Greene v. Canny

137 Mass. 64, 1884 Mass. LEXIS 183
CourtMassachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
DecidedMarch 14, 1884
StatusPublished
Cited by30 cases

This text of 137 Mass. 64 (Greene v. Canny) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Greene v. Canny, 137 Mass. 64, 1884 Mass. LEXIS 183 (Mass. 1884).

Opinion

Devens, J.

Revere Place was laid out in 1843 as a private way, or common court, by John Hall, who then owned the premises, for the benefit of seven lots owned by him, which abutted thereon, or had access thereto by a subordinate passage which formed a part of it. Of two of these lots, numbered 7 and 3, Canny is now respectively the lessee and owner, and his right to the use of the private way for their benefit is not in dispute. The plaintiffs Beaumont, Paine, and Greene are the owners respectively of lots numbered 4, 5, and 6, on Revere Place. As the claim of the plaintiff McCormick is entirely distinct, it will be convenient to treat the case at first as if the others were the only plaintiffs. Revere Place as laid out by Hall, delineated on a plan filed by him in the registry of deeds, and described in the deeds made by him, extended from Charter Street in a southwesterly direction about 120 feet along the southeasterly side of Hall’s property, and terminated at the southwesterly end by a fence which was the boundary of his land, 'and separated it from a parcel known as the Ellis estate, now leased by Canny, who has there removed the original fence and erected another with a gateway therein. The Ellis estate fronts on Webster Avenue. As Revere Place was owned by Hall, it was for him to determine, when he laid it out, to what uses and to whose benefit it should be devoted. This being done, and the rights of grantees being fixed, neither he nor those who subsequently held his estate could afterwards do anything in derogation thereof. It is therefore important to ascertain whether Revere Place was laid out solely for the benefit of the seven lots, so as to exclude any similar rights therein in favor of other lots. That such was the scheme of Hall, and that, in pursuance of this and relying upon it, the plaintiffs obtained their respective [67]*67titles, quite clearly appears. The plan, which is referred to in each of the deeds, and which thus makes a part of them and of their description of the rights intended to be conveyed, shows that five of the lots directly abutted on Revere Place, while lots 1 and 2 had access thereto by a smaller passageway, of three feet in width, and that this was all the land of Hall abutting thereon or provided with any access thereto. The deeds to the plaintiffs, after the description of the boundaries, granted as follows: “ Also with a right of way and drainage in said Revere Place, and drain under the same, into Charter Street, so called, which said place, six feet six and one half inches wide at the northeasterly end, and about nine feet wide at the southwesterly end, is to be forever kept open for the use of lots 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, all on said plan.” The grantees were further to pay “the whole expense of keeping so much of said Revere Place as lies in front of their respective lots in repair, and drain under the same, extending sixty feet from said Charter Street, as is not borne by the proprietors of lots 1, 2, 3, as is provided for by their deeds.”

An examination of these deeds, and of those made by Hall of the other several lots, shows that the entire expense of keeping Revere Place in repair, as well as the drain under the same, was imposed upon these seven lots laid out by him, and was carefully adjusted between the same, so that each should bear what was deemed its proper proportionate share thereof.

It cannot be important that the grantor does not state in terms that he lays out the way solely for these lots, or that he does not by express words exclude any others from the benefits thereof. When he states that he lays it out for these lots, delineates it upon the plan, by which it appears that to some of them there was no access except by means of the way, and assesses upon them the whole expense of the maintenance of the way and drain, it must be inferred that the way and drain are to be maintained solely for the benefit of the parties interested therein, each for the other; that the owners are not to be subjected to the additional burdens which would be imposed upon them if others could obtain rights of way or drainage therein; that with the sale of the lots the scheme of the grantor is complete; and that he cannot convey to others such rights [68]*68in the way. If there were other beneficial uses than these, and consistent with them, to which the land could be put, such uses he could grant or make of it. If not, he would hold the title simply as a barren fee. To grant others than the owners of these lots rights of way, would be to grant obstructions of those which he had already granted. It would add to the expense of those who were to keep the way in repair, while their own enjoyment would be less convenient and beneficial as it might be more or less interfered with by the enjoyment of others. Parker v. Nightingale, 6 Allen, 341. Killion v. Kelley, 120 Mass. 47. Kirkham, v. Sharp, 1 Whart. 323. White’s Bank v. Nichols, 64 N. Y. 65.

The owner of the fee in the land retained no interest in it which would enable him to grant rights of way over the way to land which he never owned, and for which it was not designed. Canny cannot therefore justify his use of the way for the parecels other than lots 3 and 7, by reason of his deed from the assignees of Hall, who became insolvent after he had sold all the lots for which the way was laid out. There was nothing to pass to them which enabled them to grant such a right. The facts found show uses of Revere Place by Canny, and permitted or invited by him, which he was not authorized to make. The Ellis estate, which he now holds by lease, and which consists of a block of tenement houses, abuts on Revere Place; but this fact gives no right to such estate in this private way, any more than it does to the land over which such way is laid out. Woodyer v. Hadden, 5 Taunt. 125. Rowland v. Bangs, 102 Mass. 299. Canny’s destruction of the fence, and the erection of another with a gateway therein, was an invitation to the use which since appears to have been made of it by his tenants and others. It is equally clear that Canny has no right to make use of the easement over Revere Place which is appurtenant to No. 7, for the purpose of going to or coming from land beyond, which abuts upon it or may be connected with such abutting land, or of thus obtaining access to buildings there erected which may be connected by removing walls or fences. Private ways are confined in their use to the purposes for which they are granted, and cannot be further extended by the grantees. When intended to give access only to particular premises, they [69]*69cannot be used to reach thereby other lands. Where one has .a right of way to a three-acre close, he cannot use it to pass over such close from or to closes beyond, and is a trespasser if he enter upon the three-acre close for such purpose. Davenport v. Damson, 21 Pick. 72. Cotton v. Pocasset Manuf. Co. 13 Met. 429, 433. Atwater v. Bodfish, 11 Gray, 150. Parks v. Bishop, 120 Mass. 340.

By taking down the wall which separated Webster Court, upon which there is a block of tenement houses owned by Canny, from lot 7, he has given access to lot 7, which access is availed of, and no reason is suggested for the removal of such wall except for the purpose of affording such access.

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Bluebook (online)
137 Mass. 64, 1884 Mass. LEXIS 183, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/greene-v-canny-mass-1884.