The complexity of land tenures since the annexation of Awadh in 1856 needs to be comprehended in a dynamic, evolutionary framework, culminating in the peasant revolts since the 1920s. The present paper attempts a description of the dynamics of agrarian legislation in the latter half of the nineteenth century as also the emerging social categories as reflected in the various contradictions and conflicts. The paper is based on certain court cases between 1909-1920 in Pratapgarh district.