Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Open for research.

Use Restrictions

Physical characteristics and conditions affect use of this material. Photocopying not permitted.

Preferred Citation

British Legal Records Collection, 1801-1914, (M 110), Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, VA

Acquisition Information

Raymond Ruff, Lansdowne, VA

Alternative Form Available

None

Accruals

2013.0144

Processing Information

Processed by Gabrielle Sanchez and Max Arlett, 2017

Historical Information

A customary format for written record of property transactions developed in medieval England and became formally standardized by the 17th century. First written in Latin, all deeds after 1733 were composed in English. Each conveyance included an abstract, title deeds, supplementary documents providing proof, such as wills, certificates marriage settlements, contracts, auctioneer's papers, or other evidence. After 1840, a plan of the property was also included. Many deeds include seals, varying from elaborate pendant seals encased in a box, known as a skippet, to simple wafer seals. The absence of seals on a document may indicate that it was never executed, however, many seals have been lost or removed over time. A herring-bone pattern of cuts across a document indicates that it has been canceled, and is no longer valid. Stamps also appear on some deeds. The practice of using stamps as a form of regulating tax was first introduced in 1694. During the 18th and first third of the 19th century, stamp taxes were administered by the Board of Stamps, which became the Board of Stamps and Taxes and then the Board of Inland Revenue.

Following an act of Parliament in 1925, only thirty years of previous documentation was required to prove title to a property, and subsequently, many older documents were not retained.

Scope and Content

This collection consists of seventeen documents written on parchment paper ranging in date from 1801 to 1914. These items were purchased by the donor as a mixed lot at auction, and are unrelated. Many refer to leases for a "messuage" - a dwelling house with outbuildings and land assigned to its use. The documents were registered at the Middlesex Deeds Registry and the London Land Registry.

Related Material

None

Adjunct Descriptive Data

Bibliography

Alcock, N. W. 2001. Old Title Deeds: a Guide for Local and Family Historians. Chichester: Phillimore.

Clarke, Alison. Property Law: Commentary and Materials. 2005.

Other Finding Aid

None

Technical Requirements

None