Uselis
USELIS (mod. Usellus), an ancient town of Sardinia, situated in the hills to the S.E. of Oristano, 900 ft. above sea-level. A bronze tablet of A.D. 158 (a tabula palronatus, setting forth that M. Aristius Balbinus had accepted the position of patron of the town for himself and his heirs) speaks of the place as Colonia Julia Augusta Uselis. From this it would seem that it had become a colony under Augustus, were it not that Pliny (H.N. iii. 85) asserts that Turris Libisonis was the only colony in Sardinia at his time. It may be that civic rights were obtained from Augustus (Th. Mommsen in Corp. Inscr. Lat. x. p. 8 1 6). The site of the ancient town is marked by the church of S. Reparata, and various antiquities have been found there. The episcopal see was transferred to Ales in the 12th century, though the old name is still officially used. _, USES, in law, equitable or beneficial interests in land. In early law a man could not dispose of his estate by will nor could religious houses acquire it. As a method of evading the common law arose the practice of making feoffments to the use of, or upon trust for, persons other than those to whom the seisin or legal possession was delivered, to which the equitable jurisdiction of the chancellor gave effect. To remedy the abuses which it was said were occasioned by this evasion of the law was passed the famous Statute of Uses (1536), which, however, failed to accomplish its purpose. Out of this failure of the Statute of Uses arose the modern law of TRUSTS, under which heading will be found a full history of uses. See also CON- VEYANCING.
Note - this article incorporates content from Encyclopaedia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, (1910-1911)
