In World War I, no man's land often ranged from several hundred yards to in some cases less than 10 yards (~9 metres). Examples World War I ĭead Canadian soldiers lying in no man's land on the Somme battlefield, 1918 In the United Kingdom, several places called No Man's Land denoted "extra-parochial spaces that were beyond the rule of the church, beyond the rule of different fiefdoms that were handed out by the king … ribbons of land between these different regimes of power". The term is also applied in nautical use to a space amidships, originally between the forecastle and the booms in a square-rigged vessel where various ropes, tackle, block, and other supplies were stored. The same term was later used as the name for the piece of land outside the north wall of London that was assigned as the place of execution. The Oxford English Dictionary contains a reference to the term dating back to 1320, spelled nonesmanneslond, to describe a territory that was disputed or involved in a legal disagreement. Origin Īccording to Alasdair Pinkerton, an expert in human geography at Royal Holloway, University of London, the term is first mentioned in Domesday Book (1086), to describe parcels of land that were just beyond the London city walls. It has sometimes been used to name a specific place. The term is also used metaphorically, to refer to an ambiguous, anomalous, or indefinite area, in regard to an application, situation, or jurisdiction. In modern times, it is commonly associated with World War I to describe the area of land between two enemy trench systems, not controlled by either side. The term was originally used to define a contested territory or a dumping ground for refuse between fiefdoms. No man's land is waste or unowned land or an uninhabited or desolate area that may be under dispute between parties who leave it unoccupied out of fear or uncertainty.
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