Hyde v. Wrench

Hyde v. Wrench (1840) is a landmark case in contract law that illustrates the principle of offer and counteroffer. In this case, Wrench offered to sell his farm to Hyde for £1,000. Hyde, wanting a lower price, made a counteroffer of £950. Wrench rejected this counteroffer and later decided to sell the farm to someone else. Hyde then tried to accept the original offer of £1,000, but Wrench refused. The court ruled that Hyde’s counteroffer nullified the original offer, meaning he could not later accept the initial terms. This case highlights that a counteroffer effectively rejects the original offer.