With our new property web site we have ended up doing a lot of research into everything to do with land and property. A lot of it is stuff that I knew a bit about already but the most surprising thing that I have found out so far was a legal quirk that most people probably don't know about or give much thought to.

The fact comes from an idea which dates right back to the Norman conquest in 1066 but it is still effective today. It is that the monarch is the only person in England and Wales who is capable of owning land. Everyone else who thinks they might only land only owns a set of rights and duties to the Crown.

That is where the term freehold comes from a freeholder is said to 'hold the land' for the Crown and in exchange they are normally fairly free to do what they want on the land.

If you are concerned that you might have some obligations to the Crown as part of your freehold title that you don't know about then your local land registry office might be able to check for you or alternatively you could examine your deeds.