Probate/court records: Archdeacon's Court, miscellaneous

DCb/PRC/18

Probate/court records: Archdeacon's Court, miscellaneous

1582-1799

Contains various court records including

Absolution: the acceptance of an individual back to the church after excommunication.

Allegations: those facts denied by the defendant.

Articles: usually relate to the libel, but can relate in interrogatories.

Depositions: which contain verbatim (word for word) copies of evidence from the examination of witnesses in the church court lawsuits. The witness's name, age, occupation, and places of residence (past and present) are usually given.

Excommunication: created as part of the church official's duty to enforce obedience to the church and include notification and details of excommunicants (persons given ecclesiastical censure that either deprives them of the right to take part in divine service or excludes them from all Christian company). A defendant could be declared contumacious (obstinately disobedient) and excommunicate (deprived of the right of church membership) when they failed to make a payment or answer a decree, the plaintiff having initiated a claim against them. In theory if a person remained excommunicated for over forty days, the bishop could apply for the royal writ' de excommunicato capiendo' which ordered the sheriff to imprison them, but generally this was infrequent.

Inhibition: document to inhibit, or restrain, the activities of a court, usually issued by a higher ecclesiastical authority to a lower one.

Interrogatories: the questions asked by the opposing party, some of which may be pertinent questions relating to the wealth of the witness and the relationship to the parties in the cause.

Libels: made by the plaintiff (the party instituting the suit) and initiated the cause. Their form varies according to the type of charge brought but includes the names of the plaintiff and defendant, and details of the plaintiffs claims.

Prohibition: a paper preventing further action in the church courts and transferring the business to a civil court. This was used in tithe disputes where more money was claimed.

Sentence: the final judgement at the end of a cause.

There are also records relating to probate (wills and inventories) and other court records.

The following abbreviations are used in this catalogue:

Addl Pos Additional Positions

admix administratrix

admor administrator

Agn Agnes

All Allegation

All Excep Exceptive allegation

als alias

als alias

Ant Ant(h)ony

Arth Arthur

arts Articles

bach bachelor

Ben Benjamin

bro brother

CAL Curator ad Lites (Legal representative)

Cant Canterbury

Chas Charles

chn children

Chris Christopher

chw churchwarden

Clem Clement

cop copy

Cur Curate

d deceased

D Defamation

dau daughter

deps Depositions

Disc Discipline

Dor Dorothy

Dse Denise (Dionysia)

Dun Dunstan

Edm Edmund

Edw Edward

Eliz Elizabeth

Exceps Exceptions

Exh Exhibit

exix executrix

exor executor

Ezek Ezekiel

f father

form former (ly)

FR firmarius rectoriae (collector of tithes)

Fran Francis, Frances

FV collector of vicarage tithes

Geo George

Geoff Geoffrey

gnddau granddaughter

gndsn grandson

guard guardian

Hezek Hezekiah

Humph Humphrey

Hy Henry

Inh Inhibition

Interr Interrogatories

Jas James, Jacob

Jer Jerome

Jery Jeremy (Jeremiah)

Jn John

Jos Joseph

Josh Joshua

Jud Judith

Kt Knight

leg legatee

Leon Leonard

Lib Libel

m mother

Marg Marjorie, Margery

Matr Matrimonial

Matt Matthew

Mgt Margaret

Mich Michael

Mild Mildred

Mill Millicent

n.d. no date

n.s. not stated

nce niece

Neph nephew

Nich Nicholas

nok next of kin

nunc nuncupative

Pet Peter

Phil Philip

PR proprietarius rectoriae (collector of tithes)

Proh Prohibition

psh parish

psher parishioner

Rec Rector

Rel relict

Rich Richard

Richne Richardine

s son

Sam Samuel

Sand Sandwich

Sar Sarah

sched excom schedule of excommunication

Sent Sentence

Sh'well Shepherdswell

Silv Silvester

Silva Silvestra

Sim Simon

sis sister

Steph Stephen

Sus Susan (na)

T Tithes

Test Testamentary

Thos Thomas

Those Thomasine

Vic Vicar

w wife

Walt Walter

wid widow

widr widower

Wm William

wo wife of

English

38 subseries

DCb/PRC/18/6 2nd Dcb/PRC/18/7 are unfit for consultation and therefore their contents are not listed here.