Catalogue description High Court of Admiralty: Instance and Prize Courts: Act Books and Minutes or Drafts of Acts

This series contains Act books and minutes or drafts of Acts concerning the Instance and Prize Courts.

The Act books record the daily business of the courts and contain brief formal entries of the proceedings in each case; they cover the years 1524 to 1749.

The minutes or drafts of Acts are the rough minutes taken during the proceedings by the court officials and later engrossed into the Act books; they cover 1577 to 1752. The minutes are sometimes bound, sometimes unbound. It seems that some accidentally escaped binding, as they complement rather than overlap each other. The Acts in prize causes cover the years 1643 to 1786. The minutes or drafts and the prize Acts relate to proceedings both in court and in chambers. Many of the documents are indexed.

Many of the documents are indexed some in contemporary calendars ordered under IND 1 references. Indexes calendars and other finding aids are available in the public areas. Please speak to staff at the enquiry desk for the precise location.