Catalogue description Court of King's Bench, Crown Side, and Supreme Court of Judicature, High Court of Justice, King's Bench Division: Affidavits

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Details of KB 1
Reference: KB 1
Title: Court of King's Bench, Crown Side, and Supreme Court of Judicature, High Court of Justice, King's Bench Division: Affidavits
Description:

The main series of affidavits of the Crown Side of the King's Bench, few of them dating from before 1714 but apparently substantially complete from the 1730s.

They normally give the name and occupation of the person swearing, and served a large variety of purposes. Some support or oppose criminal informations, informations quo warranto or informations qui tam; others, especially in the 20th century, support or oppose applications for the issue of the main prerogative writs (certiorari, habeas corpus, mandamus); or confirm the carrying out of process, such as the service of a rule of court.

They often include related documents, and can provide information on such matters as local government, crime and public disorder, trade union disputes, women, children, slaves and the insane.

Date: 1682-1985
Related material:

Indexes are in KB 39

Separated material:

Many affidavits were missing at transfer but these are only noted in piece descriptions from KB 1/697 onwards.

Customs and excise affidavits from 1727 to 1829 survived destruction and are now in KB 32

Held by: The National Archives, Kew
Legal status: Public Record(s)
Language: English and Latin
Physical description: 1148 bundles and files
Access conditions: Subject to 30 year closure unless otherwise stated
Selection and destruction information: Affidavits relating to the enforcement of the game laws from 1747 to 1820 appear to have been destroyed under a schedule of 1907.

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