So what if time is of the essence?

This article is concerned with the remedies available for delay in the performance of contractual obligations, and in particular with the proper analysis of the question whether time is of the essence. The law in this area is both difficult and complex, not only with regard to whether time is of the essence in any given case, but also with regard to what this entails. It is argued that many of the difficulties arise from the ambiguous and inconsistent way in which the courts have approached the question whether time is of the essence, the concept being used in several distinct, albeit related, senses. The article seeks to demonstrate that the law relating to the topic is unnecessarily complicated, and to suggest ways in which it might be simplified.

'National Antiquities' and the Law

National museums, housing â??national antiquities', were a nineteenth-century cultural phenomenon throughout Europe. In the United Kingdom, they afforded the Treasury a means of preserving relics of antiquity claimed as treasure trove. While satisfying the desire of the scientific community for the preservation of archaeological finds, and national sentiment in Scotland and Ireland, Treasury practice undermined the British Museum's eponymous mission. This paper traces the development and legal consequences of the Treasury policy of national allocation of treasure trove, including the discussion in the Museums Committee of 1898â??99 of the â??nationality' of objects and artefacts, and considers the potential wider significance of â??national antiquity' in the context of changing constitutional arrangements in the United Kingdom in the 1920s, and in the future.