Fine of lands
Encyclopedia
A fine of lands was a species of conveyance abolished in England
in 1833. It took the form of a fictitious suit
compromised or terminated by the acknowledgment of the previous owner that such land was the right of the other party (a purchaser or other grantee). The court provided each party with a copy 'chirograph
' of the fine
and kept a third copy, known as a foot of fine
. This was a necessary part of English conveyancing, where a wife was consenting to bar her right to dower
, or in certain circumstances where an entail
was to be barred. In other circumstances, a Common Recovery
was necessary for this purpose.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1833. It took the form of a fictitious suit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
compromised or terminated by the acknowledgment of the previous owner that such land was the right of the other party (a purchaser or other grantee). The court provided each party with a copy 'chirograph
Chirograph
A chirograph is the term given to a medieval document, which has been written in duplicate, triplicate or very occasionally quadruplicate on a single piece of parchment, where the Latin word "chirographum" has been written across the middle, and then cut through...
' of the fine
Fine
A fine is money paid usually to superior authority, usually governmental authority, as punishment for a crime or other offence. The amount of a fine can be determined case by case, but it is often announced in advance....
and kept a third copy, known as a foot of fine
Feet of Fines
A Foot of fine is the archival copy of the agreement between two parties in a medieval English lawsuit over land. In the reign of Henry II of England, the royal justices first began the practice of registering the settlement of disagreements over land by having both parties bring a suit before the...
. This was a necessary part of English conveyancing, where a wife was consenting to bar her right to dower
Dower
Dower or morning gift was a provision accorded by law to a wife for her support in the event that she should survive her husband...
, or in certain circumstances where an entail
Entail
Entail may refer to:* Fee tail, a term of art in common law describing a limited form of succession....
was to be barred. In other circumstances, a Common Recovery
Common Recovery
A common recovery was a fictitious legal proceeding in England to enable an entailed estate in land to be converted into absolute ownership, fee simple.As a preliminary, there needed to be a conveyance of the land...
was necessary for this purpose.