A customary format for written record of property transactions developed in medieval England and became formally standardized by the 17th century. First written in Latin, all deeds after 1733 were composed in English. Each conveyance included an abstract, title deeds, supplementary documents providing proof, such as wills, certificates marriage settlements, contracts, auctioneer's papers, or other evidence. After 1840, a plan of the property was also included. Many deeds include seals, varying from elaborate pendant seals encased in a box, known as a skippet, to simple wafer seals. The absence of seals on a document may indicate that it was never executed, however, many seals have been lost or removed over time. A herring-bone pattern of cuts across a document indicates that it has been canceled, and is no longer valid. Stamps also appear on some deeds. The practice of using stamps as a form of regulating tax was first introduced in 1694. During the 18th and first third of the 19th century, stamp taxes were administered by the Board of Stamps, which became the Board of Stamps and Taxes and then the Board of Inland Revenue.

Following an act of Parliament in 1925, only thirty years of previous documentation was required to prove title to a property, and subsequently, many older documents were not retained.