Definition
"Ance of" is a partial phrase found in conveyancing and instrument-drafting contexts, not a standalone legal term. It appears as the tail end of phrases such as "in pursuance of" or "in furtherance of," used in deeds and other instruments to signal that the document is being executed in order to carry into effect the terms or authority established by a prior or superior instrument. In practice, the phrase identifies the operative relationship between two instruments — most commonly between a deed and the power under which it is executed.
Why It Matters in Research
Researchers encountering "ance of" in historical legal texts should treat it as a fragment requiring reconstruction. The phrase has no independent legal content; its meaning is entirely dependent on the prefix. The most legally significant construction is "in pursuance of," which in deed drafting signals that the conveying instrument is being executed under and in satisfaction of a previously granted power — a distinction that could affect the validity of the conveyance, the scope of the grantor's authority, and the chain of title.
When searching historical conveyancing records or deed indexes, failure to reconstruct the full phrase ("in pursuance of," "in furtherance of," "in performance of") will produce false negatives. Researchers working in equity and trust law should note that this language often appears in instruments executing powers of appointment, where the precise triggering language can determine whether the power was properly exercised.
Historical Dictionary Support
Bouvier's Law Dictionary identifies "ance of" solely in the context of deed drafting, describing it as words used to express that one instrument is intended to carry into effect another — and notes that the phrase is considered synonymous with "to effect the object of," citing 7 Biss. 129. Bouvier's treatment is minimal and purely instrumental: the entry exists to gloss a drafting convention rather than to define a legal concept. No other major historical legal dictionaries (Black's, Burrill, Tomlin's) appear to treat this as a discrete entry, which itself signals that Bouvier's entry is capturing a drafting artifact rather than a term of art with independent doctrinal weight.