Grant by Letters Patent in trust of the equity of redemption in the leasehold estate of John Bourke Ryan an outlaw. 18th April 1812.

£1,000 · Offered by Shapero Rare Books · No longer available

'an outlaw' A deed by the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury dated 18th April 1812 granting the equity of redemption (i.e. the right to reclaim a mortgaged property) in the leasehold estate of John Bourke Ryan to his creditors. Ryan, a serial debtor, had earlier been prosecuted for failing to pay the sum of £288 7s 6d for 'goods sold and delivered' to him by Edward Goldsmid, a merchant of Change Alley in the City of London. As a result of Goldsmid's efforts the Court of Kings Bench declared Ryan an 'outlaw' in civil law, essentially stripping the debtor of his legal protections and permitting the sale of his possessions to cover any costs owed. Following the prosecution, the Commissioner's granted the equity of redemption in Ryan's property to William Speer 'one of the chief clerks of our Treasury' and Henry Charles Litchfield 'solicitor for the affairs of our Treasury' to hold on trust for the benefit of Ryan's creditors, including Goldsmid. Manuscript on vellum, single folding sheet (62 x 179 cm); engraved headpiece, ruled in red, signed A.C. Litchfield, MS short-title and date to verso; minor spotting, weakness along fold lines with the occasional small area of loss to text and staining, without seal.

• Binding: Hardcover

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