Catalogue description Duchy of Lancaster: Court of Duchy Chamber: Pleadings

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Details of DL 1
Reference: DL 1
Title: Duchy of Lancaster: Court of Duchy Chamber: Pleadings
Description:

This series consists of equity proceedings heard before the Court of Duchy Chamber.

The records thus comprise bills, addressed to the Chancellor of the Duchy, informations, answers, demurrers, pleas, disclaimers, replications, rejoinders and exceptions.

Occasionally other items can also be found, such as depositions and interrogatories. For the reign of Henry VII there are too some records relating to the Council Learned in the Law.

Date: c1485-1835
Arrangement:

The items in each volume are arranged in an alpha-numerical sequence according to the first letter of the plaintiff's name. This system is followed even when the document is from the defendant; it is still arranged according to the name of the plaintiff in the suit. Thus a series of five law suits relating to plaintiffs with names beginning with the letter A would be numbered A1-A5. The first document in each suit would be identified as A1; subsequent documents as A1a, A1b, etc.

Related material:

additional finding aid ZBOX 1/59

Held by: The National Archives, Kew
Legal status: Not Public Record(s)
Language: English
Physical description: 513 bundles and volumes
Publication note:

Pleadings from the reign of Henry VII to the end of the reign of Elizabeth I are calendared in three indexed volumes known as Ducatus Lancastriae (Record Commission, 1823-1834).

Unpublished finding aids:

Indexes are also available for the pleadings from the reign of James I to 1832. Please speak to staff at the Map and Large Document Room enquiry desk for the precise location.

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