Have you the Deeds on your House ?

[D ap D]

When I visited my parents last time, the bank had just posted them the deeds for my grandmothers house. So I snaffled them.

They do make interesting reading, as it turns out that my grandmothers grandfather built all the houses in the road and left them to his daughter (my grandmothers aunty) when he died. I don't think my parents were aware of that when they bought their house.

[Mobo]

 

We have the deeds to our bungalow which is only 40 years old, so there's nothing interesting there.  However, our previous home was different. Originally an estate house, it had been built for the Butler of Twemlow Hall, with the house next door being reserved for the Gardener.  The house across the road was the village Smithy, and all three houses shared 'right of access' to a Well which stood in our garden. Thankfully, nobody ever claimed it.  

The original plans showed a triangular cart track from the three properties to Twemlow Hall, but this road is now the busy A535 to Macclesfield, and the Hall has been made into Luxury Apartments.  

When the estate began to be 'sold off' in the early 1900's, the first person to own the house was a farmer's widow and her son, and if my memory serves me right, it went for the princely sum of £100.

 

[KarenM]

I know here in Ontario, Canada the Registry system has gone electronically as well.  You don't even need to go to the Registry Office office anymore to close a deal.  When they started putthing everything electronically they (Government) were destroying the Registry Books.  A few Genealogy Societys had the foresight to see what a wealth of information these books were and asked if they could keep them instead of destroying them.  Luckily the Government agreed.  They may have destroyed the deeds and all other documents, but the book lists everything that was ever registered on that property.

Karen

[wheeldon]

I've just had a similar experience as I have just remortgaged and my Building Society doesn't keep the deeds.  They were posted through my door and the envelope was completely ripped down both sides!  They were very interesting, although some of it I can't understand.  I always thought my house was built aprox 1890 but have found it was built in 1855.  Mine also are shoved in a drawer - however, half the street have been round to look at them.  It's almost been like when someone got a telly for the first time and everyone would come round to look at it-only know that through documentaries not through age-honest

[Su]

Our bungalow is only 17 years old, and as we have no mortgage we do have the deeds...not a bit interesting.

My sister however, paid an annual fee to keep hers in the Bank. When she went to get them out this year, she found to her astonisment that the Bank have LOST  them !  They cannot find them anywhere.  My sister is now really worried and has had to engage a Solicitor to sort it out.

I worked as a Legal Secretary for over twenty years and typed hundred of deeds and Abstracts of Title, which I found really interesting.  At one Solicitors we had archives on the top floor of the building which had shelves and shelves of packets of Deeds, and I often thought what would happen if they had a fire.

We keep our own in a fire resistant box at home.

Su

[wheeldon]

Su, my father in law is buying us one of those safes, for that very purpose.  I don't think deeds are as inportant as they used to be, paperless offices etc.  However, what a wonderful source of information and they should be preserved.

[julianb]

This is all very fascinating.

We live in a conservation area (in England) so have to apply for planning permission to replace a window (which we need to do).  As part of the planning application, we have to check the deeds to show the boundary of our land, and I approached the Bank with whom we have a mortgage for sight of said deeds.

I was advised that there were very valuable items which could not be copied, and if I wanted to consult them I had to approach my local branch and they would request them from the mortgage centre.  They deeds were to remain in the hands (effectively) of the Bank at all times.

Given others' experiences, I am amazed at the attitude of my Bank.  I think I might go and swear at them (again).

JULIAN

[Man of Kent]

"The house we live in now is new and has no history "

Sometimes the land on which an house stands does have an history, the site of a battle or settlement perhaps.

[tabitha]

"The house we live in now is new and has no history "

Sometimes the land on which an house stands does have an history, the site of a battle or settlement perhaps.

Oh I wish .........our house is built on what was farmland.... before it was farmed it was flat, muddy and splodgy and part of the flood defences of Somerset.....more widely known as the Levels    I do sometimes question why we moved here 

A couple of miles in any direction and you find masses of history, fascinating stories of times gone by and beautiful buildings etc. etc.  That'll have to do me until I can persuade hubby that it's about time we moved!! 

Tabitha