A fine of lands, also called a final concord, or simply a fine, was a species of property conveyance which existed in England (and later in Wales) from at least the 12th century until its abolition in 1833 by the Fines and Recoveries Act.

Form

The conveyance took the form of the record of a fictitious lawsuit, compromised or terminated by the acknowledgment of the existing owner (known as the deforciant, impedient or tenant, depending on the original writ used to levy the fine) that the land in question was the rightful property of the claimant (the plaintiff, querent or demandant). In reality, the deforciant had already agreed to sell the land, and the plaintiff to buy it: the suit was, in other words, a collusive action between the two parties. In the most common means of levying a fine, the plaintiff would bring a writ of covenant alleging that he and the deforciant had entered into a covenant to transfer some real property, but the deforciant had not held up his end of the bargain. In all actions used to levy a fine, before the court could render judgment, and typically on the same day the writ was returned, the parties would seek leave of the court to compromise, and then compromise on terms where the deforciant admitted that the real property was the right of the plaintiff. A fine was said to be "levied".