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Simple English definitions for legal terms
time out of mind
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A quick definition of time out of mind:
Time out of mind refers to a time so long ago that nobody alive today knows for sure what happened then. It's like a really, really old story that has been passed down from generation to generation. In the past, the law used to say that this time was before the year 1189, which is over 800 years ago! It's also a way of saying that something has been happening for a very long time, even if we don't know exactly how long.
A more thorough explanation:
Definition: Time out of mind refers to a point in time that is so far back that no living person has knowledge or proof contradicting the right or custom alleged to have existed since then. It can also refer to a point in time beyond which legal memory cannot go or simply a very long time.
- According to common law, time immemorial was fixed as the year 1189, the year that Henry II of England died. This means that any right or custom that has existed since that time is considered valid and cannot be challenged.
- The origins of this tradition are lost in time out of mind, but it has been passed down from generation to generation for centuries.
- The legal concept of legal memory means that any event or right that occurred before the year 1189 is considered to be time out of mind and cannot be proven or disproven in a court of law.
These examples illustrate how time out of mind can refer to a point in time that is so far back that it is impossible to prove or disprove anything that happened before that time. It is a legal concept that is used to determine the validity of certain rights and customs, and it can also be used to describe a very long time.