Facts
- Armory, a chimney sweep boy, finds a gold ring.
- He takes the ring to a jeweller, Delamirie, to be valued.
- The jeweller’s apprentice takes out the precious stone and steals it.
- The jeweller offers to buy the ring (minus the precious stone) from Armory for three halfpence.
- Armory demands it back.
Issues
- Was Armory’s prior right of possession superior to Delamirie’s, despite neither party being the true owner of the ring?
Held
- Armory’s prior right of possession was better than Delamirie’s.
- There can be property rights that are better than all except the owner’s and therefore you can have trover.
Full Text
The full text is available here: http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/KB/1722/J94.html
-- Download Armory v Delamirie [1722] EWHC KB J94 as PDF --

