DROITS OF ADMIRALTY
droits of admiralty (droyts), n. The Lord High Admiral’s rights in connection with the sea,
such as the right to recover proceeds from shipwrecks, enemy goods confiscated at the beginning
of hostilities, jetsam, flotsam, treasure, deodand, fines, forfeitures, sturgeons, whales, and other
large fishes. • The droit proceeds are paid to the Exchequer’s office for the public’s use. See
PRIZE(2).
“The crown had originally certain rights to property found upon the sea, or stranded upon the
shore. The chief kinds of property to which the crown was thus entitled were, great fish (such as
whales or porpoises), deodands, wreck of the sea, flotsam, jetsam, and lagan, ships or goods of the
enemy found in English ports or captured by uncommissioned vessels, and goods taken or retaken
from pirates …. After the rise of the court of Admiralty the Lord High Admiral became entitled to
these droits by royal grant …. The right to droits carried with it a certain jurisdiction. Inquisitions
were held into these droits at the ports, or the Vice-Admirals or droit gatherers reported them to
the Admiral. The large terms of the Admiral’s Patents incited them, or their grantees, to frequent
litigation with private persons or other grantees of the crown …. The Admiralty droits … are now
transferred to the consolidated fund.” 1 William Holdsworth, A History of English Law 559–61
(7th ed. 1956). [Blacks Law 8th]