This now obsolete “residency status” was used in England, Ireland, Great Britain, United Kingdom, etc. until 1914 when legislation making naturalization easier caused it to fall from use. By default, it was also used in the American Colonies until the American Revolution. Being granted the rights of a denizen allowed an immigrant to have certain limited rights of citizenship without giving that immigrant full citizenship rights. For those in the Americas the right that mattered most was the ability to own land and vote. Denizens could not inherit land or hold political office.
Becoming a denizen was easier than becoming a naturalized citizen.
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