Railways Clauses Consolidation Act, 1845

Interpretations in this and the special Act:

3. The following words and expressions, both in this and the special Act, shall have the meanings hereby assigned to them, unless there be something in the subject or context repugnant to such construction; (that is to say,)

Words importing the singular number only shall include the plural number; and words importing the plural number only shall include also the singular number:

Words importing the masculine gender only shall include females:

The word “lands” shall include messuages, lands, tenements, and hereditaments, of any tenure:

The word “lease” shall include an agreement for a lease;

The word “toll”shall include any rate or charge or other payment payable under the special Act for any passenger, animal, carriage, goods, merchandize, articles, matters, or things, conveyed on the railway:

The word “goods” shall include things of every kind conveyed upon the railway:

The word “month” shall mean calendar month:

The expression “superior courts” shall mean her Majesty’s superior courts of record at Westminster or Dublin, as the case may require:

The word “oath” shall include affirmation in the case of Quakers, or other declaration lawfully substituted for an oath in the case of any other person exempted by law from the necessity of taking an oath:

The word “county” shall include any riding or other like division of a county, and shall also include county of a city or county of a town:

The word “sheriff” shall include under sheriff or other legally competent deputy; and where any matter in relation to any lands is required to be done by any sheriff or clerk of the peace, the expression “the sheriff,” or the expression “the clerk of the peace,” shall in such case be construed to mean the sheriff or the clerk of the peace of the county, city, borough, liberty, cinque port, or place where such lands shall be situate; and if the lands in question, being the property of one and the same party, be situate not wholly in one county, city, borough, liberty, cinque port, or place, the same expression shall be construed to mean the sheriff or clerk of the peace of any county, city, borough, liberty, cinque port, or place where any part of such lands shall be situate:

The word “justice” shall mean justice of the peace acting for the county, city, borough, liberty, cinque port, or place where the matter requiring the cognizance of any such justice shall arise, and who shall not be interested in the matter; and where such matter shall arise in respect of lands, being the property of one and the same party, situate not wholly in any one county, city, borough, liberty, cinque port, or place, shall mean a justice acting for the county, city, borough, liberty, cinque port, or place where any part of such lands shall be situate, and who shall not be interested in such matter; and where any matter shall be authorized or required to be done by two justices, the expression “two justices” shall be understood to mean two justices assembled and acting together:

Where under the provisions of this or the special Act any notice shall be required to be given to the owner of any lands, or where any Act shall be authorized or required to be done with the consent of any such owner, the word “owner” shall be understood to mean any person or corporation who, under the provisions of this or the special Act, or any Act incorporated therewith, would be enabled to sell and convey lands to the company:

The expression “the company” shall mean the company or party which shall be authorized by the special Act to construct the railway:

The expression “the railway” shall mean the railway and works by the special Act authorized to be constructed:

The expression “the Bank” shall mean the Bank of England, where the same shall relate to monies to be paid or deposited in respect of lands situate in England, and shall mean the Bank of Ireland where the same shall relate to monies to be paid or deposited in respect of lands situate in Ireland:

The expression “turnpike road” shall, when applied to any road in Ireland, include any road upon which her Majesty’s mails are or shall be carried in mail carriages, or such other roads as the commissioners of public works in Ireland shall consider to require arches of greater width or height than by this Act is required for public carriage roads:

The expression “surveyor,” applied to a road or highway, shall as to railways in Ireland, include the county surveyor:

The expression “overseers of the poor” when applied to Ireland, shall include the poor law guardians of the electoral division, and the clerk of the guardians of the union, through which such railway may pass.