Feet of fines facts for kids
A foot of fine was a special old record from England. It was like a copy of an agreement made in court about land. Imagine two people arguing over who owns a piece of land. Instead of a long fight, they would agree, and this agreement was written down. This written agreement was called a "fine of lands" or "final concord." It was used for hundreds of years, from around 1195 until 1833. These important old papers are now kept at The National Archives in Kew, London.
Contents
A Look Back: How Feet of Fines Started
Early Days: Henry II's Idea
Back in the time of Henry II of England, royal judges started a new way to settle land arguments. People would bring their disagreements to the king's courts. The agreement they reached would then be officially approved by the king. This made the agreement very strong and hard to break.
Three Copies for Safekeeping
At first, only two copies of the agreement, called a "fine," were made. They were written on one piece of parchment and then cut in half. Each person involved in the agreement got one half.
Around 1195, a new idea came from Hubert Walter, who was a very important official. They started making three copies instead of two. The third copy was kept by the court in the Treasury. This third copy was written at the very bottom of the parchment. That's why it became known as the "foot of the fine."
The Very First Foot of Fine
The first "foot of fine" ever recorded has a special note on it. It says, "This is the first agreement made in the king's court in three copies. This was done by order of the Archbishop of Canterbury and other important barons. It was so a record could be made and sent to the treasurer for safekeeping." This first agreement was about Walter's own brother, Theobald.
Spreading the Practice
Within a few years, making "feet of fines" became very common. It even spread to Scotland. For example, in 1198, an agreement about land in Lockerbie, Scotland, was filed with the English treasury. It was kept with records from Northumberland.
Early "fines" could be made in the Exchequer court. But after the early 1300s, they were always made in the Court of Common Pleas. This practice continued for a long time. It finally ended in 1833 when a new law, the Fines and Recoveries Act, stopped the use of "fines."
How a Fine Looked
This diagram shows how the three copies of a "fine" were arranged on one piece of parchment.
| FINE Final agreement Court's decision written three times on one document |
|
|---|---|
| Copy 1 For the first person involved |
Copy 2 For the second person involved |
| Foot of Fine Copy 3 Kept by the court for records |
|
Where to Find Published Feet of Fines
Many "feet of fines" have been copied and published by groups interested in old documents and history. These publications help historians and researchers study these ancient land agreements.
