A turbary is a piece of peatland from which turf may be cut for fuel. By extension, the word may be applied to the material extracted from the turbary. This means peat which seems usually, perhaps always, to be moss peat. Turbary, which is more fully expressed legally as common of turbary, is the right to cut turf from a turbary on a common or in some cases, another person's land.

Turf was widely used for cooking and domestic heating but also for commercial purposes such as evaporating brine to produce salt. The right to take peat was particularly important in areas where firewood was scarce.