any house or houses, that at any time within the past three years
hath been, or that now is, or heretofore shall be, let to farm with
twenty acres of land at least, or more, laying in tillage or
husbandry; that the owners of any such house shall be bound to
keep, sustain, and maintain houses and buildings, upon the said
grounds and land, convenient and necessary for maintaining and
upholding said tillage and husbandry; and if any such owner or
owners of house or house and land take, keep, and occupy any such
house or house and land in his or their own hands, that the owner
of the said authority be bound in likewise to maintain houses and
buildings upon the said ground and land, convenient and necessary
for maintaining and upholding the said tillage and husbandry. On
their default, the king, or the other lord of the fee, shall
receive half of the profits, and apply the same in repairing the
houses; but shall not gain the freehold thereby."

This act was preceded by one with reference to the Isle of Wight, 4
Henry VII., cap. 16, passed the same session, which recites that it
is so near France that it is desirable to keep it in a state of
defence. It provides that no person shall have more than one farm,
and enacts:

"For remedy, it is ordered and enacted that no manner of person, of
what estate, degree, or condition soever, shall take any farm more
than one, whereof the yearly rent shall not exceed ten marks; and
if any several leases afore this time have been made to any person
or persons of divers and sundry farmholds whereof the yearly value
shall exceed that sum, then the said person or persons shall choose
one farm, hold at his pleasure, and the remnant of the leases shall
be void."