Inhabitants of Randolph v. Inhabitants of Norton
Inhabitants of Randolph v. Inhabitants of Norton
Opinion of the Court
It has been decided that under the Rev. Sts. c. 45, § 1, cl. 4, a citizen gains a settlement in a town by having therein an estate of inheritance or freehold in trust, and living thereon three years successively. Scituate v. Hanover, 16 Pick. 222. So it was decided, under St. 1793, c. 34, § 2, cl. 4, (which was repealed in 1822,) that a citizen gained a settlement in a town by having therein an estate of inheritance or freehold in trust, of a certain clear yearly income, and taking the rents and profits thereof three years successively, whether he lived thereupon or not. Orleans v. Chatham, 2 Pick. 29. And the main question in the present case is, whether the pauper Vinton had such an estate in Randolph, and lived thereon three successive years.
The facts are these: In February 1853, Vinton took possession of a house which he had purchased of Salmon Buck, but had not paid for, and which he had removed and placed on a lot of land, for the purchase of which he had made an oral agreement with Joseph Linfield, but of which he received no deed; and he has ever since lived in that house on that land. In March 1853, Vinton paid Linfield for the land, and in pursuance of an arrangement made by all concerned, Linfield
What estate in the premises had Vinton during the three years from March 1853 to March 1856 ? According to the decision in Scituate v. Hanover, above cited, from which this case seems to us not to be distinguishable, he had an estate of inheritance in trust, that is, he was cestui que trust of such an estate. The bond for a deed of the premises, which was given to him by Buck, with permission to him to take the rents and profits to his own use until the deed should be given, is to be regarded as a written declaration of trust.
Plaintiffs nonsuit.
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