Chapter 4: Formalities-Dispositions of Equitable Interests and the Law of Property Act 1925 S53 (1) (c) (Part 2)

A. The statute
The beneficiary of a fixed trust has an interest which is capable of assignment (transfer) to others. So far as courts of equity were concerned, this could be done orally. However, statutory rules have long said that only written assignments are effective. The original provision was s.9 of the Statute of Frauds 1677, which provided that: all grants and assignments of any trust or confidence shall likewise be in writing, signed by the party granting or assigning the same or by such law will or devise, or else shall likewise be utterly void and of none effect. The current rule is contained in s.53(1)(c) of the Law of Property Act 1925: A disposition of an equitable interest or trust subsisting at the time of the disposition must be in writing signed by the person disposing of the same or by his agent thereunto lawfully authorised in writing or by will.

B. The main distinction between LPA s53 (1)(b) and LPA s53(1)(c)
Subsection 53(1)(b) applies only to declarations of trusts of interests in land, including equitable interests, and is merely an evidential requirement. Subsection 53(1)(c) applies to assignments of equitable interests in any type of asset and is a substantive requirement for making the assignment.

C. Grey c IRC (1959)

The facts:o February 1, 1955, Mr Hunter transferred 18,000 shares to the appellant trustees to hold as nominees for himself. The appellants were also trustees of six settlements previously created by Hunter. o On February 18, Hunter orally and irrevocably directed trustees to divide the shares into six blocks of 3,000 shares each and to appropriate one block to each of the preexisting settlements. o On March 25, the trustees executed 6 deeds of declaration of trust, which Hunter also executed in order to testify to his earlier oral direction, declaring that since February 18 they each block of shares on the trusts of the relevant settlement.

Sources: Hayton & Mitchell: Commentary and Cases on the Law of Trusts and Equitable Remedies, 13th edition; The law of trusts, J E PENNER, 8th edition; UOL Subject Guide 2014; UOL study pack. Page 1

Questions:o Whether the deeds of March 25 constituted voluntary dispositions and were therefore stampable ad valorem. o Whether the oral direction of February 18 was effective legally to require the trustees to hold the shares on the trusts of the pre-existing settlements. The crown argued that the oral direction constituted an attempted disposition of an equitable interest and was invalidated by s53(1)(c). The essential question of law, therefore, was whether the oral direction constituted a declaration of trust (for which, since the trust property was personalty, no formality was required) or whether it constituted a disposition. Upjohn J concluded that the transaction was a declaration of trust. The decision was reversed by a majority of CA and the HL unanimously dismissed the further appeal. The main point considered was whether the word disposition in s53(1)(c) had a wider meaning than Grants and Assignments in its predecessor, s9 of the Statute of Frauds 1677. The wording disposition whether has wide enough to include the transaction in issue, and whether or not that transaction would have fallen within the phrase Grants and Assignments. In the HL, the only analysis of the transaction is contained in the following passage in Lord Radcliffes speech: whether we describe what happened in technical or in more general terms the full equitable interest in 18,000 shares concerned, which at that time was [Hunters], was (subject to any statutory invalidity) diverted by his direction from his ownership into the beneficial ownership of the various equitable owners, present and future, under his six existing settlements In my opinion, it is a very nice question whether a parol declaration of trust of this kind was or was not within the mischief of s9 of the statute of frauds. The point has never, I believe, been decided and perhaps it never will be. Certainly, it was long established at law that while a declaration of trust respecting land or any interest therein required writing to be effective, a declaration of trust respecting personalty did not. Moreover, there is warrant for saying that a direction to his trustee by the equitable owner of trust property prescribing new trusts of that property was a declaration of trust. But it does not follow from that such a direction, if the effect of it was to determine completely or pro tanto the subsisting equitable interest of the maker of the direction, was not also a grant or assignment for the purposes of s9 and therefore required writing for its validity. Something had o happen to that equitable interest in order to displace it in favour of the new interest created by the direction: and it would be at any rate logical to treat the direction as being an assignment of the subsisting interest to the new beneficiary of beneficiaries or, in other cases, a release or surrender of it to the trustee.

Sources: Hayton & Mitchell: Commentary and Cases on the Law of Trusts and Equitable Remedies, 13th edition; The law of trusts, J E PENNER, 8th edition; UOL Subject Guide 2014; UOL study pack. Page 2

Graham Battersby has suggested there is a clear conceptual distinction between the two types of transactions, and to confuse them leads to different and, to an extent, inconsistent formal requirements. Reasons being are, o First, s205 of LPA 1925 defines disposition as including a conveyance and conveyance including a release. o Secondly, it is difficult to see how without a transfer of some sort of beneficiary can divest himself of his interest; equitable interests do not simply disappear. o Thirdly, oral release would offer such a simple, almost nave, method of avoiding stamp duty that one can scarcely believe that the courts would accept it. Would any court swallow that? o It is submitted that Mr R. O. Wilberforce, Q.C, as he then was, put the matter correctly in his argument to the HL on behalf of the crown in Grey when he said: The word disposition is apt to include an act by an owner of property the legal effect of which is that he ceases to be the owner of that property. o But if that be accepted, then the whole of Grey transaction should be regarded as disposition. Notes: o A beneficiary, once having released or surrendered his interest, could not give an effective direction in favour of a new beneficiary of his own choosing, for the effect of the release or surrender would be to extinguish the original beneficiarys interest, so that the trustees would hold either on a resulting trust for the settlor or on trust for the next beneficiary under the settlement. o The nomination of the new beneficiary must, therefore, be part of the same transaction as the divesting from the original beneficiary, and the whole transaction should be regarded as a disposition. Re Bowden (1936) o Oral direction was not an effective assignment but was good as an authorisation to the trustees.

D. Vandervell v IRC(1966)
Direction by the beneficiary to the trustee to assign the right to a third party Question: o What would be the position if the original beneficiary orally directed the trustees to transfer the legal title to X, with the intention that X should become legally and beneficially entitled, and the legal title is so transferred? o If there is no separate assignment to X, or surrender to the trustees, of the beneficial interest, are we compelled by Grey to conclude that X holds on a resulting trust for the original beneficiary?

Sources: Hayton & Mitchell: Commentary and Cases on the Law of Trusts and Equitable Remedies, 13th edition; The law of trusts, J E PENNER, 8th edition; UOL Subject Guide 2014; UOL study pack. Page 3

The facts: o The appellants wished to transfer to the Royal College of Surgeons some shares which were vested in a bank as nominee for himself. He therefore directed the bank to execute share transfer forms in blank. The bank did so and handed the forms to the appellants agent, who, on the appellants instructions, filled in the name of the college as transferee and handed the forms to the college, which was then registered in the companys books as owner of the shares. Subsequently, dividends were declared on the shares and paid to the college. o The revenue assessed the appellant to surtax on those dividends, alleging that the appellant had not divested himself absolutely of all interest in the shares. o One arguments of the Crown, in the CA and the HL, was that the appellants beneficial interest in the shares had never passed to the College, since there was no writing signed by him so as to comply with s53(1)(c). o Both appellate courts unanimously rejected the argument, holding that when the legal title to the trust property is transferred at the direction of a beneficiary absolutely entitled, no separate assignment is required of the equitable interest coextensive with that legal title. It is submitted, the reasoning of the various judges is not entirely convincing. In the CA, Harman L.J stated: s53(1)(c)only applies where the disposer is not also the controller of the legal interest. Here the bank had a bare legal interest so long as they were on the register. The taxpayer was the absolute beneficial owner. He could direct the bank to transfer the shares to him and could then pass them to the college without any instrument except a share transfer. I am of the opinion that he could pass his equitable interest to the college by directing the bank to fill in transfer in the name of the college without the intervening step. Any other result would be ridiculous and I do not believe that s53(1)(c) has such an effect I do not think there is any authority constraining us to this exceedingly inconvenient conclusion. In the HL, however, Lord Upjohn rightly denied the existence of such a presumption and said that it is matter of intention in each case. A transfer of the legal title at the instigation if or with the concurrence of the beneficiary results in the destruction of the beneficiarys interest, and no assignment of that interest is required. Indeed, it must follow from Grey that the oral direction to the trustees cannot pass the beneficial interest. Lord Wilberforce, in his opinion, the appellant had done everything in his power to transfer the shares to the college, and, therefore, on the principle Re Rose, the gift was complete. Moreover, Lord Wilberforce pointed out, that principle enables one to say that, had the appellant died before registration of the college as legal owner of the shares, the gift would still have been complete.

Sources: Hayton & Mitchell: Commentary and Cases on the Law of Trusts and Equitable Remedies, 13th edition; The law of trusts, J E PENNER, 8th edition; UOL Subject Guide 2014; UOL study pack. Page 4

However, Lord Wilberforce did not take that view, for he assumed s53(1)(c) to be relevant but to be ousted by Re Rose.

E. Oughtred v IRC [1959]; recent case: Neville v Wilson (1997)

A contract by a beneficiary to assign their rights. The facts:o Trustees held 200,000 shares in trust for the appellant, Mrs Oughtred, for her life, and then for her son Peter absolutely. Mrs Oughtred was also the absolute owner of 72,700 shares. o On June 18, 1956, Mrs Oughtred and Peter orally agreed that she would transfer to him her 72, 700 shares and in exchange he would surrender to her his revisionary interest in the 200,000 shares and thus make her the absolute beneficial owner. o On June 26, a deed of release was executed by Mrs Oughtred, Peter and the trustees, which firstly recited that the 200,000 shares were now held by the trustees from the trust for Mrs Oughtred absolutely and that they intended to transfer the shares to her, and which then released the trustees from the trusts of the settlement. On the same day, the trustees transferred the 200, 000 shares to Mrs Oughtred, who in turn transferred her 72, 700 shares to nominees for Peter. Question:o The question before the courts was whether the transfer by the trustees of the shares was a transfer on sale of peters interest, and thus liable to ad valorem duty. Upjohn J, at first instance, held that under the oral agreement of June 18, Peter became a constructive trustee of his equitable reversionary interest in favour of his mother, a constructive trust being exempted from the requirement of writing; as from that date, Mrs Oughtred was absolute beneficial owner of the 200,000 shares, as recited in the deed of releases, and the transfer of June 26 passed only the bare legal title to the shares, and was to be regarded not as a transfer on sale (the sale being complete on June 18) but on the winding up of the trust and on the release of the trustees. The CA unanimously reversed that decision, on the ground that, largely irrelevant to this article, that the transfer of June 26 was the formal completion of the oral agreement of June 18, and was therefore a transfer on sale, on this view, it was unnecessary to decide the question about formalities, and the court was content to remark, rather cryptically: We are not, however, with all respect to the judge, prepared to accept, as we understand it, his conclusion upon the effect of s53 of the LPA 1925. The HL also dismissed the appeal by taking the same view of CA. The third member of the majority of HL, Lord Denning, took the same view of the status of the transfer, but also expressed, briefly and without reasons, a view on the formalities questions. Lord Denning said:-

Sources: Hayton & Mitchell: Commentary and Cases on the Law of Trusts and Equitable Remedies, 13th edition; The law of trusts, J E PENNER, 8th edition; UOL Subject Guide 2014; UOL study pack. Page 5

I do not think, he said, the oral agreement was effective to transfer Peters reversionary interest to his mother. I should have thought that the wording of s53(1)(c) of the LPA 1925 clearly made a writing necessary to effect a transfer; and s53(2) does not do away with that necessity.

F. Grainge v Wilberforce (1889); Re Lashmar(1891)

A self-declaration of trust by the beneficiary Question:o Since such a contract creates a constructive trust, and since such a trust is exempted from any requirement of writing, is the transaction to be viewed as an assignment of an existing beneficial interest or as the creation of a sub-trust, and if the former, does s53(1)(c) of the LPA 1925 apply or s53(2)? In this case, X holds on trust for Y, and Y contract to sell his equitable interest to Z, but no written assignment is ever executed. Does X now hold on trust for Y, and Y for Z, or does X now hold directly for Z? It is submitted that, since Y intended to drop out the picture entirely, and has no active duties to perform, equity would give effect to the intention, and X would therefor hold for Z. Since s53(2) removes the need for writing. Alternatively, one could follow Lord Cohen and say that, although there has been no disposition to Z, nonetheless the informal constructive trust in his favour precludes Y from asserting a claim to the equitable interest, so that Z is now the effective owner of Ys interest.

G. Re Vandervells Trusts (No 2) [1974]

A declaration of trust by the trustee for a third party with the consent of the existing beneficiary. The facts: o This appears to be the final episode in the saga caused by the defective legal execution of Mr Tony Vandervells desire to endow a chair at the Royal College of Surgeons. One aspect of the decision of the HL in Vandervell v IRC has already been considered. It is material here to state another aspect of the transaction effected by Vandervell, the creation of an option to purchase by which a trustee company, Vandervell Trust Ltd, was entitled to purchase from the College for 5,000 the shares transferred to the college at Vandervells direction. o In the first Vandervell case, the HL, affirming the lower courts, held that, since the trusts on which Vandervell Trustees Ltd were to hold the option had not been declared, the company must hold for the original grantor, Mr Tony Vandervell himself, who had therefore not absolutely divested himself of his interest in the shares and was liable to tax on dividends arising from the shares.

Sources: Hayton & Mitchell: Commentary and Cases on the Law of Trusts and Equitable Remedies, 13th edition; The law of trusts, J E PENNER, 8th edition; UOL Subject Guide 2014; UOL study pack. Page 6

o In October 1961, the trustee company exercised the option, using 5,000 from a fund which they held for Vandervells children, and there was evidence that at that time it was the intention of both Vandervell and the trustee company that the shares should be added to funds held on existing trusts for Vandervells children. Dividends subsequently declared on the shares were added to the funds of the childrens settlement. o In January 1965, Vandervell executed a further deed by which he transferred to the trustee company all or any right, title or interest which he had in option, the shares or the dividends to be held on the trusts of the childrens settlement. o The revenue claimed that Vandervell did not absolutely divest himself of his interest in the shares until he executed the deed of January 1965, and surtax amounting to some 628,000 was assessed in respect of the dividends accrued from October 1961 (date of exercise of option) until January 1965 (date of divesting deed). o Vandervell died in March 1967 (whether or nor his death was hastened by his legal problems is not reported), and the present action was by his personal representatives for a declaration that they were entitled to all moneys received by the trustee company as dividends on the shares between the above dates. Question: o Whether there was an effective declaration of trust in favour of the children at the time when the option was exercised in 1961. In the CA, it was argued that, even if there was sufficient evidence of an intention to declare such trust, Vandervell could divest himself of his equitable interest in favour of the children only by writing, and since there was no document the purported disposition therefore failed. The CA unanimously rejected that argument. The opinion of Lord Denning MR was short and simple and may be summarised by saying that a resulting trust which arises when there is gap in the beneficial ownership can be terminated by merely bridging the gap. Lawton LJ was more subtle, and his actual language should be quoted: o The exercise of the option and the transfer of the shares to the trustee company necessarily put an end to the resulting trust of the option. There could not be a resulting trust of a chose in action which was no more. The only reason why there had ever been a resulting trust of the option was the rule that the beneficial interest in property must be held for some one if the legal owner is not entitled to it. The legal, but not the beneficial, interest in the option had vested in the trustee company. The beneficial interest had to be held for some one and as the trustee company had declared no trusts of the option, the only possible beneficiary was Mr Vandervell. Once the trustee company took a transfer od he shares the position was very different. The legal title to them was vested in the trustee company and by reason of the facts and circumstancesit held the beneficial interest for the trusts of the children settlement. There was no gap between the legal and beneficial

Sources: Hayton & Mitchell: Commentary and Cases on the Law of Trusts and Equitable Remedies, 13th edition; The law of trusts, J E PENNER, 8th edition; UOL Subject Guide 2014; UOL study pack. Page 7

interests and in consequence no needs for a resulting trust in favour of Mr Vandervell to fill it. Neither the extinction of the resulting trust of the option resulting from its exercise nor the creation of a beneficial interest in the shares by a declaration of trust amounted to a disposition of an equitable interest or trust within the meaning of s53(1)(c) and 205(1)(ii) of the LPA 1925. In a nutshell, Lord Dennings view is that no formalities are required to terminate the resulting trust which equity, without formalities, implies so as to bridge a gap in the beneficial interest. A surrender of a beneficial interest A surrender must be distinguished from a disclaimer. In this case, if Y holds on trust for X, and X surrenders his or her interests to Y, leaving Y as full beneficial owner, it is arguable that there is no disposition, but rather an extinction of the equitable interest. If so, the surrender may be oral. However, if X surrenders his or her equitable interest in favour of Z, there would appear to be a disposition. Disclaimer of a beneficial interest In this case, where a verbal disclaimer by a person to whom a beneficial interest has been given was held to be effective. Section 53(1)(c) did not have to complied with. S53(1)(c) was held to be irrelevant because a disclaimer operates by way of an avoidance and not by way of disposition. However, it is interesting to note that s205(1)(ii) defines disposition as including a conveyance which in turn defined as including a disclaimer.

H. IRC v Buchanan [1958]

I. Re Paradise Motors Ltd [1968]

Sources: Hayton & Mitchell: Commentary and Cases on the Law of Trusts and Equitable Remedies, 13th edition; The law of trusts, J E PENNER, 8th edition; UOL Subject Guide 2014; UOL study pack. Page 8