[transl. of AF. franc bord: see FREE a. and BOARD sb. Sense 2 seems to have been suggested by sense 1.]
1. Law. In some places the right of claiming a certain quantity of land outside the fence of a park or forest; also, the land thus claimed.
[c. 1350[?]. Carta T. Dom. Moubray, in Dugdale, Monasticon (1661), II. 241/1. Et totum boscum quod vocatur Brendewode, cum frankbordo duorum pedum & dimidium, per circuitum illius bosci.]
1676. Coles, Free-bord, a small space beyond or without the fence.
1795. Epworth (Linc.) Enclosure Act, 25. Any Freeboard, Screed, or Parcel of Land left outside the fences.
1793. in Chancellor, Hist. Richmond (1894), 222. The Boundaries of His Majesty’s Park at Richmond, and the Free-board thereto belonging. Ibid. (1894). Richmond Park has a free-board of 161/2 feet outside the boundary-wall.
2. Naut. (See quot. 1867.)
1726. Shelvocke, Voy. round World (1757), 268. Not having above sixteen inches free board, and our bark tumbling prodigiously, the water continually ran over us.
1867. Smyth, Sailor’s Word-bk., s.v. Plank-sheer.… The space between this [plank-sheer] and the line of flotation has latterly been termed the free-board.
1880. Times, Aug., 5/3. According to this vessel’s construction, she ought to have had 6 ft. freeboard.
Hence Free-boarded a.
1883. D. J. Kelly, The Modern Yacht, in Harper’s Mag., LXVII. Aug., 442/2. Faster than the low free-boarded, shallow, beamy boats to which we pinned our faith.
