Crown Patent Search
A typical Crown Patent is a single page hand-written document similar to a Deed, typically written in ‘old’ legal English. However, many Patents are abstracts of the hand-written Patent Registry and may be many pages long.
Copies are delivered electronically (if you require a hard copy, please notify us).
Typically required for legal proceedings, Patents are often ordered as Certified True copies of the original.
What is a Crown Patent?
The Crown Patent is the original transfer of ownership of land from the government to an individual and is known as Letters Patent.
What is contained in a Crown Patent?
A typical Patent transfers rights, title and interests in a parcel of land from the Crown (the “Grantor” or seller) to the “Grantee” (the buyer) and guarantees protection of those rights, title and interests, subject to certain conditions at the time of transfer. Depending on the date of the original Grant, the transfer may include all rights, title and interest but typically, Patents deal with surface rights only and reserve navigable water and mineral rights to the Crown.
How much land is involved in a Patent?
A: It varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. For example, in Southern Ontario most Patents were based on Township lot surveys (200-acre parcels), but many can be smaller (50-100 acre parcels) or part of a much larger transfer involving thousands of acres across many Townships and Counties.
Why are Patents important?
Every transfer (deed) since the Patent passes on the rights, title and interest to the current deed holder (these transfers are collectively known as the chain of title). Crown Patents contain legal rights and interests as well as representing significant heritage.