Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979

12 Power to place ancient monument under guardianship

(1) Subject to subsection (4) below, a person who has—

(a) an interest of any description mentioned in subsection (3) below in an ancient monument situated in England and Wales; or

(b) any heritable interest in an ancient monument situated in Scotland;

may, with the consent of the Secretary of State, constitute him by deed guardian of the monument.

(2) Subject to subsection (4) below, a person who has any such interest in an ancient monument may with the consent of any local authority in or in the vicinity of whose area the monument is situated constitute that authority by deed guardians of the monument.

(3) The interests in an ancient monument situated in England and Wales which qualify a person to establish guardianship of the monument under subsection (1) or (2) above are the following—

(a) an estate in fee simple absolute in possession;

(b) a leasehold estate or interest in possession, being an estate or interest for a term of years of which not less than forty-five are unexpired or (as the case may be) renewable for a term of not less than forty-five years ; and

(c) an interest in possession for his own life or the life of another, or for lives (whether or not including his own), under any existing or future trust for sale under which the estate or interest for the time being subject to the trust falls within paragraph (a) or (b) above.

(4) A person who is not the occupier of an ancient monument may not establish guardianship of the monument under this section unless the occupier is also a party to the deed executed for the purposes of subsection (1) or (2) above.

(5) Any person who has an interest in an ancient monument may be a party to any such deed in addition to the person establishing the guardianship of the monument and (where the latter is not the occupier) the occupier.

(6) In relation to any monument of which the Secretary of State or any local authority have been constituted the guardians under this Act, references below in this Act to the guardianship deed are references to the deed executed for the purposes of subsection (1) or (as the case may be) subsection (2) above.

(7) A guardianship deed relating to any ancient monument situated in England and Wales shall be a local land charge.

(8) A guardianship deed relating to any ancient monument situated in Scotland may be recorded in the Register of Sasines.

(9) Every person deriving title to any ancient monument from, through or under any person who has executed a guardianship deed shall be bound by the guardianship deed unless—

(a) in the case of a monument in England and Wales, he derives title by virtue of any disposition made by the person who executed the deed before the date of the deed; or

(b) in the case of a monument in Scotland, he is a person who in good faith and for value acquired right (whether completed by infeftment or not) to his interest in the monument before the date of the deed.

(10) The Secretary of State or a local authority shall not consent to become guardians of any structure which is occupied as a dwelling house by any person other than a person employed as the caretaker thereof or his family.

(11) Except as provided by this Act, any person who has any estate or interest in a monument under guardianship shall have the same right and title to, and estate or interest in, the monument in all respects as if the Secretary of State or (as the case may be) the local authority in question had not become guardians of the monument.