Catalogue description High Court of Admiralty: Instance and Prize Courts: Examinations and Answers

This series consists of examinations and answers relating mainly to the civil jurisdiction of the Court in instance and prize causes, although a few relate to criminal jurisdiction. An examination, in the legal sense, consisted of the statements or depositions made by a witness or accused person when examined, and is the the record of such statements. An answer, specifically in law, was the counter-statement made in reply to a complainant's bill of charges (such a bill in civil law being termed a libel).

The examinations cover 1536 to 1750, the answers 1577 to 1770, and the examinations on commission 1564 to 1678, with some extra material from 1694 to 1826. HCA 13/1 relates to the Vice-Admiralty of Norfolk and Suffolk, 1536 to 1537. Some volumes contain their own indexes.

Another index of examinations is in IND 1/10322

Admiralty jurisdiction is discussed in Hale and Fleetwood on Admiralty Jurisdiction, ed M J Prichard and D E C Yale, Selden Society CVIII (1992).

The documents relating to criminal jurisdiction are indexed in the finding aid to HCA 1, and a few others are indexed in the finding aid entitled 'HCA Index of Cases', available at the Public Record Office, Kew.