| Possession | In fact—possessio naturalis. |
| In law—possessio civilis. |
| Possession in law | Seisin |
| Possession. |
| Possession | Corporeal—possessio corporis—Sachenbesitz. |
| Incorporeal—possessio juris—Rechtsbesitz. |
| Corporeal possession—the continuing exercise of a claim to the exclusive use of a material thing. |
| Elements of corporeal possession | Animus sibi habendi. |
| Corpus. |
| Animus sibi habendi: |
| 1. Not necessarily a claim of right. |
| 2. Must be exclusive. |
| 3. Not necessarily a claim to use as owner. |
| 4. Not necessarily a claim on one’s own behalf. |
| 5. Not necessarily specific. |
| Corpus—the effective realisation of the animus in a security for enjoyment. |
| Elements of the corpus: |
| 1. A relation of the possessor to other persons, amounting to a security for their non-interference. |
| The grounds of such security: |
| 1. Physical power. |
| 2. Personal presence. |
| 3. Secrecy. |
| 4. Custom. |
| 5. Respect for rightful claims. |
| 6. Manifestation of the animus. |
| 7. Protection afforded by other possessions. |
| The rights of a finder. |
| 2. A relation of the possessor to the thing possessed, amounting to a security for the use of the thing at will. |
| Possession | Immediate—without the intervention of another person. |
| Mediate—through or by means of another person. |
| Mediate possession | 1. Through servants or agents. |
| 2. Through bailees or tenants at will. |
| 3. Through persons claiming temporary possession for themselves. |
| The relation between the mediate and the immediate possessor. |
| The exclusiveness of possession. |
| Exceptional instances of duplicate possession: |
| 1. Mediate and immediate possession. |
| 2. Possession in common. |
| 3. Corporeal and incorporeal possession. |
| The acquisition of possession: |
| 1. Taking |
| 2. Delivery | Actual |
| Constructive | Traditio brevi manu. |
| Constitutum possessorium. |
| Attornment. |
| Possession not essentially the physical power of exclusion. |
| Incorporeal possession: |
| Its nature—the continuing exercise of any claim, save one to the exclusive use of a corporeal thing. |
| Its relation to corporeal possession. |
| The generic conception of possession. |
| The relation between possession and ownership. |
| Possession the de facto exercise of a claim. |
| Ownership the de jure recognition of one. |
| The identity of the objects of ownership and possession. |
| Exceptions: |
| 1. Things which can be possessed, but cannot be owned. |
| 2. Things which can be owned, but cannot be possessed. |
| Possessory remedies. |
| 1. Their nature. |
| 2. Their objects. |
| 3. Their exclusion from English law. |