1279 The Statute of Mortmain was issued

The Statutes of Mortmain were two enactments, in 1279 and 1290, by King Edward I of England aimed at preserving the kingdom's revenues by preventing land from passing into the possession of the Church. Possession of property by a corporation such as the church was known as mortmain. The Statutes of Mortmain were meant to re-establish the prohibition against donating land to the Church for purposes of avoiding feudal services which had been hinted at in the Magna Carta in 1215 and specifically defined in the Great Charter of 1217. John of England died shortly after Magna Carta was signed. Henry III of England, the son of John, did not enforce these proscriptions. It was finally brought to a close when Henry VIII of England disbanded the monasteries and confiscated Church lands.