Catalogue description Special Collections: Court Rolls

Court rolls (and in some cases, court books) of manors (some separated from LR 3), honors, hundreds and other local jurisdictions (including the Marcher lordships of the Duchy of York), the majority of which belonged to the crown, or which came to the crown with forfeited lay and ecclesiastical estates. The principal courts are those of court leet and court baron. The series includes estreats (lists of fines and amercements) and miscellaneous related documents, such as drafts, lists of customs, etc. It also includes the court rolls of the Marcher Lordship of Ruthin or Dyffryn Clwyd from 1294 to 1654; the remainder are in WALE 15.

The series was brought together from various sources in the late nineteenth century, principally from the records of the Exchequer: the Augmentations Office, the Treasury of the Receipt, the King's and Lord Treasurer's Remembrancers (mixed with Minister's Accounts and other miscellanea) and the auditors of the land revenue; and also from those of Chancery, the State Paper Office, the Palatinates of Chester (otherwise in CHES) and Durham, and the Welsh records of the Chester circuit. Also contains some records previously in E 40.

For estreats of court rolls of crown manors see

Other court rolls of crown manors will be found in CRES 5

Duchy of Lancaster court rolls are in DL 30

LR 3

LR 5

Other estreats of court rolls are in LR 11

Chancery, 1066-1875

Exchequer, 1109-1880

Exchequer, Office of the Auditors of Land Revenue, 1554-1832

Palatinate of Chester, 1297-1830

Palatinate of Durham, 1836

State Paper Office, 1610-1854

See Manor and other Local Court Rolls, 13th Century-1922, Public Record Office Legal Records Information Leaflet 9.

The list and place-name index for the first 251 bundles in SC 2 and DL 30 is inList and Index of Court Rolls pt 1 Public Record Office Lists and Indexes VI (New York 1963) a copy of which is available in the public areas. Please speak to staff at the Map and Large Document Room enquiry desk for the precise location. Also available on open access at the National Archives A list (SC 2/252/1-SC 2/350/52) of 'Court Rolls Bundles 252-350' A place name index for SC 2/252/1-SC 2/592 For an index to Court rolls in this and other series see 'Union Indexes to Court Rolls'.