The Coronation cases were a group of appellate opinions in

English law English law is the common law list of national legal systems, legal system of England and Wales, comprising mainly English criminal law, criminal law and Civil law (common law), civil law, each branch having its own Courts of England and Wales, ...

cases, all arising out of

contract A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typically involves consent to transfer of goods, services, money, or promise to transfer any of thos ...

s that had been made for accommodation for viewing the celebrations surrounding the

coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra The coronation of the British monarch, coronation of Edward VII and his wife, Alexandra of Denmark, Alexandra, as King of the United Kingdom, king and List of British royal consorts, queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, ...

, originally scheduled for 26 June 1902. Many owners of buildings along the coronation procession route had rented their front rooms to others who hoped to guarantee themselves a view of the procession, or rented out boats from which to watch the associated naval review. The king fell ill with an

abscess An abscess is a collection of pus that has built up within the tissue of the body, usually caused by bacterial infection. Signs and symptoms of abscesses include redness, pain, warmth, and swelling. The swelling may feel fluid-filled when pre ...

of the

abdominal wall In anatomy, the abdominal wall represents the boundaries of the abdominal cavity. The abdominal wall is split into the anterolateral and posterior walls. There is a common set of layers covering and forming all the walls: the deepest being the vi ...

two days before the planned coronation and it was postponed until 9 August. The renters were not inclined to pay top prices—or pay at all—for rooms on an ordinary day.R. G. McElroy and Glanville Williams,
The Coronation Cases—I
, ''The Modern Law Review'' Vol. 4, No. 4 (Apr., 1941), pp. 241-260. In general, the contracts were voided on the ground of

frustration of purpose Frustration of purpose, in law, is a defense to enforcement of a contract. Frustration of purpose occurs when an unforeseen event undermines a party's principal purpose for entering into a contract such that the performance of the contract is ra ...

. Certain contracts which did not mention that the purpose was to view the coronation festivities were upheld, however.

List of cases

The cases included: *''

Krell v Henry ''Krell v Henry'' 9032 KB 740 is an English case which sets forth the doctrine of frustration of purpose in contract law A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more ...

903 __NOTOC__ Year 903 ( CMIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * King Berengar I of Italy proceeds to issue concessions and privileges to the Lombard nobility and monasteries. He gra ...

2 K.B. 740 (contract voidable on the basis of a frustrated purpose that was implied into the contract from extrinsic factors) *'' Chandler v Webster''

904 __NOTOC__ Year 904 ( CMIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * July 29 – Sack of Thessalonica: A Muslim fleet, led by the Greek renegade Leo of Tripoli, appears outside ...

1 KB 493 (neither an advance fee already paid nor the balance to be paid after the coronation were recoverable; overruled by the Law Reform (Frustrated Contracts) Act 1943) *'' Herne Bay Steamboat Co v Hutton''

2 K.B. 683 (frustration of one purpose did not void a contract also made for a different, non-frustrated purpose) *'' Hobson v Pattenden & Co'' (1903) 19 TLR 186 *'' Clark v Lindsay'' (1903) 19 TLR 202 *'' Griffith v Brymer'' (1903) 19 TLR 434 – In this matter, the parties entered into the contract after the decision had been made (but not publicized) to operate on the king. The contract was ruled to be void, not under the doctrine of frustration of purpose as in other Coronation cases, but on the grounds of mistake. The crucial difference is that, unlike the other coronation cases where a later event made the contract fundamentally different, in this case the parties entered into the contract under the mistaken assumption of fact that the coronation would take place.

References

1903 in case law 1903 in England Legal history of England English frustration case law 1903 in British law Edward VII Alexandra of Denmark {{UK-law-stub