{"id":"church-england-belfast-lands-act-1855","name":"Church of England Belfast Lands Act 1855","slug":"church-of-england-belfast-lands-act-1855","collection":"act","jurisdiction":"vic","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":176283,"registerId":"vic-church-england-belfast-lands-act-1855-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-05","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Church of England Belfast Lands Act 1855","content":"Victorian Legislation and Parliamentary Documentsi\nVersion No. 001\nChurch of England Belfast Lands Act 1855\nAct No. 18/1855\nVersion as at 26 February 2003\nTABLE OF PROVISIONS\nSection Page\n1. Power to trustees to sell portion of Church of England lands\nand to apply proceeds of such sale in erecting a church and\nschool house 2\n2. Receipts of trustees to be sufficient discharge to purchaser 3\n__________________\nSCHEDULE 4\n═══════════════\nENDNOTES 5\n1. General Information 5\n2. Table of Amendments 6\n3. Explanatory Details 7\n\nVictorian Legislation and Parliamentary Documents1\nVersion No. 001\nChurch of England Belfast Lands Act 1855\nAct No. 18/1855\nVersion as at 26 February 2003\nAn Act to enable the Trustees for the time being of certain\nportions of the Belfast Church of England Lands in the colony\nof Victoria to sell certain portions of the said lands 1 .\nPreamble\nWHEREAS by an indenture bearing date the first\nday of August in the year of our Lord One\nthousand eight hundred and fifty made between\nJames Atkinson therein described of the first part\nGeorge Kenyon Holden therein also described of\nthe second part and William Rutledge Andrew\nWilson Hume Robert Henry Woodward and\nCharles Mills therein also described trustees of an\nintended church and minister's dwelling-house at\nBelfast aforesaid appointed under and by virtue of\nan Act of the Governor and Legislative Council of\nNew South Wales passed in the eighth year of the\nreign of His late Majesty King William the Fourth\nintituled \"An Act to regulate the temporal affairs of\nChurches and Chapels in the United Church of\nEngland and Ireland in New South Wales\" of the\nthird part all that piece or parcel of land in the said\nindenture and in the schedule hereunto particularly\nmentioned and described with the appurtenances\nthereunto belonging were (inter alia) released or\notherwise assured unto and to the use of the said\nWilliam Rutledge Andrew Wilson Hume Robert\nHenry Woodward and Charles Mills their heirs and\nassigns for ever, upon trust for the erection thereon\nof a church or chapel for the performance of divine\nworship according to the rites of the United Church\nof England and Ireland as by law established, and\nupon trust for all and every or any other of the\n\nVictorian Legislation and Parliamentary DocumentsAct No. 18/1855\nChurch of England Belfast Lands Act 1855\n2\npurposes provided for in and by the said Act, and\nunder and subject to the enactments clauses and\nprovisions thereof:\nAND WHEREAS the said William Rutledge and\nAndrew Wilson Hume having ceased to be trustees\nunder the said indenture the said Robert Henry\nWoodward and Charles Mills are now the sole\ntrustees for the purposes aforesaid:\nAND WHEREAS the said trustees have incurred a\ndebt amounting to the sum of Three hundred and\nthree pounds two shillings and seven pence in\nerecting the present church and school-house upon\nthe said land:\nAND WHEREAS the situation of the said land is\nfound ineligible as a site for a church, and it is\nconsidered expedient to sell the same, and to apply\nthe proceeds arising from the sale thereof in\nbuilding a church and school and school-house on\nother land in the said township conveyed by the\nsaid James Atkinson to the said Robert Henry\nWoodward Charles Mills and Richard Colles John\nBland and Horace Flower and for such other\npurposes in connexion therewith as the said\ntrustees may deem expedient:\nBE IT THEREFORE ENACTED by His Excellency the\nLieutenant-Governor in Victoria by and with the advice and\nconsent of the Legislative Council thereof as follows:\n1. Power to trustees to sell portion of Church of\nEngland lands and to apply proceeds of such sale in\nerecting a church and school house2\nThat from and after the passing of this Act it shall\nand may be lawful for the said Robert Henry\nWoodward and Charles Mills, being the trustees\nfor the time being of the land comprised in the\nschedule hereunder written, to sell the same and\nthe inheritance thereof in fee simple in possession\nin such parts shares and proportions and subject to\ns. 1\n\nVictorian Legislation and Parliamentary DocumentsAct No. 18/1855\nChurch of England Belfast Lands Act 1855\n3\nsuch conditions and reservations as the said\ntrustees may deem advisable, and either by public\nauction or private contract or partly by public\nauction and partly by private contract, and to\nconvey the same to the purchaser or purchasers\nthereof, and to make or reserve streets or lanes\nthrough the same, and to apply the money arising\nfrom the sale thereof in payment of the said debt\nand in erecting a church and school and school-\nhouse, and for such other purposes in connexion\ntherewith as the said trustees may deem expedient,\non other land in the said township conveyed to the\nsaid Robert Henry Woodward Charles Mills\nRichard Colles John Bland and Horace Flower by\nthe said James Atkinson as aforesaid.\n2. Receipts of trustees to be sufficient discharge to\npurchaser\nAnd be it enacted that the receipts of the said\ntrustees for the time being shall be good and\nsufficient discharges to the purchaser or\npurchasers of the land which they are hereby\nempowered to sell or any part thereof for the\nmoneys or money therein expressed to be\nreceived. And that such purchasers or purchaser\nshall not be bound nor required to see to nor be\naffected by the misapplication or non-application\nthereof. Provided always and be it enacted that\nnothing herein contained shall be construed or\ntaken to affect or abridge any right title privilege\nimmunity or interest of Her Majesty Her heirs and\nsuccessors or of any body or bodies politic or\ncorporate or of any other person or persons which\nshe he or they may now have or be entitled unto in\nor out of the said lands and hereditaments which\nthe said trustees are hereby empowered to sell.\n__________________\ns. 2\n\nVictorian Legislation and Parliamentary DocumentsAct No. 18/1855\nChurch of England Belfast Lands Act 1855\n4\nSCHEDULE\nABOVE REFERRED TO\nAll that piece or parcel of land containing one acre and a half English Statute\nmeasure being allotments numbers 16 and 17 and the eastern moieties or\nhalves of allotments numbers 14 and 15 of block No. 5 in the town of Belfast\nof Port Fairy in the colony aforesaid bounded as follows:\nCommencing at a point being the south-west corner of said allotment number\n17; thence on the west by Sackville-street bearing north two chains; thence\non the north by the western half of allotment number 15 aforesaid being a\nline bearing east two chains and a half; thence by a line bearing north two\nchains; thence by allotment number 13 of said block being a line bearing east\ntwo chains and a half; thence by allotments numbers 5, 4, 3, and 2 of said\nblock being a line bearing south four chains; thence on the south by\nallotments numbers 18 and 19 of said block being a line bearing west five\nchains to the commencing point.\n═══════════════\nSch.\n\nVictorian Legislation and Parliamentary DocumentsAct No. 18/1855\nChurch of England Belfast Lands Act 1855\n5\nENDNOTES\n1. General Information\nThe Church of England Belfast Lands Act 1855 was assented to on\n26 March 1855 and came into operation on 26 March 1855.\nEndnotes\n\nVictorian Legislation and Parliamentary DocumentsAct No. 18/1855\nChurch of England Belfast Lands Act 1855\n6\n2. Table of Amendments\nThere are no amendments made to the Church of England Belfast Lands\nAct 1855 by Acts and subordinate instruments.\nEndnotes\n\nVictorian Legislation and Parliamentary DocumentsAct No. 18/1855\nChurch of England Belfast Lands Act 1855\n7\n3. Explanatory Details\n1 Long Title: See also Church of England Belfast Lands Act 1857,\n21 Victoria, No. 23.\n2 The citation for this Act is \"18 Victoria. An Act to enable the Trustees for\nthe time being of certain portions of the Belfast Church of England Lands in\nthe colony of Victoria to sell certain portions of the said lands.\"\nEndnotes","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"issue_detection":{"absurdities":[],"contradictions":[]},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"Unauthenticated. Configure AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or use a provider module. Learn more: https://ai-sdk.dev/unauthenticated-ai-gateway","source":"analysis-cron"},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The Act's scope remains its original, narrow purpose: to permit the trustees named in the text to sell the described land and apply proceeds to repay debt and build a church and school‑house on other specified land. Endnotes record no amendments to alter that scope."},"complexity_factors":["Narrow, concrete subject matter (sale of specified allotments) which reduces legal complexity","Reliance on a detailed schedule of land boundaries (requires surveying/description accuracy)","Preamble cross‑references an earlier indenture and a New South Wales Act, creating historical/contextual dependency","Trustees granted wide discretion over sale method, terms, reservations and application of proceeds (implementation discretion)","Receipts by trustees operate as a conclusive discharge for purchasers, shifting risk of fund application away from purchasers","Preservation clause maintaining Crown and third‑party rights could require title checks to identify encumbrances"],"plain_english_summary":"This Act authorises the named trustees to sell the specific Belfast allotments listed in the schedule and to use the sale proceeds to pay an existing debt and to erect a church and school‑house on other land conveyed by James Atkinson. Purchasers pay the trustees and are discharged by the trustees' receipts; trustees decide sale terms and methods, while the Act preserves any existing Crown or third‑party rights."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This legislation remains tightly scoped to its original purpose: enabling the sale of specific Belfast church lands to relocate the church and school. The 1855 Act has not expanded beyond this narrow, localised conveyancing matter. The endnotes reference a related 1857 Act, but that appears to be separate follow-up legislation rather than scope creep within this instrument."},"complexity_factors":["Only 2 operative sections plus a preamble and schedule","No defined terms section — all parties and places are named explicitly","Single purpose legislation with no conditional logic or exceptions beyond one savings clause in section 2","No cross-references to other Acts except historical context in the preamble","Straightforward conveyancing language typical of mid-19th century statutes"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this law does:**\n\nThis 1855 Victorian law gives two specific men — Robert Henry Woodward and Charles Mills — the legal power to sell a 1.5-acre block of land in the town of Belfast (now Port Fairy). The land was originally set aside for a Church of England church, but the site turned out to be unsuitable.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n\n- **The trustees** (Woodward and Mills): They can now sell the land by auction or private sale, carve up the block however they see fit, and even create streets through it.\n- **Buyers**: Anyone who buys the land gets legal protection — the trustees' receipt is proof enough that they paid, and buyers don't have to worry if the trustees misuse the money.\n- **The local community**: The proceeds must go toward building a proper church and school on a different, better site that had already been secured.\n\n**Why it matters:**\n\nThis is a classic example of 19th-century \"private legislation\" — a law passed to solve one specific local problem. The trustees had already spent over £300 (roughly $50,000 in today's money) building on a bad site and needed to cut their losses. Without this Act, they couldn't legally sell church trust land. The law also protects future purchasers by ensuring they get clear title to the land without getting dragged into any disputes about how the sale money was spent.\n\n**Key protection**: The law explicitly preserves any rights that the Crown (the government) or other parties might already have in the land — so it's not a free-for-all."},"summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Insufficient legislative text is available to assess whether the Act's scope changed from its original intent. Based on the title alone, it appears to remain a narrow, purpose-specific piece of legislation dealing with Church of England land in Belfast (Victoria), consistent with its original 1855 purpose."},"complexity_factors":["Extremely limited legislative text available for analysis — only the title and version history are visible, making full assessment impossible","Historical colonial-era legislation often contains archaic legal language and references obsolete legal concepts","Intersection of ecclesiastical (church) law and colonial land law creates a niche area requiring specialist knowledge","Determining current practical effect requires cross-referencing with subsequent land legislation and title records","The Act's continued 'in force' status despite its age raises questions about whether any provisions remain operative"],"plain_english_summary":"A Victorian-era statute governing the management, sale and administration of land held by the Church of England in Belfast (now Port Fairy), Victoria.  \n\nIt primarily affects the Anglican Church and anyone tracing land title or property interests back to Church grants in that district. Still technically in force, its practical relevance is likely very narrow but can matter in specific title searches or historic transactions."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/church-of-england-belfast-lands-act-1855","history":"/api/acts/church-of-england-belfast-lands-act-1855/history","analysis":"/api/acts/church-of-england-belfast-lands-act-1855/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/church-of-england-belfast-lands-act-1855/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/church-of-england-belfast-lands-act-1855/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/church-of-england-belfast-lands-act-1855/documents"}}