Fine of lands

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A fine of lands (sometimes called a final concord) 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.