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Series

Registrar of the High Court of Delegates: Act Books and Files of Original Acts

Catalogue reference: DEL 4

What's it about?

DEL 4

A series of act books, being the formal record of the proceedings of the High Court of Delegates, together with files of original acts.The act books were the formal record of the court's business, covering every stage through which a cause...

Full description and record details

Reference
DEL 4
Title
Registrar of the High Court of Delegates: Act Books and Files of Original Acts
Date
1539-1818
Description

A series of act books, being the formal record of the proceedings of the High Court of Delegates, together with files of original acts.

The act books were the formal record of the court's business, covering every stage through which a cause passed, and were copied from entries in the assignation books, which were compiled while the court were sitting.

The act books record not only formal proceedings but also other information affecting the court's work (e.g. appointments of officials). The act books may also include copies of exhibits, usually found in the muniment books, and records of business transacted outside formal sittings.

Act book entries follow a common form, beginning with the names of the parties and their proctors, followed by a summary of the assignation (business to be transacted) and a statement of business actually done.

The act books (pieces 2-21 and 23-24) span the period 1601 to 1695. There are only five gaps in the sequence, the greatest being between 1650 to 1660. It appears that formal act books ceased to be kept from the end of the seventeenth century, their place being taken by the assignation books.

The series also contains files of original acts (pieces 22 and 25-29) spanning the period 1652 to 1758 with many gaps, and file for 1818. The main part of the sequence covers the eighteenth century, after the act books ceased to be kept. The relationship between these papers and the act and assignation books is unclear.

Arrangement

The act books are arranged chronologically according to law terms and court days.

Held by
The National Archives, Kew
Legal status
Public Record(s)
Language
English
Creator(s)
High Court of Delegates, 1533-1833
Physical description
29 bundles and volumes
Subjects
Topics
Litigation
Custodial history
The majority of the records which now form the series DEL 1 to DEL 8 were transferred to the Public Record Office at various dates between 1863 and 1923. They came from the registry of the High Court of Admiralty and its successor, the Admiralty registry of the Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division of the High Court.
Unpublished finding aids
All the volumes possess contemporary indexes, apart from those in pieces 1, 15 and 19. It is likely that these would have been indexed, but that the indexes had been lost at an early date. These volumes have nineteenth century indexes compiled by H C Rothery, registrar of the High Court of Admiralty (Return of all appeals…made to the High Court of Delegates… (Sessional Papers, House of Commons, 1867-1868), p xii).
Publication note(s)
See G I O Duncan, The High Court of Delegates (Cambridge, 1971), pp 220-222 for more information.
Record URL
https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C5817/

Catalogue hierarchy

Over 27 million records

This record is held at The National Archives, Kew

3,021 records

Within the department: DEL

Records of the High Court of Delegates

You are currently looking at the series: DEL 4

Registrar of the High Court of Delegates: Act Books and Files of Original Acts

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