Sasine facts for kids

Sasine is an old Scottish legal term. It describes the official way that land, or other property that can't be moved, was given from one person to another. Think of it as the formal handover of ownership, especially for land and everything on it, like buildings or trees.

In the past, when someone owned land under a system called feudal law, they were called a "superior." If they wanted to give their land to someone else, they would use a process called sasine. This process made the transfer of ownership official and public.

Over time, the word "sasine" also started to mean the actual document that recorded this transfer. So, people might talk about "receiving sasines" when they got the document proving they now owned the land.

Here are some other ways "sasine" has been spelled: seizin, seisin, sasin, seasin, sasing, seasing, sesin, seasin, sesine, seasine, saisine.

How Land Was Transferred

Originally, giving land through sasine was a very physical act. The person giving the land would actually hand over a small piece of the property, like a clump of dirt or a stone, to the new owner while standing on the land itself. This was a symbolic way to show the transfer of ownership.

Recording the Transfer

After this symbolic handover, the event was officially recorded. A special document called an "Instrument of Sasine" was created. This document described what happened and served as proof of the new ownership. It was like a receipt for the land.

In 1617, a law called the Registration Act 1617 created a system to keep track of all these land transfers. A "Register of Sasines" was set up in different areas of Scotland. Today, this system still exists as the General Register of Sasines, but it's now a national record.

Changes Over Time

The way sasine worked changed over the years to make it simpler.

• By 1845, people no longer had to go to the land and perform the symbolic handover. The documents alone were enough.
• Later, in 1858, the "Instrument of Sasine" document itself was replaced. Instead, the land transfer was recorded directly with a "warrant of registration." This made the process even more straightforward, focusing on the written record rather than the old ceremonies.

In English law, a similar process was called livery of seisin.