Land belonging to a parish church or a clergyman's benefice in England, providing income for the church or clergy member.
Middle English 'glebe,' from Latin 'gleba' (clod of earth, soil), with the root meaning 'something that sticks or adheres,' used in English ecclesiastical contexts since the medieval period.
English vicars were often wealthier than farmers because they owned glebe land—their salary wasn't money but productive real estate, a system so entrenched it lasted until the 20th century.
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