Treasury: Precedent Books

T 211

1920-1948

Precedent books recorded, in brief detail, important decisions altering departmental or governmental policy. Precedent books which were used to supplement, on specific points, the subject indexes under the Treasury central registry system, catering for the recording of important information at the decisions taken.

Treasury staff were asked to record the precedents in a separate series of books from the Central Registry file registration system.

After 1948 the books were continued on a decentralised basis and were used by the registry attached to a particular division, eg Social Services registry, until 1975 when the use of precedent books ceased.

The subject headings used in these books correspond to those in the subject indexes, available to the public in the reading rooms at the National Archives, Kew, which relate to post 1920 Treasury file series (T 160 - T 162).

The series is not arranged in a strict alphabetical order and it may be necessary to check the whole list.

The files cited in the books may not all have been preserved. A check of the lists for the Finance (T 160), Supply (T 161) and Establishments (T 162) files is needed.

For further superannuation precedents see: T 108

Public Record(s)

English

86 volume(s)

Some of the files quoted in these books may not have survived