Places of Worship Sites Act 1873

1 Landlords empowered to convey land to be used as sites for places of worship and residence of the minister. E+W

Any person or persons being seised or entitled in fee simple, fee tail, or for life or lives of or to any manor or lands of freehold tenure, and having the beneficial interest therein, and being in possession for the time being, may grant, convey, or enfranchise by way of gift, sale, or exchange in fee simple, or for any term of years, any quantity not exceeding one acre of such land, not being part of a demesne or pleasure ground attached to any mansion house, as a site for a church, chapel, meeting house, or other place of divine worship, or for the residence of a minister officiating in such place of worship or in any place of worship within one mile of such site, or for a burial place, or any number of such sites, provided that each such site does not exceed the extent of one acre:[If lands cease to be used for the purposes of the Act, then to revert.] Provided also, that no such grant, conveyance, or enfranchisement made by any person seised or entitled only for life or lives of or to any such manor or lands shall be valid unless the person next entitled to the same for a beneficial interest in remainder in fee simple or fee tail (if legally competent) shall be a party to and join in the same, or if such person be a minor . . . . . . F1 or [F2 person of unsound mind], unless the guardian . . . . . . F1 or committee of such person respectively shall in like manner concur: Provided also, that in case the said land so granted, conveyed, or enfranchised as aforesaid, or any part thereof, shall at any time be used for any purpose other than as a site for such place of worship or residence, or burial place, or in the case of a place of worship or residence, shall cease for a year at one time to be used as such place of worship or residence, the same shall thereupon revert to and become a portion of the lands from which the same was severed, as fully to all intents and purposes as if this Act had not been passed, anything herein contained to the contrary notwithstanding. The provisions herein-before contained with respect to any manor or lands of freehold tenure shall apply to lands of copyhold or customary tenure, but so, nevertheless, that the provisions of the M1 Lands Clauses Consolidation Act 1845 with respect to copyhold lands (being sections 95, 96, 97, and 98 of such Act) shall for the purposes of this enactment be incorporated with this Act.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words repealed by Law Reform (Married Women and Tortfeasors) Act 1935 (c. 30), Sch. 2

F2 Words substituted by Mental Treatment Act 1930 (c. 23), s. 20(5)

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 Ss. 1, 3 excluded by Mental Health Act 1983 (c. 20, SIF 85), s. 113, Sch. 3

Marginal Citations

M1 1845 c. 18.