The turf and twig ceremony dates from the feudal era but was used regularly in early colonial America allowing the English and Scottish (after 1707 termed the British) by virtue of their monarch's claims to take sovereign possession over unclaimed lands.
The tradition of the turf and twig ceremony dates back to the feudal era but was commonly used in early American colonies by both English and Scottish settlers, who claimed sovereignty over land through this ritual under the authority of their monarchs.