Month: March 2021
Hereditament
In common law, a hereditament (from Latin hereditare, to inherit, from heres, heir) is any kind of property that can be inherited.[1]
Hereditaments are divided into corporeal and incorporeal. Corporeal hereditaments are “such as affect the senses, and may be seen and handled by the body; incorporeal are not the subject of sensation, can neither be seen nor handled, are creatures of the mind, and exist only in contemplation”.[2] An example of a corporeal hereditament is land held in freehold[1] and in leasehold.
Examples of incorporeal hereditaments are hereditary titles of honour or dignity, heritable titles of office, coats of arms, prescriptive baronies, pensions, annuities, rentcharges, franchises — and any other interest having no physical existence.[3] Two categories related to the church have been abolished in England and Wales and certain other parts of the British Isles: tithes and advowsons. The term featured in the one-time “sweeper definition”, catch-all phrase, “lands, tenements and hereditaments”[1] is deprecated in contemporary legal documents. The terms “land, buildings” and where such land is unregistered “appurtenant rights” invariably coupled with itemised lists more properly describe property respectively forming and connected with land, as distinguished from goods and chattels or movable property.[1]
Henry Berry: Extinguish The Light
In 1832, Henry Berry, a renowned US senator, made a famous statement in his address to the Virginia House of Delegates, and with reference to the African Slaves, he was quoted as saying “We have as far as possible, closed every avenue by which light may enter the slave’s mind. If we could extinguish the capacity to see the light, our work would be complete. They (The Black Slaves) would then be on the level with the beast of the field and we should be safe”.
The Zodiac Constitution
Power of attorney
A power of attorney (POA) or letter of attorney is a written authorization to represent or act on another’s behalf in private affairs, business, or some other legal matter. The person authorizing the other to act is the principal, grantor, or donor (of the power). The one authorized to act is the agent,[1] attorney, or in some common law jurisdictions, the attorney-in-fact.
Formerly, the term “power” referred to an instrument signed under seal while a “letter” was an instrument under hand, meaning that it was simply signed by the parties, but today a power of attorney does not need to be signed under seal. Some jurisdictions require that powers of attorney be notarized or witnessed, but others will enforce a power of attorney as long as it is signed by the grantor.