Records of the County Court and Courts of Great Sessions for Chester and FlintCHES 291259-1830Palatinate of Chester: Chester County Court and Court of Great Sessions of Chester: Plea Rolls
This series of plea rolls contains the record of proceedings in the county court of Chester. Crown pleas ceased to be enrolled in the later seventeenth century, when the contents of the rolls came to consist almost entirely of civil pleas, mainly pleas of debt, detinue or land, including civil trespass. By the late eighteenth century entries which ended in judgment were signed by the justice after the fashion of the judgment rolls of other courts. The rolls at that date also contain the oaths of attorneys which in other courts were recorded on separate oath rolls. The language of the rolls changed from Latin to English, in compliance with statute, in 1733.
The wide competence of the court resulted in the wide variety of kinds of entries which are found in the rolls. Besides the records of civil and crown pleas, and records of litigants' fines, the rolls sometimes include miscellaneous entries such as private deeds, recognisances, proclamations, petitions, inquisitions post mortem and records of administrative enquiries. Such miscellaneous entries most frequently occur in the earlier rolls.
Digital images of some of the records in this series are available through the Anglo-American Legal Tradition website. Please note that The National Archives is not responsible for this website or its content.