wardship

Wardship \Ward"ship\, n.
   1. The office of a ward or keeper; care and protection of a
      ward; guardianship; right of guardianship.
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            Wardship is incident to tenure in socage.
                                                  --Blackstone.
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   2. The state of begin under a guardian; pupilage.
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            It was the wisest act . . . in my wardship. --B.
                                                  Jonson.
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WARDSHIP, Eng. law. Wardship was the right of the lord over the person and 
estate of the tenant, when the latter was under a certain age. When a tenant 
by knight's service died, and his heir was under age, the lord was entitled 
to the custody of the person and the lands of the heir, without any account, 
until the ward, if a male, should arrive at the age of twenty-one years, 
and, if a female, at eighteen. Wardship was also incident to a tenure in 
socage, but in this case, not the lord, but the nearest relation to whom the 
inheritance could not descend, was entitled to the custody of the person and 
estate of the heir till he attained the age of fourteen years; at which 
period the wardship ceased and the guardian was bound, to account. Wardship 
in copyhold estates partook of that in chivalry and that guardian like the 
latter, he was required lib. 7, c. 9; Grand Cout. c. 33; Reg. Maj. c. 42. 
    

52 Moby Thesaurus words for "wardship":
      administration, auspices, care, charge, clientage, clientship,
      cure, custodianship, custody, dependence, dependency, disability,
      disablement, disqualification, governance, government,
      guardianship, guidance, hands, imbecility, inability, inadequacy,
      incapability, incapacitation, incapacity, incompetence,
      incompetency, inefficiency, ineptitude, infancy, inferiority,
      insufficiency, jurisdiction, keeping, legal incapacity, management,
      ministry, minority, oversight, pastorage, pastorate, pastorship,
      patronage, protectorship, safe hands, stewardship, tutelage,
      unfitness, ward, wardenship, watch and ward, wing