Catalogue description Palatinate of Lancaster: Crown Court: Assize Rolls, etc

Most of this series consists of assize rolls on which are recorded proceedings of sessions held in the Palatinate of Lancaster under commissions of assize, gaol delivery and oyer and terminer. The main sequence runs from 1660 to 1843 with some earlier rolls from between 1525 and 1546.

From the early 19th century the rolls contain little more than a recital of the commissions; proceedings of sessions can be found in Crown minute books instead.

The first five pieces are not assize rolls. They are 'memorandum negociorum', 1-14 and 20-30 Henry VI, which summarise Crown business at sessions and act as a means of reference to plea rolls for those years; rolls of fines, 20 and 22 Henry VI; and a roll listing felons delivered, 5-17 Edward IV.

From 1501 separate rolls must have been maintained (because the plea rolls no longer include Crown pleas) but none survives before 1525. Five assize rolls for the years 1664, 1667-1669, and 1672-1673 are in Lancashire County Record Office (reference PLC 1/1-6). Surviving rolls for the years 1351 to 1361, when Henry, Duke of Lancaster exercised palatinate powers, and 1361 to 1377, when the Palatinate was in abeyance, are in:

DL 35

JUST 1

JUST 3

Proceedings in Crown pleas for the years 1401, 1429, and 1441-1501 were entered with common pleas on the plea rolls of the Court of Common Pleas; see PL 15

The series formerly contained files which are now in PL 45

Palatinate of Lancaster, Crown Court, 1377-1875