Amending sale of goods legislation in England and the Commonwealth Caribbean

• Author: John A. Epp
• Position: Of the Cayman Islands Law School [an affiliated institution of the University of Liverpool]
• Pages: 459-477

AMENDINGSALEOFGOODSLEGISLATIONIN

ENGLANDANDTHECOMMONWEALTHCARIBBEAN

JOHNA. EPP*

Thelawregardingthedomesticsale ofgoodsinEngland,and

thosecountrieswhichfolloweditslead,isregardedas being

reasonablysound.Theoriginalstatute,theSaleofGoodsAct1893,1

haswithstoodthetestoftime,remainingbasicallyintactthroughto

today.Thereasonsforitslongevityarefoundinits simplewording

anditsachievementofreflectinghundredsofyearsofcommonlaw.2

OfcoursetheEnglishprovisionsregardingthedomesticsaleof

goodshavebeenmodifiedsomewhatovertheyearsbystatuteand

judicialpronouncements.Threestatutoryrevisionsareofparticular

note.First,theadditionin1973ofastatutorydefinitionof

‘merchantablequality’.3Second,therestrictionsoncontractingout

oftheprotectionprovidedbyimpliedterms,firstseeninthe1973

Ofthe Cayman IslandsLawSchool [anaffiliatedinstitutionoftheUniversity

ofLiverpool].

56&57Viet.,c. 71(hereinafter referredto as 'the1893 Act').

LawCommissionReport, SaleandSupplyofGoods(1987,No.160,Cmnd.

137) (hereinafterreferredtoas'LawCom'), para.1.5.

Supply ofGoods (ImpliedTerms)Act 1973,c.13,(hereinafterreferredtoas'the1973

Act')s,7(2)addings.62(1A)tothe1893Act.Section1ofthe1973Actreviseds.12

ofthe1893Actregardingtheimpliedundertakingastotitle.Section2ofthe1973Act

reviseds.13ofthe1893Actregardingsalebydescription.Section3ofthe1973Act

reviseds.14ofthe1893Actregardingundertakingsastoqualityandfitnessfor

purpose.

459

460CaribbeanLaw Review

Act4andthenrefinedin1978.5Finally, theconsolidatingenactment,

whichremainsasthecorelegislation,theSaleofGoodsAct1979.6

FifteenjurisdictionsintheCommonwealthCaribbeanhave

domesticsaleofgoodslegislationpatternedaftervariousversionsof

theEnglishlaw.7The1893Actis, withminorexceptions,8repeated

inthelegislationofthefollowingtenjurisdictions:Anguilla,9

Bahamas,10Barbados,11Belize,12BritishVirginIslands,13Guyana,14

Jamaica,15Montserrat,16St. VincentandtheGrenadineandSt.

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

Section4revised s.55ofthe 1893ActSection55(3),asrevised,

prohibitedthecontractingoutfrom theobligationunders.12(title) ofthe

1893Act, whiles.55(4), as revised, prohibitedthe contractingoutofthe

obligationsplaced on the seller inconsumersales unders. 13(description),

s.14(quality andfitness for purpose) ands.15(sample) ofthe 1893Act. In

thecaseofnon-consumersales, the reviseds.55(4)subjectedattemptsto

limit liabilityunderss. 13,14and15toareasonablenesstest. Thetest'as

foundins.55(5).

UnfairContractTermsAct¡977,c.50, (hereinafterreferredto as’the 1977

Act*),s.6.Section6(1)prohibitsthecontractingoutfrom theobligation

unders.12ofthe 1893Act, whiles.6(2),addressingconsumersales,

prohibits avoidingthe obligations placedonthesellerunderss.13,14and

15ofthe 1893Act. Section6(3), addressingnon-consumersales,subjects

attemptstolimitliabilityunderss.13,14and15toareasonablenesstest.

Thereasonablenesstestisfound ins.11.Theonusto showthetestis

satisfied wasplaced on the partywishingto relyonthe clause: s.11(5). The

latterprovisionwas new.

C. 54, (hereinafterreferredto as’the 1979 Act’)effectiveJanuary, 1980.

Daly,S.,"TheLawRelatingtoSale ofGoodsintheCommonwealth

Caribbean"(1989)1(2)CaribbeanLawandBusiness88, 89.

Ibid.89-90.

4.Samendedin1987.

1904.

1895.

1923.

As amended1957.

As amended1972.

1895.

As amended1956.

1919.