Most of these documents relate to actions in the Court of Chancery or the Chancery Division of the High Court of Justice but there are a few relating to actions in the Queen's/King's Bench Division, the Court of King's Bench and the Exchequer.
The documents arise mainly from disputes concerning the administration of estates, and were deposited by either plaintiffs or defendants, or occasionally impounded by the trial judge. There are also a number concerning the winding-up of companies, patents of invention, and deeds of settlement on marriage; a few concern actions for debt and disputes regarding leases and charter parties. Among the many miscellaneous documents deposited will be found maps, plans, catalogues of sale, share certificates and specimens of printed labels.
The date of the cases is broadly 1875–1950s with a small number from between c 1800 and 1874; however, the documents exhibited or deposited in the Court can pre-date this.
Many of these exhibits were briefly described at the time they were brought into court, in ‘schedules’ (listing the documents by number). These schedules are included with these exhibits.