Legal Definitions - acquirenda

Acquirenda is a historical legal term referring to items or assets that were intended to be acquired through purchase. It describes property or possessions that a person or entity expected to obtain by buying them, rather than through inheritance, gift, or other means.

Here are some examples to illustrate this concept:

• Estate Planning in a Will: Imagine a wealthy landowner in 18th-century England drafting his will. He might specify that his primary heir will inherit his existing manor and lands, but also direct his executors to use a specific portion of his liquid assets to purchase additional, adjacent farmlands that he had long desired to add to his estate. These specific farmlands, though not yet owned at the time the will was written, would be considered the acquirenda – things intended to be gained by purchase as per the will's instructions.

• Business Partnership Agreement: Consider two merchants forming a trading company in the 17th century. Their partnership agreement might detail not only their initial capital contributions but also list the specific types of ships, exotic goods, and warehouse properties they planned to purchase once their venture generated sufficient profits. These future acquisitions, explicitly outlined as items to be bought by the partnership, would constitute the acquirenda within the terms of their agreement.

• Marriage Settlement: In the 19th century, a marriage settlement between two affluent families might include a provision where the groom's family commits to providing a substantial sum of money. This sum is designated for the newly married couple to purchase a suitable townhouse in London within a specified timeframe, which would then become part of the wife's settled property. The townhouse, not yet identified or bought but designated for future purchase as part of this formal legal arrangement, represents the acquirenda in the settlement.