Case Name: Clyde E. WHITTINGTON v. Wilmena W. WHITTINGTON, Thomas G. Kleinpeter, Thomas G. Kleinpeter, Jr., Kathleen Kleinpeter Humphries, Judith Kleinpeter Zito, Harry William Kleinpeter, Gregory Wayne Kleinpeter and Deborah Kleinpeter Gelpi
Court: Mississippi Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Mississippi
Decision Date: 1992-08-31
Citations: 608 So. 2d 1274
Docket Number: No. 07-CA-59434
Parties: Clyde E. WHITTINGTON v. Wilmena W. WHITTINGTON, Thomas G. Kleinpeter, Thomas G. Kleinpeter, Jr., Kathleen Kleinpeter Humphries, Judith Kleinpeter Zito, Harry William Kleinpeter, Gregory Wayne Kleinpeter and Deborah Kleinpeter Gelpi.
Judges: HAWKINS, P.J., and PITTMAN, BANKS and McRAE, JJ., concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 608
Pages: 1274–1288

Head Matter:
Clyde E. WHITTINGTON v. Wilmena W. WHITTINGTON, Thomas G. Kleinpeter, Thomas G. Kleinpeter, Jr., Kathleen Kleinpeter Humphries, Judith Kleinpeter Zito, Harry William Kleinpeter, Gregory Wayne Kleinpeter and Deborah Kleinpeter Gelpi.
No. 07-CA-59434.
Supreme Court of Mississippi.
Aug. 31, 1992.
Rehearing Denied Dec. 3, 1992.
H.B. Mayes McGehee, McGehee McGe-hee & Torrey, Meadville, Bert H. Jones, McComb, William Timothy Jones, Jackson, for appellant.
David B. Gross, Kirkland Barfield Panter & Moore, Jackson, Bryan C. Harbour, Robi-son & Harbour, McComb, for appellees.

Opinion:
SULLIVAN, Justice,
for the Court:
This cases involves a dispute between husband and ex-wife (and her assigns) over a ½ of ⅛ royalty payable out of the production from Whittington No. 12 Well in the Southwest East Fork Field of Amite County, Mississippi. Perfectly logical application of established law to the facts requires that we find the judgment of the lower court correct in all material respects.
I.
The relevant facts, which have been stipulated by both parties, are not complex. On November 26, 1984, Santa Fe Energy Company filed an application for permit to drill Whittington No. 12 Well on an 80 acre unit in the Southwest East Fork Field of Amite County, Mississippi. This 80 acre tract was acquired by T. E. and Annabelle Whittington in 1928. A permit was issued on November 27,1984, and the Whittington No. 12 Well was completed as a producing well on February 26, 1985.
On September 12, 1959, T.E. Whitting-ton, and his wife, Annabelle, conveyed to their son, Clyde, 20 acres of the 80 acre unit. T.E. and Annabelle reserved for themselves the mineral estate in this 20 acres "for the term of their natural lives."
On May 13, 1969, T.E. Whittington and his wife, Annabelle, conveyed to their son, Clyde Whittington, and his wife, Wilmena, 230 acres of land which included 54 acres of the 80 acre tract on which Whittington No. 12 Well was later drilled. This conveyance was by warranty deed and contained the following provisions:
Grantors reserve unto themselves and do not convey a one-half (½) royalty interest, (being ½ of ⅛ of the whole of any oil, gas or other minerals produced from said lands; delivery of said royalties to be made to the grantors herein in the same manner as is provided for the delivery of royalties by any present or future mineral lease affecting said lands), they to have the same for the rest of their natural lives, and at their death the rights reserved herein shall revert to the grantees.
Grantees herein have the right to grant future leases affecting said lands so long as there shall be included therein, for the benefit of the grantors herein, the royalty rights herein reserved; and the grantees further have the right to collect and retain all bonuses and rentals paid for or in connection with any future lease or accruing under the lease now outstanding.
Also on May 13, 1969, T.E. Whittington and Annabelle conveyed to Clyde and Wilmena by "Mineral Right and Royalty Transfer" (Form R-101) all of their interest "in and to all of the oil, gas and other minerals of every kind and character in, on or under" the 20 acres mentioned above. Recall that in 1959 T.E. and Annabelle conveyed the surface estate of this 20 acres to Clyde, reserving unto themselves the mineral estate. This latest transaction merely conveyed to Clyde and Wilmena the mineral estate which T.E. and Annabelle had earlier reserved for themselves.
By "Royalty Deed" (Form M-18) this same day, May 13, 1969, Clyde and Wilme-na conveyed to T.E. and Annabelle a ½ of ⅛ royalty interest in any oil, gas or other minerals to be produced from this 20 acres. In part, this "Royalty Deed" stated:
The grantees herein [T.E. and Annabelle] are hereby given a life estate in the above described premises. At the death of the survivor of the grantees, the premises shall revert to the grantors [Clyde and Wilmena].
The royalty interests and rights herein sold, transferred and conveyed are:
(a) one-half of one-eighth (V2 of ⅛) of the whole of any oil, gas or other minerals, except sulphur, on and under and to be produced from said lands; delivery of said royalties to be made to the purchaser herein in the same manner as is provided for the delivery of royalties by any present or future mineral lease affecting said lands.
This "Royalty Deed" reserved unto Clyde and Wilmena, as grantors, a bundle of rights, including the right "to grant future leases affecting said lands so long as there shall be included therein for the benefit of the grantee herein, the royalty rights herein conveyed," and the right "to collect and retain all bonuses and rentals paid."
The net result of these transactions was to make Clyde and Wilmena the owners of the surface and mineral estate of 74 of the 80 acres on which Whittington No. 12 Well was later drilled. T.E. and Annabelle retained an interest in a V2 of ⅛ royalty in the premises.
T.E. Whittington died on September 2, 1972. On April 9, 1974, Clyde was granted a divorce from Wilmena. On this date, he conveyed to Wilmena by quitclaim deed "all of my right, title and interest in and to" the subject property, with the following provision:
This deed of conveyance is executed subject to all prior mineral rights and royalty transfers and oil, gas and mineral leases heretofore executed by the grant- or and his predecessors in title.
Clyde also reserved for himself, his heirs and assigns, a ¼ of Vs royalty interest in all oil, gas and other minerals to be produced from the subject land. All executive rights were granted to Wilmena, and Clyde reserved a V4 interest in any cash bonus or other consideration paid for future leases.
On April 3, 1975, Wilmena executed in favor of Edward Launius an oil, gas and mineral lease covering the 80 acre tract on which the Whittington No. 12 Well was later drilled. This lease had a primary term of 10 years, and provided for a Vs royalty. Via subsequent assignments, Santa Fe Energy Company acquired an ownership interest in the lease and operated the producing No. 12 Well.
Wilmena, on April 25, 1977, conveyed the subject property to Thomas Kleinpeter by warranty deed, "subject to all prior mineral rights and royalty transfers and oil, gas and mineral leases heretofore executed by the grantor and her predecessors in title." Wilmena also reserved for herself an undivided V2 interest in the mineral estate. Kleinpeter subsequently conveyed some of his interests to members of his family.
By virtue of the "subject to" clauses in Clyde's conveyance to Wilmena, and in Wilmena's subsequent conveyance to Klein-peter, the previously reserved royalty interest of V2 of ⅛ in favor of Annabelle Whit-tington remained undisturbed.
On July 28, 1983, Annabelle executed a "Royalty Deed" (Form M-18) conveying to Clyde the V2 of Vs royalty interest which had been acquired by her via the May, 13, 1969 transactions. This "Royalty Deed" stated in particular:
It is the intent of the grantor herein to convey and she does hereby convey to her son, Clyde E. Whittington, that certain life estate royalty interest reserved by her in a Warranty Deed dated May 13, 1969, recorded in Book 152 and page 127 and acquired in that certain Royalty Deed dated May 13, 1969, recorded in Book 43, page 85, of the records of Am-ite County, Mississippi, reference to which is hereby made.
As previously mentioned, the Whitting-ton No. 12 Well was completed as a producing well on February 26, 1985. Annabelle Whittington died on December 4, 1986. Her death terminated the ⅝ of Vs royalty interest which she and her husband acquired in 1969, and which she subsequently conveyed inter vivos to Clyde on July 28, 1983.
Following production, Santa Fe suspended payment of the lk of Vs royalty. In response, Clyde Whittington, on January 20, 1987, sought judgment from the Chancery Court of Amite County declaring his rights vis-a-vis the interest he had acquired from his mother in the Vi6 (Vz of Vs) royalty. Importantly, Clyde agrees that he, like Annabelle before, is a life tenant as to the ½ of ⅛ royalty in question. His claim, variously stated, is essentially that he is not subject to impeachment for waste, and is entitled to receive the whole of all payments attributable to this royalty from the date of first production on February 26, 1985, until Annabelle's death on December 4, 1986.
The chancellor held otherwise. Construing the instruments of conveyance, the chancellor found that T.E. and Annabelle (and subsequently Clyde) held a life estate in the ½ of Vs royalty attributable to the 80 acre tract (less and except 6 acres). Finding no expressed intent to the contrary, the chancellor held consistent with the common law rule that the life tenant (Clyde) was subject to impeachment for waste, and thus entitled only to interest or income from the royalty corpus, and not the corpus itself. By virtue of the quitclaim deed incident to divorce, Wilmena was vested with the future interests (here, a remainder and a reversion), and thus was entitled to the principal or corpus.
II.
In construing instruments of conveyance, "it is necessary under well recognized rules of construction that they be considered as a whole, and the intent of the parties be gathered from the plain and unambiguous language contained therein." Rogers v. Morgan, 250 Miss. 9, 21, 164 So.2d 480, 484 (1964). "[T]he meaning of the language and intention of the parties to be determined by the Court is to be found in the language used in the instrument." Id.; Pursue Energy Corp. v. Perkins, 558 So.2d 349, 351-53 (1990); see also Simmons v. Bank of Mississippi, 593 So.2d 40, 42-43 (Miss.1992) [in construing written instruments, "our concern is not nearly so much what the parties may have intended as it is what they said; for the words employed are by far the best resource for ascertaining intent and assigning meaning with fairness and accuracy," quoting UHS-Qualicare v. Gulf Coast Comm. Hosp., 525 So.2d 746, 754 (Miss.1987) ]. Clear, unambiguous instruments must be construed as written Cherry v. Anthony, Gibbs, Sage, 501 So.2d 416, 419 (Miss.1987). Courts must ascertain the meaning of the language actually used, and not "some possible but unexpressed intent of the parties." Simmons, 593 So.2d at 42-43, quoting Cherry, 501 So.2d at 416. The parties obviously disagree over that meaning, but that fact alone does not render the instruments ambiguous. Id.
On the question of whether the instruments are unambiguous, and if so, their meaning and effect, we review the chancellor's decision de novo for these two issues present questions of law. Lamb Const. Co. v. Town of Renova, 573 So.2d 1378, 1383 (Miss.1990); Dennis v. Searle, 457 So.2d 941, 945 (Miss.1984); see also Moore & Munger Marketing and Refining, Inc. v. Hawkins, 962 F.2d 806 (8th Cir.1992); Bennett v. Local Union No. 66, et al., 958 F.2d 1429 (7th Cir.1992).
It seems indisputable, and in fact no one on appeal contests, that the chancellor correctly concluded the instruments of conveyance were clear and unambiguous; the only dispute is over the meaning and effect of these instruments. And for reasons to follow, it seems clear the chancellor correctly construed the instruments in question.
III.
Mississippi adheres to the ownership in place theory which provides that minerals are capable of ownership in the ground before discovery and extraction, or in place. Thornhill v. System Fuels, Inc., 523 So.2d 983, 986 (Miss.1988). A royalty is said to arise out of the mineral estate and in turn is considered an interest in land which may be separately conveyed or reserved. Thornhill v. System Fuels, Inc., 523 So.2d at 985; First Nat. Bank of Laurel v. Commercial Nat. B. & T., 247 Miss. 677, 681, 157 So.2d 502 (1963); Martin v. Eslick, 229 Miss. 234, 253, 90 So.2d 635, 641 (1956). The fee owner of a mineral estate "can create by conveyance or reservation a separate estate in the minerals commonly referred to as a royalty interest." Day v. Gibraltar Oil Corporation, 344 So.2d 474, 475 (Miss.1977). "In general, the types of interests which the landowner may create by grant or reservation in oil, gas and other minerals are leasehold interests, mineral interests, and royalty interests." 1 Williams and Myers, Oil and Gas Law § 202, p. 21 (1989).
Accepting royalty as a separate ownership interest in real property, we have recognized that parties may create, among others, a life estate in a royalty. Hathorn v. Amoco Production Co., 472 So.2d 403, 407 (Miss.1985); Martin v. Eslick, 229 Miss. 234, 90 So.2d 635 (1956); see also, 1 Williams and Myers, Oil and Gas Law, supra at § 202.3, p. 26; 3A Summers, The Law of Oil and Gas § 572, p. 8 (1958). "Life estate," as used in the context of real property, is merely a type of ownership interest "classified on the basis of duration." 2 Powell on Real Property ¶ 172[1], p. 6 (1989). All real property estates, in fact, are but types of ownership interests classified on the basis of time. Id.
A.
In this case, the ½ of Vs royalty itself is a classic non-participating royalty. See Mounger v. Pittman, 235 Miss. 85, 86-7, 108 So.2d 565, 566 (1959). The estate which was created by conveyance and reservation in this royalty in 1969, by the plain language of the instruments, is a life estate, with remainder and reversion to Clyde and Wilmena. No one on appeal contests this. In the May 13, 1969 warranty deed conveyance of part of the property from' T.E. and Annabelle to Clyde and Wilmena, T.E. and Annabelle reserved unto themselves an interest in a V2 of ⅜ non-participating royalty "to have the same for the rest of their natural lives, and at their death the rights reserved herein shall revert to the grantees," Clyde and Wilmena. (Emphasis added).
On that same day, as to another piece of the property, Clyde and Wilmena received an undivided fee interest in the mineral estate, and in turn conveyed back to T.E. and Annabelle by "Royalty Deed," form M-18, an interest in the ½ of Vs non-participating royalty which they expressly designated as a "life estate," with reversion to Clyde and Wilmena. (Emphasis added).
Finally, on July 28, 1983, Annabelle executed a standard "Royalty Deed," form M-18, conveying to Clyde "that certain life estate royalty interest reserved by her in a Warranty Deed dated May 13,1969 . and acquired in that certain Royalty Deed dated May 13, 1969." (Emphasis added). Clyde could acquire no greater ownership interest than Annabelle had, Miss.Code Ann. § 89-1-17 (Rev.1991), and thus he acquired a life estate. To be certain, he acquired a life estate pur autre vie, or an estate measured by Annabelle's life span, not his. Annabelle is the cestui que vie. 4A Thompson on Real Property § 1897, p. 3, 5 (1979 Replacement).
In sum, the estate in this non-participating royalty which was created by reservation and grant on May 13, 1969, is a life estate, with remainder and reversion to Clyde and Wilmena. It is elementary that an estate whose duration is limited by someone's life is a life estate. 1 Powell on Real Property 11202[1] (1989). "A life estate is an interest in real property, the duration of which is limited by the life of some person." Certainty of duration is irrelevant, and so long as the estate created "can or may continue during a life, it is a freehold or life estate." 4 Thompson on Real Property § 1893, p. 656 (1979 Replacement).
Furthermore, every life estate is followed by future interests. Such interests are quite evident from the face of the instruments at issue, in the nature of reversion and remainder, thus reinforcing the conclusion that a life estate was created.
The use of the word "revert" in the May 13, 1969 "Warranty Deed" from T.E. and Annabelle to Clyde and Wilmena is, of course, technically incorrect. A reversion is a type of future interest that may be retained only by the grantor; it cannot be created in favor of a third person. It may be expressly reserved, but in any event arises by operation of law when the grant- or conveys a lesser estate than he has. 4A Thompson on Real Property § 1975, 1976 (1979 Replacement); 2A Powell on Real Property ¶[ 270[2] (1989).
The interest referred to is instead a vested remainder which follows the life estate. A vested remainder is a type of future interest created in favor of an ascertained third person (here Clyde and Wilmena), and is capable of becoming a present possesso-ry interest at the termination of the prior life estate. 4A Thompson on Real Property, supra at § 1982, 1984, 1985, 1987; 2A Powell on Real Property, supra at 11272[1], [3]. The error in labeling the interest, however, does not change the character of that interest. And the interests are so similar that this technical error hardly creates any ambiguity in the overall conveyances. In the warranty deed dated May 13, 1969, Clyde and Wilmena acquired a vested remainder in the V2 of ⅛ royalty.
On the other hand, the use of the word "revert" in the May 13, 1969 "Royalty Deed" conveyance from Clyde and Wilme-na to T.E. and Annabelle is correct. In that conveyance, Clyde and Wilmena transferred an estate of a lesser quantum (a life estate) than they had, and ipso facto retained a future interest in that ⅛ of ⅛ royalty known as a reversion. Upon expiration of the life estate, the reversion becomes possessory.
Both of these future interests are freely transferable. 2A Powell on Real Property, supra at ¶ 275[1], [4]. Here, the remainder and reversion were subsequently conveyed by Clyde via quitclaim deed to Wilmena, who in turn conveyed her interests to Kleinpeter and others.
IV.
To reiterate, no one can or does contest that a conventional life estate royalty interest was created by reservation and grant on May 13, 1969. In this regard, the chancellor was correct. The more important question is whether the life estate pur autre vie subsequently acquired by Clyde entitled him to the corpus of the ½ of ⅛ royalty, or interest income only. Put otherwise, was Clyde, as life tenant, subject to impeachment for waste?
A.
A royalty is payment for minerals withdrawn from the land, and represents the principal or corpus. As a general rule, "a life tenant is entitled only to the interest from any investment of such funds where the lease is executed after the execution of the instrument creating the life estate." Hathorn v. Amoco Production Co., 472 So.2d 403, 407 (Miss.1985); First National Bank of Laurel, 247 Miss, at 681, 157 So.2d 502 (1963); Martin v. Eslick, 229 Miss, at 253, 90 So.2d at 641 (1956). "This view is based on the theory that the royalties are a substituted corpus and must be preserved for the benefit of the owner of the future interest until it becomes posses-sory." 2 Williams and Myers, Oil and Gas Law § 512.2, p. 643-44 (1989). In this case, the life estate was indeed created prior to the execution of any oil, gas or mineral lease, and thus, we presume the general rule applies.
B.
The general rule is, however, subject to exceptions. One such exception is the so-called open mine doctrine which provides that the life tenant is entitled to the entire royalty, and not impeachable for waste, where a well had either been opened or authorized prior to the creation of the life estate. Youngman v. Shular, 281 S.W.2d 373, 375-77 (Tex.Civ.App.1955), aff'd. 155 Tex. 437, 288 S.W.2d 495 (1956); see also Clyde v. Hamilton, 414 S.W.2d 434, 439 (Tex.1967); 1 Kuntz, Oil and Gas § 8.2 (Thornton Rev.1987); Martin v. Eslick, 229 Miss, at 253, 90 So.2d at 641 (life tenant may not open new mines). This exception is not applicable here because no lease authorizing the drilling of a well had been executed prior to the creation of the life estate.
A second exception arises where the parties creating the life estate manifest an intent that the life tenant is entitled to the entire royalty, and not just the interest or income from such royalty. Enserch Exploration, Inc. v. Wimmer, 718 S.W.2d 308, 311 (Tex.Ct.App.1986); 1 Kuntz, Oil and Gas, supra at 8.1, p. 213, 8.4, p. 232; Ouber v. Campbell, 202 So.2d 638, 641 (Miss.1967) (if the life tenant should receive everything, and not just interest therefrom, all one has to do is say so); 5 Powell on Real Property 11640[l][b] (1989); Cf Hathorn v. Amoco, 472 So.2d at 407, quoting Welborn v. Tidewater Associated Oil Co., 217 F.2d 509 (10th Cir.1954). Here, do the instruments creating the life estate manifest an intent that the life tenant not be impeachable for waste? The chancellor held they did not:
There is no doubt that a conventional life estate can be created without impeachment for waste, so that the holder would be entitled to the corpus and not the interest only. The question is, was that done in this case?
It would have been very easy to make clear the intent of the parties as to the corpus. No particular form was necessary and any words would be sufficient provided they amount to clear statement of that intent. The cases hold that the intent of the parties as expressed in their creating instruments control their respective rights. See Ouber v. Campbell, 202 So.2d 638 (Miss.1967), and First National Bank etc. v. Commercial National Bank and Trust Company, etc., [247 Miss. 677] 157 So.2d 502 (Miss.1963).
The attorney who handled the transaction for the parties in 1969 was competent and knowledgeable, and no doubt was aware of the requirement of law in the event the life tenant was to receive the corpus.
It may well be that T.E. and Annabelle thought they would receive the full royalty during their lifetime. The court can understand how that could be so; however, under the rules of construction, the intent must be determined from the instruments themselves.
In order to resolve the issue therefore, it becomes necessary to look at the instruments in question.

The provisions contained therein for delivery and the rights to grant future leases are standard provisions of royalty deeds, and while important and necessary, do not, in the opinion of the court, express or indicate an intent as to the corpus.
Annabelle could convey to Clyde no greater interest than she had. In Exhibit 20, which again is a Royalty Deed, Form M-18, she expresses her intent to convey "that certain life estate royalty interest." By this instrument she conveyed to Clyde what she had, no more and no less.
Conclusion
The court can find nothing in any of the instruments indicating an intent that the life tenants were to receive the corpus during their life time without impeachment for waste. There were no words or descriptive terms added by which such an intent could be found. Without a clear expression of that intent, the life tenant is entitled only to the income from the corpus.
C.
The chancellor construed certain instruments which are clearly unambiguous, and found no expressed intent of the parties to distribute the royalty other than according to the general rule previously set forth. In this regard, the chancellor was correct.
. The only remotely significant mention in these instruments is the form lan guage regarding the delivery of the royalty which directed delivery to be "in the same manner as is provided for the delivery of royalties by any present or future mineral lease affecting said lands." This is a common provision providing for the "delivery" of the royalty, such as in kind or in money, and if in kind, by delivery to lessor's credit in a pipeline or into designated tanks provided by the lessor. This provision hardly expresses an intent of the parties regarding the "allocation" of the royalty payments as between the life tenant and future interest owners.
The Oil, Gas and Mineral Lease ultimately executed bears out this obvious conclusion. Paragraph 5 of that lease provides for a royalty on oil of Vs "to be delivered at the wells or to the credit of Lessor into the pipe line to which the wells may be connected or into storage furnished by Lessor." That same paragraph goes on to provide that Lessee shall pay market value for gas, 75$ per long ton for sulphur, and in kind or market value for all other minerals.
Bearing in mind that this royalty interest was reserved/conveyed prior to the execution of any lease, it seems clear that this language merely expresses the parties' intent to abide by the terms of any such future lease with regard to the "delivery" of the royalty.
V.
There are perfectly legitimate reasons to question whether the parties expressed their true intent in writing. But the writings are not at all ambiguous, and therefore, the court can only be concerned with what they actually said, and not with what they didn't say. If their intent was other than as stated, it could have easily been expressed. The judgment of the trial court is affirmed.
AFFIRMED.
HAWKINS, P.J., and PITTMAN, BANKS and McRAE, JJ., concur.
DAN M. LEE, P.J., dissents with separate written opinion joined by ROY NOBLE LEE, C.J.
ROBERTSON, J., dissents with separate written opinion joined by ROY NOBLE LEE, C.J., DAN M. LEE, P.J., and PRATHER, J.
. Clyde had acquired the other six (6) acres in 1945 by warranty deed from T.E. and Annabelle. The 6 acres is not involved in this litigation, and the issues on appeal revolve around the royalty interests in the remaining 74 acres.
. Because we deal with a claim possibly as between a life tenant and remainderperson or reversioner, the reference here to "the whole of all payments" should hereafter be understood to include (1) the royalty itself (or cash equivalent), and (2) the interest thereon. The oil or gas royalty (or its cash equivalent) is treated as principal or corpus. The principal or corpus is in turn invested to produce interest income payable to a life tenant. See generally 3A Summers, The Law of Oil and Gas, § 613 (1958 and Supp. 1991).
. This is standard Form M-18 language.