Legal Definitions - concessimus

concessimus

Historically, concessimus is a Latin term meaning "we have granted." In legal contexts, particularly in older documents related to the transfer of property or rights (known as a conveyance), its inclusion signified a crucial legal effect: it created a joint covenant among all the individuals or entities making the grant.

This means that when multiple parties (the grantors) used concessimus to transfer something, they were all collectively and equally bound by the promises and obligations contained within that grant. If there was a breach or an issue related to the grant, the recipient could hold all the grantors jointly responsible.

• Example 1: Joint Property Sale

  Imagine three siblings, Anna, Ben, and Clara, who jointly inherited a large estate. When they decide to sell the estate to a property developer, the historical deed of conveyance might have included the term concessimus. By doing so, Anna, Ben, and Clara, as the grantors, were jointly promising the developer clear title to the land and guaranteeing that they had the full right to transfer ownership. If, after the sale, it was discovered that there was an undisclosed lien on the property from before their ownership, the developer could pursue all three siblings collectively for damages, as they were jointly bound by the grant.

• Example 2: Granting an Easement

  Consider three neighboring landowners, Mr. Davis, Ms. Evans, and Dr. Foster, who agree to grant a local water company an easement (a legal right to use another's land for a specific purpose) across a portion of their properties to lay a new pipeline. If their formal agreement historically used concessimus, it would mean that Mr. Davis, Ms. Evans, and Dr. Foster were all jointly promising to allow the water company access and to not interfere with the pipeline's construction or maintenance. If Ms. Evans later decided to build a fence directly over the pipeline route, the water company could enforce the joint promise against all three landowners, holding them collectively responsible for ensuring the terms of the easement were upheld.

• Example 3: Historical Grant of Privileges

  In a historical context, a town council composed of several aldermen might have granted a local merchant certain exclusive trading privileges within the town market. If the charter outlining these privileges included concessimus, it would signify that all the aldermen, acting as a collective body, were jointly guaranteeing these rights to the merchant. If one alderman later attempted to revoke the merchant's privileges without due cause, the merchant could argue that the entire council, through their joint grant, was bound by the original agreement, and therefore, the individual alderman's action was a breach of the collective promise.