Forcible entry
entering a building or other enclosed real property by force when normal means of entry are blocked
Forcible entry is "the unlawful taking of possession of real property by force or threats of force or unlawful entry into or onto another's property, especially when accompanied by force". The term is also sometimes used for entry by military, police, or emergency personnel, also called breaching. For the fire service, forcible entry is defined by the International Fire Service Training Association (IFSTA) as:
The techniques used to get into buildings or other areas of confinement when normal means of entry are locked or blocked.
Breaching doorways can be differentiated as "through the lock" or "through the door" depending on the techniques used.
England and Wales
Forcible entry was a common law offence in England and Wales, but was abolished, along with forcible detainer, by the Criminal Law Act 1977. It was replaced with a new offence of "using violence to secure entry" under section 6 of that Act.
Formerly the Forcible Entry Act 1381, the Forcible Entry Act 1391, the Forcible Entry Act 1429, the Forcible Entry Act 1588 and the Forcible Entry Act 1623 (repealed).
Judge Donaldson considered the question of forcible entry in the UK, in Swales v. Cox (1981):
... he uses force if he applies any energy to the obstacle with a view to removing it.
“Forcible entry” enters the record as entering a building or other enclosed real property by force when normal means of entry are blocked. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Forcible, entry and entering can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Forcible entry” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Forcible, entry and entering provides the most credible route into that argument.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Nov 22, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q5467578. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1977, 1381, 1391 and 1429.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Forcible entry”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Forcible entry primary sources, Forcible entry archive and Forcible research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Forcible entry”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Forcible entry” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.