Description:

Superb vellum "foot of the fine" 17th century document from the short reign of King James II regarding a sale of land

Manuscript Document Signed "J Rex" by a court officer, one page, 27.5" x 20.75". [London, 1685-1687]. In the hand of a scrivener. A portrait of King James II appears in the upper left, adorned with elaborate swirls. His name in Latin in Old English lettering is across the top: "Jacobus Secundus Dei gra" ("James Second by the grace of God"). Above his name is a 19.5" x 5" ornate border of foliage and animals, including a lion, unicorn, dragon, and serpents, beneath which is penned: "Sold in Cliffords Inne lane," the printing establishment which produced the document. Simpler foliage adorns the left and right sides of the text. Documents of this type were said to have been penned in "old law-Latin, flavored with Norman French." At the bottom is a 1.5" x 1.25" portion of vellum, which had been attached to the royal seal which is no longer present, bearing a handwritten, ornate "J Rex" signature placed there by a court officer. Light folds, some rubbing of letters. Generally, in apparent fine condition.

Partial translation: "James Second by the grace of God King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith & to All to whom our present letters may come, Greeting. Know Ye that among the records and Feet of Fines with the proclamations thereof made according to the form of the Statute in that case lately enacted and provided...This is the Final Concord made in the court of our Lord the King at Westminster...and of the reign of our Lord James Second by the grace of God King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &..." The "fine" was the record of an amicable agreement in court ending in an action at law to enforce a covenant to convey real property. This document is a chirography of a fine of land called the "foot of the fine." In order to legally record a transfer of land, the person to whom the land was to be conveyed instituted a lawsuit against the owner, levying a fine which was understood by the participants to simply be a means of transferring property. There were five parts of the fine, each regarding an aspect of the sale and its recording. This document represents the fifth and last part of the fine called the foot. It includes all the details of the land sale, stating the parties, dates, and place, and the Justices before whom it was acknowledged or levied. The use of the fine in land sales was abolished in 1833 and replaced by a simpler legal action. Because of the many details which they give of the topography of the land as well as, in many cases, valuable genealogic and court information, "foot of the fine" documents are among the most valuable of all British public records.

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