkney and Shetland islands of Scotland. The term derives from Old Norse odall (or óðal), meaning hereditary property or ancestral ownership.

Historically, udal law organized the transfer and tenure of land within families. Land on certain farms—often called udals or udal farms—was regarded as the family’s hereditary property, to be passed down across generations according to local custom rather than solely through feudal or statutory rules. The system was designed to keep farms intact within extended kin networks and to provide a measure of stability and stewardship for substantial agricultural holdings. Local institutions, such as the Udal Court in Shetland, handled disputes over udal rights and inheritance according to customary practice.

Relationship to broader law: Udal law developed within the Norse-influenced regions of Scotland and interacted with, but was distinct from, contemporary feudal and Scottish property law. Over time, many udal practices were superseded or incorporated into modern property and inheritance statutes, and udal law is now understood primarily as part of the historical and cultural heritage of Orkney and Shetland.

In contemporary scholarship, udal law is studied for its insights into Norse influence on Scottish landholding patterns and family-based tenure. The term remains a key concept in discussions of hereditary land, customary law, and the legal history of the Northern Isles.