Ormond Base Fee

General

The part of the estate of the estate of the Earl of Ormond which was acquired by Patent of Henry VIII, is held as a base fee, the reversion now in the State unless the reversion has been purchased by the person entitled to the base fee. Part of the said estate in the Counties of Waterford, Tipperary and Carlow, has been vested under the Land Purchase Acts, the reversion being stated to be in the Crown and entries to this effect appear on the folios in which such vested property is registered.

Example: “AB is registered as limited owner of the lands above described that is as owner of a base fee the reversion being in the Crown expectant on the failure of the heirs male of the body of Peter Butler, Earl of Ossory and Ormond mentioned in the Letters Patent of the 23rd of October in the 29th year of the reign of Henry VIII.”

The reversion may have been redeemed through the Quit Rent Office, 88 Merrion Square; and a letter from that office stating that the State claim to the reversion has been redeemed is acceptable as sufficient evidence of such redemption.

In 1971 it was considered that there were sufficient male heirs to ensure the continuation of the grant under normal conditions. The value of the reversion of the State was assessed ” to be of a nominal value”. The Quit Rents office was closed; all Quit Rents and any arrears thereof having been written off by the Minister for Finance in September 1975 under the provisions of the State Property Act 1954. There was no procedure for the purchase of the nominal reversion.

Folios registered as above may on application and payment of a fee of €40.00 be revised to show the party registered as owner. On any application for registration of ownership under a transfer or transmission, or an application for cancellation of the equity note, the Settling Officer shall revise the folio accordingly. Applications for first registration are to be dealt with in a similar fashion.

Property Registration Authority

01 December 2009