Land Transfer Act 1875

Land Transfer Act 1875 ^[a]

Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to simplify Titles and facilitate the Transfer of Land in England.
Citation	38 & 39 Vict. c. 87
Territorial extent	England and Wales [b]
Dates
Royal assent	13 August 1875
Commencement	1 January 1876 [c]
Other legislation
Amended by	Perjury Act 1911
Repealed by	Land Registration Act 1925, s 147 & Sch
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

The Land Transfer Act 1875 ^[a] (38 & 39 Vict. c. 87), sometimes called Lord Cairns' Act, ^[1] was an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of the United Kingdom intended to simplify titles and to facilitate the transfer of land in England and Wales. It introduced a voluntary system for the registration of title to land. ^[2]

The act apparently aimed to introduce the Australian model of title registration. But land registration remained as voluntary, and the options were not taken up.

Background

Efforts to establish a land registration system in England and Wales began with the Land Registry Act 1862, which created a register of title but proved administratively complex and unpopular. ^[3] The 1862 Act was largely a failure, and by the 1870s few titles had been entered in the register. The 1875 legislation was drafted under Lord Cairns, the Lord Chancellor, to create a more workable framework. ^[4]

Provisions

The Act applied only to England and Wales (section 2) and provided for two forms of registration: absolute and ck title. ^[4] An "absolute" title was guaranteed by the state, while a "possessory" title merely recorded possession pending proof of ownership. Registration under the Act was entirely voluntary, and the process was managed by the Office of Land Registry.

Uptake and impact

Although the Act was intended to modernise conveyancing, it saw very limited use. After three years, only forty-seven titles had been registered under the Act. ^[5] The system’s voluntary nature and its perceived complexity discouraged landowners from registering their titles. ^[6] Subsequent reforms, notably the Land Transfer Act 1897, introduced compulsory registration in certain areas of London, laying the foundation for broader land registration in the twentieth century.

Repeal and legacy

The Act was repealed by the Land Registration Act 1925, which created a comprehensive and modern system of title registration. ^[7] The current framework of land registration in England and Wales, now governed by the Land Registration Act 2002, traces its origins to the principles first established by the 1875 Act. ^[6]

See also

• Land Registry Act 1862
• Land Transfer Act 1897
• Land Registration Act 1925
• Land Registration Act 2002
• English land law

Notes

1. Section 1.
2. Did not apply to Scotland or Ireland: section 2.
3. Section 2.

References

1. Herbert Chilion Jones. The "Torrens System" of Transfer of Land. Carswell & Co. Toronto. 1886. p 21
2. Explanatory Notes to the Land Registration Act 2002, paragraph 195, UK Government (legislation.gov.uk). Retrieved 21 October 2025.
3. Land Registration Bill – Explanatory Notes, UK Parliament, 2001–2002, paragraph 4. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
4. Land Registration , Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th ed. (1911), p. 140.
5. George W. Fiflis, English Registered Conveyancing: A Study in Effective Conveyancing Legislation, 1964, p. 104, University of Colorado Law Review. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
7. Land Registration Act 1925 (15 & 16 Geo. 5 c. 21), legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 21 October 2025.

Further reading

• Cheshire, G. C. & Burn, E. H. Modern Law of Real Property (14th ed., 1988).
• Fiflis, George W. English Registered Conveyancing: A Study in Effective Conveyancing Legislation. University of Colorado Law Review, 1964.
• Ruoff, Theodore B.& Roper, Henry W. Registered Conveyancing. London: Sweet & Maxwell, 1957.
• Simpson, A. W. B. A History of the Land Law. Oxford University Press, 1986.