Catalogue description Court of Star Chamber: Proceedings, Henry VII

This series contains documents submitted or generated in the course of judicial proceedings, mostly in equity, heard before the king's Council at Westminster, and anachronistically known as the Court of Star Chamber.

The series is incomplete, and although nominally of the reign of Henry VII only, also includes proceedings from both earlier and later periods, as well as proceedings heard and determined before the council attendant (otherwise in REQ 3).

At this period of its development the court dealt with both civil and criminal cases, and a wide range of topics. These included the offences of maintenance, bribery of juries, embracery, offences by sheriffs, and riot. Cases of riot were brought both by the crown and by private individuals, and include genuine riot and disturbance as well as other instances in which the allegation serves primarily to introduce the real matter of dispute, generally a claim to land. Other criminal cases include embezzlement, assault, fraud, theft, and abduction. The bulk of civil cases are about land and title. Others encompass debt and contract; breach of testamentary duties; jointures; wardship; commercial disputes; and disputes about municipal franchises, including the levy of customary dues.

Some pleadings and proofs in suits heard before the king's Council in the last quarter of the fifteenth century are preserved in E 28