Cancelled Title

Old Form Titles

Old Form Titles were the first titles to be issued under the Torrens Title System. Original copies of each Old Form Title were bound in volumes and issues with a number identifier referred to as the folio of the register. Any changes or notifications of registrations were referred to as memorials, and were generally entered in historical sequence, irrespective of their nature. A separate memorial was then also added to the title for each new dealing or transaction. This system aimed to record all applicable information on a single document to ensure the history and the ownership of a document was clear and could be accessed at a single glance.

Over time, this filing system reached its physical limit, and there was no more space remaining for further memorials on an Old Form Title. Development also saw land being subdivided and required the issue of a new land title to accommodate this. In both circumstances, the title was cancelled, and a new title was issued with a new volume and folio number. This new number was recorded in the memorial schedule on the Old Form Title and allows a researcher to trace the title forward in their search.

New Titles

For new titles created, the previous volume and folio number of the cancelled title was recorded on the top left hand corner of the first page of the new title and allows a researcher to trace the title back in time.

The entire Old Form Torrens Register series is available in a colour digital format. These records are available for purchase online or, if necessary, the hardcopy originals can be inspected at the State Records office at Kingswood and the State Library. The coloured images may be viewed and searched at LPI, Queen Square, Sydney for no fee at the public terminals.

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