header-logo header-logo

A legal history of Leicester Square

03 January 2019 / Steven Gasztowicz KC
Issue: 7822 / Categories: Features , Property
printer mail-detail

​Steven Gasztowicz QC marks the 170th birthday of Tulk v Moxhay

  • Tulk v Moxhay (1848) and the birth of restrictive covenants.
  • An examination, 170 years later, of some of the human and historical aspects of the case – and the way they have affected the law – and Leicester Square in London.

Can a case have a birthday? Well, no, not really, of course. However, 22 December 2018 marked the 170th anniversary of the decision of the Lord Chancellor in Tulk v Moxhay (1848) SC 2 PH 774, [1843-60] All ER Rep 9.

This is the celebrated case which is seen as representing the birth of restrictive covenants in English land law, so the reference to birthdays is not entirely inappropriate.

Restrictive covenants are, of course, contractual promises not to use land in a particular way, which are enforceable not just against present, but also against future, owners and occupiers of the land. You do not have to be a land lawyer to appreciate the human and historical side

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Carey Olsen—Kim Paiva

Carey Olsen—Kim Paiva

Group partner joins Guernsey banking and finance practice

Morgan Lewis—Kat Gibson

Morgan Lewis—Kat Gibson

London labour and employment team announces partner hire

Foot Anstey McKees—Chris Milligan & Michael Kelly

Foot Anstey McKees—Chris Milligan & Michael Kelly

Double partner appointment marks Belfast expansion

NEWS
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has not done enough to protect the future sustainability of the legal aid market, MPs have warned
Writing in NLJ this week, NLJ columnist Dominic Regan surveys a landscape marked by leapfrog appeals, costs skirmishes and notable retirements. With an appeal in Mazur due to be heard next month, Regan notes that uncertainties remain over who will intervene, and hopes for the involvement of the Lady Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls in deciding the all-important outcome
After the Southport murders and the misinformation that followed, contempt of court law has come under intense scrutiny. In this week's NLJ, Lawrence McNamara and Lauren Schaefer of the Law Commission unpack proposals aimed at restoring clarity without sacrificing fair trial rights
The latest Home Office figures confirm that stop and search remains both controversial and diminished. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort University analyses data showing historically low use of s 1 PACE powers, with drugs searches dominating what remains
Boris Johnson’s 2019 attempt to shut down Parliament remains a constitutional cautionary tale. The move, framed as a routine exercise of the royal prerogative, was in truth an extraordinary effort to sideline Parliament at the height of the Brexit crisis. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC dissects how prorogation was wrongly assumed to be beyond judicial scrutiny, only for the Supreme Court to intervene unanimously
back-to-top-scroll