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Series

Court of Chancery: Six Clerks Office: Pleadings before 1714, Bridges

Catalogue reference: C 5

What's it about?

C 5

The records in this series consist of pleadings in equity cases initiated in the court of Chancery. They often comprise the plaintiff's bill of complaint only, but the defendant's answer and other documents in the process, including the...

Full description and record details

Reference

C 5

Title
Court of Chancery: Six Clerks Office: Pleadings before 1714, Bridges
Date

1613-1714

Description

The records in this series consist of pleadings in equity cases initiated in the court of Chancery.

They often comprise the plaintiff's bill of complaint only, but the defendant's answer and other documents in the process, including the plaintiffs's replication to the answer, are also filed in many cases. Over 3,000 schedules of account can also be found.

Matters in dispute include inheritance, lands, trusts, mortgages, debts and marriage settlements.

The series is searchable by name, place and subject, thanks to the work of the Friends of The National Archives in inputting the descriptions from printed calendar (the work of A J Gregory) published between 1913 and 1916 as Chancery Proceedings:Bridges Division. Document type, the names of extra defendants (in the format [unknown] Bloggs), and some improved dates have been added from OBS 1/394-398. This work was completed in 2013.

In addition, the opportunity was taken to add four codes to help researchers identify causes brought by different types of litigant, as follows:

  • By gender: SFP for sole female plaintiff, and JFP for joint female plaintiffs - where the bill was filed in the name of females only. [Sole here does not imply femme sole, although many female litigants were widows or spinsters]. This is not completely to be trusted, as it omits a widow acting for infant sons but includes a widow acting for infant daughters.
  • By corporate body: CBP brings up monastic houses, colleges, London companies etc.
  • By unincorporate body - a group acting in a joint interest: UBP will produce churchwardens, parishioners, copyholders, manorial tenants, inhabitants etc.

These codes (SFP, JFP, CBP, UBP) can of course be used with other search terms.

For the related bill books arranged alphabetically under the plaintiffs’ names see: IND 1/2136 – IND 1/2151; Cause Books can be found in IND 1/4127 - IND 1/4131

Arrangement
Arrangement

The files are arranged in a rough alphabetical order by the name of the principal plaintiff.

Held by
The National Archives, Kew
Legal status

Public Record(s)

Language

English and Latin

Physical description

640 bundles and files

Subjects
Topics
Archives and libraries
Manors
Litigation
Marriage and divorce
Religions
Children
Debt
Sex and gender
Administrative / biographical background

The series is named after Thomas Brydges, who was one of the six clerks from 1715 to 1751.

Record URL
https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C3568/

Catalogue hierarchy

Over 27 million records

This record is held at The National Archives, Kew

1,513,580 records

Within the department: C

Records created, acquired, and inherited by Chancery, and also of the Wardrobe, Royal...

You are currently looking at the series: C 5

Court of Chancery: Six Clerks Office: Pleadings before 1714, Bridges

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