Catalogue description Court for Divorce and Matrimonial Causes and Supreme Court of Judicature, High Court of Justice, Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division: Principal Probate Registry: Indexes to Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Files

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Details of J 78
Reference: J 78
Title: Court for Divorce and Matrimonial Causes and Supreme Court of Judicature, High Court of Justice, Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division: Principal Probate Registry: Indexes to Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Files
Description:

The indexes in this series give summary details of divorce and matrimonial causes files raised in the Principal Probate Registry for the years 1858 to 1945 and 1950 to 1958. Cases are entered under the first letter of the petitioner's name and indicate the year of registration and the file number given to the papers in the action concerned.

No indexes survive for the years 1946 to 1948. However, brief details of petitions received during that time are recorded in the Divorce Receipt Books also in this series.
Date: 1858-1958
Arrangement:

From 1906 the numbers have the following lettered prefixes indicating the type of case concerned:

  • HD: Petition by husband for decree of divorce
  • WD: Petition by wife for decree of divorce
  • HN: Petition by husband for decree of nullity
  • WN: Petition by wife for decree of nullity
  • HJS: Petition by husband for decree of judicial separation
  • WJS: Petition by wife for decree of judicial separation
  • HRCR: Petition by husband for decree of restitution of conjugal rights
  • WRCR: Petition by wife for decree of restitution of conjugal rights
  • Legit: Petition for declaration of legitimacy
  • Div Ct: Appeal to Divisional Court from Justices
  • Prot: Application for order for protection of wife's earnings and property
Held by: The National Archives, Kew
Legal status: Public Record(s)
Language: English
Creator:

Court for Divorce and Matrimonial Causes, 1858-1875

Supreme Court of Judicature, Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division, 1875-1970
Physical description: 42 volume(s)
Access conditions: Subject to 30 year closure
Selection and destruction information: After 1937 only a representative selection/sample of files are being preserved.

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