Compulsory Purchase in River Navigation Bills & Acts, 1539-1720

Before 1539 river improvement beyond the clearance of illegal obstructions was achieved only by Crown licence following a satisfactory inquisition ad quod damnum . Compensation was always required to be paid for the compulsory purchase of land, but legislation rarely stipulated the explicit purchase of freehold, instead (but never explicitly) allowing landowners to negotiate retention of a reversionary interest in the land should it no longer be required for the purposes of the legislation.

Parliament was willing to grant these powers to trustees or other public bodies, or indeed to private individuals, but only if it was considered that doing so served the public interest. The data here are extracted from printed copies of public Acts, and from the manuscripts of private Acts held at the Parliamentary Archives, supplemented with additional material from other archives. An article discussing the development of the statutory process with regard to both rivers and roads will be published in due course and a link provided here.