Read v Joannon: 1890

The court considered the application of the 1878 Act.
Held: Where there are a series of Acts dealing with a topic and with similar names, the words ‘this Act’ in expressions such as ‘in this Act’ or ‘under this Act’ must be construed to mean the combined Acts.
Wills J said: ‘I am of the same opinion; and I agree with my Lord, on consideration, that debentures of an incorporated company are not, and were never intended to be within the operation of the Act of 1878.’
Lord Coleridge CJ said: ‘The question is, whether a debenture of an incorporated company requires registration as a bill of sale. I am of the opinion – and I think it right to say that my opinion does not stand alone, but is supported by that of a judge of much greater authority than myself, whom I have had the opportunity of consulting – that such debentures are not bills of sale, and are not struck at by either of these Acts of Parliament – that they were never within the Act of 1878 and are expressly exempted from the operation of the Act of 1882.’

Judges:

Wills J, Lord Coleridge CJ

Citations:

(1890) 25 QBD 300

Statutes:

Bills of Sale Act 1878 4, Bills of Sale Act 1882

Cited by:

CitedOnline Catering Ltd v Acton and Another CA 10-Feb-2010
The claimant agreed for the defendant to repair its fleet of vehicles. The defendant, having fees outstanding, entered the claimants’ premises and removed vehicles saying falsely that they were to be repaired, and then refused to return them. The . .
AppliedIn re Standard Manufacturing Co CA 1891
Company debentures were expressly excepted from the operation of the Bills of Sales Act (1878) Amendment Act 1882 by section 17 of that Act because they were debentures ‘issued by any mortgage, loan, or other incorporated company’. Nor were . .
CitedN V Slavenburg’s Bank v Intercontinental Natural Resources Ltd ChD 1980
The Bermudan company defendant had assigned stocks as a security. The security was not registered, and nor did the company have any registration within the UK. It was not the practice of the Registrar of Companies to accept particulars of charges . .
Lists of cited by and citing cases may be incomplete.

Contract, Company

Updated: 02 May 2022; Ref: scu.408564