Royer v. Benlow
Royer v. Benlow
Opinion of the Court
(after stating the case.) The president of the Court of Common. Pleas instructed the jury, “ that if the defendant had marked and designated the bounds of his claim, 21 years before suit brought, had land cleared and cultivated, at two places* half a mile distant from each other, and occupied the woodland as others do, and must, that is by cutting when and where it suited his convenience; he is protected in every part of such tract so designated, as much as in the spot covered by hjs house.” When the learned judge delivered his charge, he had not seen the case of Miller v. Shaw, which had not then been reported. The subject is truly important, and vve have reconsidered it with' great attention. The result of our deliberation has been, a conviction that the principle established in Miller v. Shaw was well founded. The matter was there so fully considered, and the reasons and authorities on which our opinion was founded set forth so much at large, that it will be unnecessary to say much on the present occasion. The person who has a warrant and survey, has a legal seisin, without actual entry, through the whole extent of his survey, and may support an action of trespass. No man has a right to enter for the purpose of making an improvement o.n land appropriated by a prior survey. The person so entering is bound to take notice of the survey, and is in law, a trespasser. Haying entered without title, or legal colour of title, his possession is confined to his actual occupation, and cannot be extended by construction. The designation of his claim by marks on the ground, is not an actual occupation, and consequently does not entitle him to the protection of the act of limitation. The seisin of the warrantee is not divested by the marking of lines. Whatever is enclosed or cultivated even without inclosure, may be said to be held by an actual adverse possession; and thus far the warrantee is disseised or ousted; But as to those parts, which remain in wood and uninclosed, even though the improver makes what use of them he may find necessary for fuel, fences, &c., the warrantee is not disseised; • The uninclosed woodland is claimed by two persons, the warrantee who has the right, and the improver who has no right. In that case, the law adjudges the possession to be in him who has the right, because it cannot be in two persons claiming adversely at the same time. The cutting of wood by the improver, is not exclusive of the possession which was in the warrantee from the time of his survey. The law does not oblige the warrantee to cut wood, in order to continue his possession. He might have cut it if he had chosen, and he is to be considered, with regard to the improver* in the same situation as if he actually had cut it. Then, if both had cut wood, the possession would have been annexed to the right, that is to say, it would have been in the warrantee. If «#.‘has a warrant and survey, and afterwards B. procures a warrant and survey including part of «#’s land, and
Judgment reversed and venire de novo awarded.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- ROYER and another against BENLOW
- Cited By
- 18 cases
- Status
- Published