YALE
UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

A REPERTORY OF BRITISH ARCHIVES

A
Repertory of British Archives

PART I. ENGLAND

COMPILED FOR THE ROYAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY

HUBERT HALL, Litt.D., F.S.A.
ASSISTANT KEEPER OF THE PUBLIC RECORDS ; DIRECTOR OF THE ROYAL HISTORICAL
SOCIETY ; READER IN PALEOGRAPHY, ETC. , IN THE UNIVERSITY OF LONDON
ASSISTED BY RESEARCH STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY

LONDON
OFFICES OF THE SOCIETY
22 RUSSELL SQUARE, W.C. I
1920

PREFACE.
This compilation is not intended to serve as a " Guide "
to the Records, central or local, public or private. At
the same time it will perhaps furnish information not to
be found in existing works of reference, especially in
respect of official documents not yet transferred to the
Public Record Office and of Local Records generally.
The object of the work is to assist historical students
in locating such documents as may be useful for their
studies. At present these are either inadequately ar
ranged and described, as in the case of most Departmental
and Local Archives, or they are arranged according to a
conventional plan, as in the case of the collected Public
Records. An attempt has been made in the following pages to
classify the several types of Central and Local Records
on a systematic plan ; to describe their origin and distri
bution, and to supply references to some printed works
dealing with the various archives or their contents.
It should be added that for reasons stated in the Intro
duction and prefatory notes, the outlying official archives
could only be regarded as supplementing the contents of
the Public Record Office ; but references have been given
to the Reports of the Royal Commission on Public
Records where further information will be found. For
the same reasons the notices of Local Archives in Part II
and Part III of this work have been confined to such

vi PREFACE
indications as may assist the respective authorities to
classify and describe the documents, or facilitate the
researches of historical students. On the other hand the
contents of the Public Record Office have been more
fully described in Part I, because these are accessible
and also furnish a basis for the classification of other
archives, central or local.
The classification adopted is based on the "structural"
rather than the "proprietary" aspect of the Records.
That is to say, it is concerned with the form and con
struction of the Records and not merely with their
traditional ownership or custody. This arrangement has
the advantage of bringing together many related docu
ments which are now scattered under various depart
mental references. The class of Judicial Proceedings
already comprised a more or less homogeneous collection
of Pleadings and subsidiary documents, but Charters and
Deeds have been collected from a dozen different official
series ; Royal Letters from as many more, and Accounts
from nearly a hundred official sources. This classifi
cation will also give students some idea of the nature and
use of the several sources, which have also been distin
guished, as far as possible, in the Classified Lists as
Originals and Inrolments respectively. Brief indications
of the contents and dates of the various classes have been
given in footnotes, and historical or descriptive notes
have been prefixed to the several collections.
The necessity for rigorous compression is responsible
for various abbreviations in the references to manuscript
or printed authorities, and a Key to these compendia is
given below ; for the same reason full references to the
respective editions or to inclusive pages have been dis
pensed with.
The compilation of the Lists has been carried out, as
far as possible, on a uniform plan ; but many interruptions

PREFACE Vll
have occurred since the work was put in hand, before the
War, and some inconsistencies have resulted; others,
such as the diverse methods of computing dates, have
been retained to facilitate identification with the official
lists. The compilers are conscious that this, like other
pioneer works, has many shortcomings; but at least it
will temporarily fill a serious gap in the literature of
historical method ; and it is hoped that it may be helpful,
not only to students of History, but also to custodians of
Local Records, to librarians who collect stray documents
of local interest, and to private collectors.
The following post-graduate students of the Univer
sity of London (most of whom are also Fellows of the
Royal Historical Society) collaborated in the preparation
of these Lists: Miss A. B. Wallis Chapman, D.Sc. Econ.,
(London) ; Miss Irene Churchill (Final Honours School
of History, Oxford) ; Miss Ruth Easterling, M.A. (Wales) ;
Mrs. Hutton (Archivist to the British Red Cross Society) ;
Miss M. Lane, M.A. (London); R. S. Lepper, M.A.
(Cambridge) ; H. G. Richardson, M.A., B.Sc. Econ.
(London); Miss Joan Wake; Miss M. Wretts-Smith,
M.A. (Wales); with some assistance from earlier col
laborators: G. C. Brown, M.A. (London); W. Hooper,
LL.D. (London); Miss Hilda Jones, M.A. (Wales); Miss
G. R. Lewis, and notably from the late Miss P. Steele
Hutton, M.A. (St. Andrews).
For the publication of this handbook students of the
archives are indebted to the support which the under
taking received, at a critical moment, from the Council
of the Royal Historical Society, on the recommendation
of Mr. H. R. Tedder, the Hon. Treasurer of the Society,
and of Mr. H. E. Maiden, the Hon. Secretary. Mr.
Tedder has for many years taken a close interest in the
science and economy of archives, a subject to which the

Vlll PREFACE
attention of the Society was called more than twenty
years ago by the late Prof. F. York Powell, and by former
Presidents. Mr. Tedder has seen the proofs of the whole work
and has given some valuable advice on several points.
He has also contributed an Appendix to the Introduction
containing an interesting account of the work of the Royal
Commission of 19 10 and of subsequent proceedings for
the preservation of Public and Local Records in England
and Wales.
Mr. M. S. Giuseppi, F.S.A., of H.M. Public Record
Office, a Fellow of the Society, kindly read the proofs
of Part I and suggested some technical emendations.
Others (in Part II) are due to the learning and goodwill
of Mr. Maiden and of the Lambeth Librarian.
Finally, the compilers have experienced much courtesy
and assistance from the officials of the Public Record
Office, British Museum, and London School of Eco
nomics ; and they are naturally indebted to the Reports
of the Royal Commission on Public Records, the Local
Records Committee, and the Historical Manuscripts
Commission. It should be mentioned that the Introduction and text
of this work were printed off more than a year ago,
publication having been delayed by unavoidable causes.
H. H.
October, 1920.

INTRODUCTION.
To appreciate the resources of the National Archives it
is necessary to understand the distribution, custody, and
administration of the central and local collections.
The former comprise many classes of judicial and
departmental Records and State Papers, constituting the
well-known collection of Public Records. The latter,
namely, the so-called Local Records, include various col
lections of semi-public documents, as well as some Public
Records outstanding in the custody of local bodies.
Besides these archives there are family muniments or
other collections of a private nature, among which will
also be found some documents formerly in official
custody ; just as the public and semi-public Records
include many documents at one time belonging to in
dividuals or private corporations.
Each of the above aspects of the history and adminis
tration of the national archives will be noticed in the
following pages, and this necessarily brief description will
be supplemented by references to the literature of the
subject. i. The Growth of the Archives.
(a) Judicial Records. — The earliest description of the
State Archives of this Kingdom that has survived is
found in the Dialogus de Scaccario, written in the last
quarter of the 12th century.1 This treatise mentions
1 Ed. Hughes, Crump and Johnson (Clarendon Press).

x INTRODUCTION
certain records of the Chancery and Exchequer, the
prototypes of more than one series 1 which was continued
almost down to the Victorian era. Earlier still, even
before the Norman Conquest, we find a few casual notices
of State Archives in royal charters or monastic chronicles ;
but these sources of information are not always above
suspicion.2 The repositories in which these primitive records were
preserved have also been mentioned in contemporary
documents or narratives, and from these notices we
may infer that the Archives were associated with the
Treasury or Wardrobe of the royal palace, or with the
strong-room of an adjacent church.3 Their characteristic
receptacle seems to have been an iron-bound "ark" or
chest where they were still kept in much later times,
parcelled in numerous cases, leather pouches, and wooden
"skippets".4 These primitive conditions seem to have
been of universal occurrence during the Middle Ages;
and with the records was preserved other " treasure " in
the shape of relics, jewels, plate, regalia, and robes of
State.5 In course of time, the royal Treasury, Wardrobe,
and Jewel House became separate departments ; but until
quite recent days stray records were to be found near
the site of the ancient Treasury in Westminster Abbey.6
Before the end of the 16th century there were sepa
rate treasuries at Westminster for the records of the
courts of Common Law.7 The Chancery records were
1 Dialogus, I, vi. and xiv.
2 H. Hall, Studies in Official Documents, pp. 14-15.
* Ibid., pp. 16-22 ; Court Life, pp. 114 sq., and Antiquities 'of the Ex
chequer, Ch. I-III.
4 Catalogue of the Museum of the Public Record Office, p. 93 sq.
6 Palgrave, Kalendars {passim).
6 Third Report of the Public Records Commission (191 9), Part II,
pp. 116 sq.
1 Powell, Reperiorie, p. 15.

INTRODUCTION xi
stored in the Tower of London, but those of recent date
were allowed to accumulate in the Rolls Chapel or in the
houses of the Chancery clerks. Thence they found their
way from time to time to the great repository in the
Tower,1 just as the judicial records of the Bench and
Assizes were gradually transferred to the treasuries at
Westminster from which they overflowed into a large
number of departmental repositories.2
At the date of the appointment of the Select Com
mittee of 1799, the above repositories were still in use,
though greatly congested and lacking all the essential
requirements of national archives.3 Parliament had been
fitfully concerned with the improvement of these con
ditions during the whole of the 18th century, but nothing
useful was done until the nationalization and reconstruc
tion of the French archives attracted the attention of
English reformers.4 The report of the Select Committee
in 1800 was followed by the appointment of Record Com-
missoners in that year; and a further Parliamentary
inquiry in 1836 into the proceedings of the Commission
led to the passing of the Public Record Office Act of
1838.6 The object of this Act was "to establish one
Record Office and a better custody," but before the first
section of the present repository in Fetter Lane was
completed in 1856, it was necessary to retain the three
" general repositories " then existing.6 These were sup
plemented by a " branch office " at Carlton Ride and by
1 W. J. Hardy, Midds., etc., Notes and Queries, Vol. II (1896), p. 49 ¦>
D.K., 57th Rep., p. 19.
2 Hall, Studies, pp. 1 1 1-1 14. The Stone Tower was used later.
3 Quarterly Review, Apr., 19 17, p. 501 ; Edinburgh Review, Oct.,.
I9M, P- 375-
"¦Contemporary Review, June, 1918 ; History, July, 1918, p. 97.
5 Gross, Sources and Literature, pp. 77 sq. ; Hall, op. cit., pp. 25 sq.
6 i.e. the Chapter House (Westminster), the Wakefield Tower (Tower
of London), and the Rolls Chapel.

xii INTRODUCTION
other minor repositories,1 the Rolls House itself being
utilized for the administration of the archives.2
The transfer of the main collections of Judicial Records
to the new repository on the Rolls estate was carried
out between 1856 and i860. Some special or outlying
records were retained in official custody,3 others have
been partially transferred to the Public Record Office,
whilst a few collections have been otherwise disposed of.
Thus the records of the Ecclesiastical Courts at Doctor's
Commons have been transferred to Lambeth Palace or to
Somerset House.4 As far as the metropolitan records are
concerned the belated process of centralization, begun in
1838, may be eventually carried out, but there is a growing
feeling against the transfer of regional records which
might be profitably studied by local schools of history.6
(b) State Papers. — Until the middle of the 16th cen
tury the State Papers, as distinguished from the Judicial
Records, were chiefly preserved in the Treasury at West
minster, or in the custody of the King's Secretary and
other Chancery clerks. These documents comprised
original treaties or treaty papers, law papers, political
reports with royal, departmental, and miscellaneous letters
and instruments under the Signet or Sign Manual.
Copies or dockets of these documents were also pre
served in various inrolments, registers, or precedent
books among the Chancery and Exchequer Records.6
Hitherto no clear distinction had been made between
these administrative or political documents and the
1 e.g . in the Inns of Court or in Chancery Lane. For a list of these,
see Hall, op. cit., pp. 1 1 1 sq.
2 D.K., ist Rep., p. 68. It was used for this purpose till its demolition,
and letters are still occasionally directed to that address.
3 Below, pp. 93 sq.; 191 4 Rep., Appx. (Ill), and Hall, op. cit., p. 117.
4 1914 Rep., Appx., pp. 36 sq., 92 sq., 167 sq., 199 sq.
"1919 Rep., p. 35.
6 Some of these, notably registers of instruments under the Smaller
Seals, have not been regularly preserved.

INTRODUCTION xtti
judicial series, for mediaeval administrative procedure
was largely judicial in form. In common, therefore,
with the Judicial Records, the original State Papers, no
longer in use, were brought into the archives from
time to time; but with the statutory reconstruction of
the Secretariat in 1535, a new series of administrative
archives had become expedient, and in the reign of Queen
Elizabeth this took the form of a collection of " Papers of
State " in a State Paper Office at the Palace of Whitehall.1
The mediaeval State papers continued to be preserved in
the old repositories at Westminster and the Tower of
London among the records of the Chancery, which, like
the Exchequer, continued to perform certain political
functions.2 The early history of the State Paper Office is somewhat
obscure, but it is chiefly associated with the Whitehall
Gateway, where the papers continued to be unworthily
housed for nearly two centuries in the charge of succes
sive keepers. In 1706 a new repository was provided by
the Office of Works in the Cockpit, though some papers
remained in the Whitehall Gateway until its removal.3
One reason for the institution of a State Paper Office
may be found in the difficulty of collecting the papers
that were no longer in use, for in spite of the frantic
efforts of their keepers an increasing proportion was
carried off by successive Secretaries of State. Another
pressing need was the arrangement and description of
the papers, for this was only provisionally accomplished
by the keepers. Further efforts, both for the requisi
tioning of papers and for their comprehensive arrange
ment, were made by new authorities, the Collectors,
1 It has been suggested that the State Papers between 1536 and 1578
were preserved in a "Library" or " Study ;' in the Gate House at West
minster ; but it is well known that many papers are missing for this period.
2 e.g. the preparation of Treaties and Commissions of Inquiry.
3 Hall, op. cit., p. 40.

xiv INTRODUCTION
Transmitters, and Methodizers appointed between 1725
and 1800.1 This device, however, led to the distribu
tion of the State Papers between separate departments
and induced a general paralysis of official responsibility.
In the last years of the 18th century the energy and skill
of John Bruce prepared the way for the appointment
of the Record Commission of 1799, whose first Report
"made an end of the whole fraternity of Transmitters
and Methodizers ". During these experiments the State
Papers had been distributed in several temporary re
positories : it was not till 1833 that the whole collection
was brought together in the State Paper Office in St.
James's Park. In 1854 this department was formally
taken over as a branch repository of the Public Record
Office, to which the State Papers were finally transferred
in 1862.2 Apart from the State Papers appropriated by ministers
or requisitioned and not returned by them, a few early
documents were retained by the Departments which had
been evolved from the old Secretariat between 1781
and 1855 ; Dut it may be presumed that these have now
been transmitted to the Public Record Office. On the
other hand, certain documents have apparently been acci
dentally mixed with, or deliberately annexed to the
original contents of the Paper Office during its sojourn
in the Cockpit, including records of the Treasury and
the Council of Trade and Plantations. At the same time,
the State Papers comprise so many unrelated and un
expected documents that we are reminded of the miscel
laneous contents of the ancient Treasury of the Receipt ;
but whether in both cases these collections were gradually
formed, or were casually added to from time to time, it is
not easy to determine.3 The Home, Foreign, and Colonial
1 Hall, op. cit., pp. 41-43. » 1012 Rep., Appx., p. 15.
'See Scargill-Bird, Guide, p. 358 sq.

INTRODUCTION xv
Offices, the War Office and India Office made no direct
transfers to the State Paper Office. Of late years
several inter-departmental transfers have been made
which have increased the difficulty of identifying the
several collections.
(c) Departmental Records. — During the Middle Ages,
and for some time later, the business of the State was
transacted by individual clerks or household officers.1
In course of time these royal agents were succeeded by
Departments of State 2 or special authorities,3 but these
were few in number, and their development slow, owing
to the general activities of the Secretaries of State.
During the 18th century the Civil List underwent a con
siderable expansion, with reductions in 1782 and 1832.4
A further expansion took place between i860 and 19 14,
and since the War a distinct type of department has been
established which, with its records, is concerned only
with the War or with problems arising out of the War.5
Unfortunately the Departmental Records were not,
like the State Papers, placed under the general super
vision of an official keeper. In the case of some im
portant departments, which have had a continuous
existence, the records were kept more or less intact down
to the beginning of the 19th century. Some have found
their way into the State Paper Office ; others, having
ceased to exist as departmental series, were absorbed in
the archives of related departments ; but many neglected
or derelict records perished or have been added to private
and semi-public collections.6
No mention is made of any State Papers or Depart
mental Records in the Public Record Office Act of 1838,
but these documents, are covered by the defining Section
1 See below, p. 34. 2 Hall, Studies, p. 44.
3 Formula Book, Part I, p. 119 sq. " Hall, Studies, pp. 47-49-
6 1919 Rep., Part II, Appx. V. 6Below, pp. 151, 156.

xvi INTRODUCTION
(XX), and powers were given for their future custody by
recourse to an Order in Council.1 In spite of this omission,
the records of various departments have been transferred
to the charge and superintendence of the Master of the
Rolls since 1 840 ; 2 but the recent Royal Commission on
Public Records found that a large proportion of the
documents had been recklessly destroyed and that the
departmental archives were in great need of a better
system of supervision.
The Departmental Records have been officially dis
tinguished from the State Papers, partly by a conventional
limit of date, and partly by the evidence of independent
custody. Thus the contents of the old State Paper Office
are classified as State Papers, Domestic, Foreign, and
Colonial, down to the year 1780; but after that date they
are described as Home Office, Foreign Office, and Colonial
Office Records respectively. The records of the War
Office, Admiralty, and Public Offices, other than the
triple Secretariat of the 18th century, include some depart
ments of great antiquity, though most have been estab
lished within the last fifty years. Some are associated
with a single Officer of State; others with a Board of
Commissioners. Their records, too, are of divers kinds,
and of varying bulk and value.3 It may be added that
some public departments should properly be regarded
as statutory registries, and, therefore, more closely re
lated to Judicial Records than to State Papers.4
The value of the Departmental Records for the study
of the national institutions and biography is very great,
and their distribution and extent are as yet imperfectly
^nly a few semi-judicial offices are mentioned in the 1800 and 1837
Report on the Public Records.
2 Below, pp. 161 sq.
scf. Hall, op. cit, pp. 89 sq. ; Scargill-Bird, Guide, pp. 366 sq.
4 1914 Rep., Part II, pp. 103-139 ; and below, pp. 93-97.

INTRODUCTION XVI!
known, though much information has been supplied by
the Reports of the Public Records Commission.1 Un
fortunately, however, the relationship and administrative
significance of the records have been obscured through
the ill-treatment that they have received, and the col
lections will need much patient reconstruction.
(d) Local Records. — As no precise definition of English
Local Records has been generally accepted, a description
of their nature, extent, distribution, and custody can only
be regarded as a provisional one. For the purpose of the
present work, therefore, all historical manuscripts, other
than those preserved in the central State Archives de
scribed in the preceding pages, have been regarded as
Local Records. On the whole, this definition agrees
substantially with that most frequently adopted. The
only qualification that may be needed is in respect of the
branch repositories of the Supreme Court of Judicature
and of certain Government Departments throughout the
country ; but though these outlying records remain under
a central jurisdiction and are liable to be transferred to
central custody, they might with advantage be deposited
in local archives whenever these are constituted for
the appropriate regions. The position of the records of
Royal Commissions and Statutory Committees is also>
somewhat doubtful, though here the Crown has not at
tempted to assert its title to the records. For the rest,.
the records of the county, of the town, of the parish
and diocese, of public institutions, and private indivi
duals are generally recognized as Local Records of either
a public or a private nature. At the same time a slight
difficulty arises in connection with the central and local
distribution of certain classes of these documents. Thus,
while we should find in most county towns a museum
1 1910-1918, cf. Hall, op. cit., pp. 123 sq.
b

XV111 INTRODUCTION
containing Local Records, the British Museum in London
is for all practical purposes a repository of national
manuscripts, scarcely less precious to historians than the
Public Records themselves. Again, there are many
trading corporations which have their headquarters in
London, where the records are centralized. Finally,
there are some metropolitan authorities which are on the
same footing as Government Departments. In such
cases are we to classify documents of national importance
as "Minor London Archives"? The proper answer would
seem to be that these are central and not local institutions
by reason of their official character and royal or statutory
foundation ; but although they may have counterparts
in many provincial towns, the latter cannot be regarded
individually as national institutions.
It must not be supposed, however, that when we have
solved these academic problems, our difficulties in respect
of the classification and indentification of Local Records
will be at an end. The truth is that, with one exception,
the literature of the subject shows that the origin, evolu
tion, and life history of English local institutions have
not been studied with sufficient industry, and, therefore,
with proper understanding.1 Whether all these institu
tions have produced records, and whether all these
records are of an historical nature or of relative im
portance, are questions that cannot be answered without a
careful investigation and full understanding of the matter,
and these requirements involve a reconstruction of the
whole machinery of local government during the last
eight centuries at least.
In Part II of this volume an attempt has been made to
classify and describe the main classes of Local Records,
.as well as to trace their growth and to explain their use
1 The exception is in the case of the works of Mr. and Mrs. Sidney
Webb dealing with this subject which, however, are not yet completed.

INTRODUCTION XIX
as sources of historical information ; it is, therefore, un
necessary to give any further description of their origin
and vicissitudes, especially as the Royal Commission on
Public Records has recently dealt with this subject in its
Third Report. 2. The Administration of the Archives.
(a) State Archives. — Although the Public Records of
this country have not received the close attention that
has been bestowed on the State Archives abroad for
more than a hundred years past, the method of their
custody was practically the same throughout Western
Europe from the 9th century to the 19th.1 This uni
formity of official practice may probably be attributed to
the cosmopolitan constitution of the Mediaeval Church
and State, as well as to the close fellowship of mediaeval
clerks. Everywhere the records were regarded as pos
sessing the value of treasure and the sanctity of relics,
whilst their judicial origin and environment invested
them with the authority of precedents.
No serious attempt has yet been made to locate the
more obscure repositories of English Records that have ex
isted from time to time since the 12th century, to set forth
their establishments or to describe their methods, though
some materials' for this purpose have been collected.2
The identification of these repositories, with their respec
tive courts or departments, is also a matter of difficulty,
though one of obvious importance. The subject, how
ever, is of archaeological rather than of institutional
interest. For our present purpose it is enough to note
that the Judicial Records were kept in numerous reposi
tories until they were transferred to the main archives.
1 Y Cymmrodor, Vol. XXVII, pp. 206 sq.
* Thomas, History of Public Departments; Hall, Studies (Part I).

XX INTRODUCTION
Probably none of these ancient receptacles now contains
any records, though some documents may have been
destroyed or misappropriated at an early period of their
custody. Indeed, the survival of any ancient records at
all is probably due to their value as judicial or adminis
trative acts. It has been mentioned above that records
in constant use for departmental reference might remain
in the personal custody of the clerks for an indefinite
period, whilst other records were duly transmitted to the
Royal Treasury or other central archives.1 Up to a
certain point the practice of storing records in iron-
bound chests ensured their safety; but, on the other
hand, it has been the fate of many documents placed in
such receptacles to moulder away from want of ventila
tion. Thus the bound books which formerly stood on
the shelves of an aumbry, or the rolls contained in
pouches hung in a closet, are usually found in a better
state of preservation than files or bundles stacked on the
floor. We have seen that the records compiled under the
direction of the King's clerks, prothonotaries, and other
royal officers, found their way into the treasuries of the
Courts of Justice or remained in the vaults and attics of
the Departments of State. Others accumulated in
the offices of a multitude of legal or official functionaries,
many of whom claimed a freehold in their offices by
virtue of a royal grant and regarded the records as per
taining thereto. It follows, then, that in order to account
for the Public Records of this country, as well as to
realize their true nature and uses, it is necessary to
identify their respective custodians. In fact, the modern
classification of the archives is largely based on this
1 Above, p. xi.

INTRODUCTION XXI
proprietary aspect of their custody, and the materials for
this classification are still very imperfect.
From another point of view the early establishments
may throw much light upon the condition of the existing
collections. In spite of the inferior equipment of English
Archives, they have experienced fewer losses than those
of continental States owing, doubtless, to their insular
position; indeed, the fate of the Scottish and Welsh
Records seems to confirm this supposition.1
But although this may be true for an earlier period,
the situation was entirely reversed during the century of
peace that followed the Napoleonic Wars. Whilst other
nations have preserved their surviving archives with
devoted care, our own collections have been enormously
reduced by indiscriminate or organized destruction.
The extent and significance of these losses has not
hitherto been realized, and they have been written off
without any attempt to ascertain the relationship of many
vanished series with surviving specimens, whose origin
and use are now obscure. The time must come when an
attempt will be made to reconstruct the original contents
of the archives, for until this principle is recognized there
can be no finality of research or any security for ' the ,
existing records. Apart, therefore, from the occasional
losses sustained from foreign or civil warfare, the sur
vival of public records has chiefly depended on the
goodwill or efficiency of their custodians, for even the
accidents of fire or flood are largely preventible by care
ful custody. Down to the accession of Queen Victoria, the care of
the records was shared by clerks who were not amenable
to any control or supervision ; who, with some notable
exceptions, were ignorant of the historical value of the
1cf. Library Association Record, Sept.-Oct., 191 8, p. 197 sq.

XX11 INTRODUCTION
records, and indifferent to their existence, except as a
means of livelihood. Thanks to the fees paid by searchers
for legal purposes, the custodians were able to pay rent
and taxes, and to keep a dry roof over the records;
but the system was a mischievous one, because official
attention was confined to a few classes of records of un
equal historical value, the rest being left to their fate in
damp cellars or dusty attics. Such was the condition of
the Judicial Records before the Public Record Office Act
of 1838. The position of the State Papers was more
favourable because they were in the custody of a keeper
who received a living wage and who had an official in
terest in the Papers of State, which were referred to for
historical information. On the other hand, the Depart
mental Records were not, from the first, dignified with
even the pretence of expert custody, and the depart
mental librarian or paper keeper of to-day is the lineal
descendant of some office-keeper or clerk of the stores by
whom the records were kept in safety, but without any
arrangement or description.
With the passing of the Public Record Office Act of
1838, this primitive administration of our Public Records
is supposed to have come to an end. It is one thing,
however, to enunciate a principle of public policy and
quite another thing to see it carried out. The measures
adopted by the record reformers of 1838 for that pur
pose were quite inadequate. As a result, the archaic
administration of the records was continued, and to the
evils of a sordid and exclusive custody, were added
the unauthorized destruction or appropriation of docu
ments obviously of a public nature. One explanation of
this break-down is suggested by the investigations of the
Record Commissioners of 1910.1 The public conscience
1 1912 Rep . Appx. I {passim) ; 1914 Rep. {passim).

INTRODUCTION XX1H
had been awakened ; but no literary clamour could shake
the purpose of the Treasury to whose discretion the
due execution of the Public Record Office Act of 1838
had been committed. This unenlightened control para
lysed the activities of the administration of the National
Archives, which quickly sank into the position of a third-
rate Government Department.1 The Reports of Royal
Commissions and Parliamentary Committees since the
beginning of the 18th century had revealed the neglected
state of the records, and had sufficiently indicated the
necessity for their vigilant custody, proper arrangement,
and systematic description. But these requirements could
not be fulfilled by the casual and perfunctory activities
set forth in the early Reports of the Deputy Keeper,
nor could they be compensated by the publication of
elaborate texts and calendars, instead of the lists and
indexes which had become a rare luxury to Victorian
students. ^
Thus no steps were taken to enforce the Public Record
Office Act by a scholarly and independent administration,
such as that which has made the French Archives a
national possession in deed as well as in name. Privileged
interests were allowed to thwart the real intention of the
Act. The archives of the Royal Household, of the
Royal Duchies and Palatinates, of Parliament, and of the
Government Departments were tacitly excluded from its
scope.2 The position of these Departmental Records is
a peculiar one. In theory, like the Judicial Records and
State Papers, they are the property of the Crown ; but
in practice the Sovereign has taken no personal interest
1 It is almost unnecessary to say that the Treasury is no longer " un
enlightened " on any subject of scholarly interest, while it no longer claims
any control over the disposal of the Public Records (1914 Rep. II, No. 28
and III (Evidence), Q. 6920^.).
af/. above, pp. xv-xvi ; 1914 Rep., Appx., pp. 141-142, and 1919
Rep., Appx., pp. 108, 109.

XXIV INTRODUCTION
in their custody for a long time past, and even the records
of the Royal Household were lately found by the Record
Commissioners in a neglected state.1
The Public Record Office Act of 1838 does not specify
any repositories other than those of the Judicial Records,
and the Departmental Archives have not been included
in any general inquiry prior to the Reports of the Public
Records Commission of 1 19 10. 2 It is true that an informal
understanding was arrived at between the Master of the
Rolls and the Departments, the true significance of which
will be presently explained ; but, though the most impor
tant series of Departmental Records have been gradually
transferred to the Public Record Office since 1840, there
has been no systematic clearance of these repositories,
because no definite supervision was provided by the
principal Act. Many records have perished on the spot,
and others have remained in danger, because they were
over-looked or withheld on the occasion of former trans
fers. Some Departments, indeed, have transmitted no
records at all, to the loss of students, though in certain
cases, such as the statutory Registries, an independent
method of centralization was already provided.
These difficulties were largely due to an early mis
understanding of the Act of 1838 by the authorities
concerned.3 When the Act was passed it applied only to
Judicial Records contained in certain specified reposi
tories, partly because these were in need of immediate
attention, and also because the Public Record Office had
yet to be built. It was clearly intended, however, that the
Act should apply eventually to " all documents whatso-
1 1914 Rep., pp. 53 and 86.
*See, especiaUy, Second Rep. and Appendices (1914).
3 1912 Rep., Appx. I (4), and Minutes of Evidence, Q. 70 sq., where
the present Deputy Keeper has forcibly pointed out the disadvantages of a
departmental convention criticized at the time by the law officers. Drafts
of the Act of 1838 include Departmental with Judicial Records.

INTRODUCTION XXV
ever of a public nature, the property of His Majesty,"
and provision was made : for the extension of the Act to
such documents by Order in Council ; whereupon they
would forthwith come under the "charge and superin
tendence " of the Master of the Rolls, who would then be
responsible for their proper custody, repair, arrangement,
and description.2
The Order in Council contemplated by the Act was
duly issued in March, 1852; but the Record Officers,
anxious to secure some interesting historical documents,
had already devised a compromise, whereby the Govern
ment Departments have been enabled to deposit any
records that they wanted to get rid of, on their own
terms, and to retain other records for departmental
reference to the disadvantage of students ; for it was
an essential condition of this understanding that the
Departmental Records might be withdrawn at pleasure,
and could be inspected only under arbitrary departmental
restrictions.3 The effect of this compromise was to prevent any
complete or permanent arrangements for the proper
custody and description of the Departmental Records.
The authorities, however, had soon to face the fact that
provision must be made for these documents as well as
for the old State Papers and Judicial Records. After a
time the Departmental Records, at first eagerly desired,
became an unwelcome burden on the resources of the
Treasury, and before long the official doctrine was
1 Section 2. 2 Section 4.
3 Many hard things have been said about these precautions {cf. Report
of the 1908 Committee, reprinted in 191 2 Rep., Appx., p. 62) ; but the Act of
1838 had made no provision for the "safety of the State," beyond a con
ventional or discretionary term for the retention of Judicial Records,
and the traditions of the State Paper Office were still in repute. Since
1909, however, if not earlier, facilities for access to English Public Records
compare favourably with those of any continental State, a fact often over
looked by historical students.

XXV1 INTRODUCTION
evolved that records of insufficient value to justify per
manent preservation might be otherwise disposed of.1
Hitherto the survival of the records had been decided
by an ordeal of fire or water ; but when the question of
space became an urgent one a drastic revision of the
lists was made by an Inter-departmental Committee.
This expedient was actually in operation for nearly
twenty years; but as no legislative authority for thi&
procedure existed, a permissive Act was passed in 1877
which has been administered since 1882 by a depart
mental Committee, whose proceedings are governed by
Statutory Rules and are recorded in Parliamentary
Schedules.2 By a supplementary Act of 1898, the
date from which records might thus be dealt with was
set back from 171 5 to 1660; but neither of these Acts
was worthy of the occasion, and in view of the rather
complicated provisions of the Public Record Office Act
of 1838, it is to be regretted that a comprehensive
amending Act was not passed in 1852 to ensure the
adequate custody and systematic description of all
classes of the Public Records; for the disposal of the
Departmental Records alone has become a problem of
the greatest magnitude.3
In 1910 the Public Records Commission came to the
conclusion that it was too late to patch up the adminis
tration of the Public Records on the old lines, and
suggested a new administrative system. But the Com
missioners could not fail to perceive that matters might
have been very different if the Government had risen to
the occasion in 1838; or even if the first administrators
under the Act had possessed the ability and scholarly
1 See 1912 Rep., Appx. {passim).
2 Public Record Office, Rules and Schedules (1913) ; cf. D.K. Reports
(1883, etc.), and 1912 and 1914 Reports {passim).
3 See 1 9 19 Rep., Appx. V.

INTRODUCTION XX vii
vision shown since 1886 by the present Deputy Keeper.1
However this may be, it seems to be agreed on all sides,
that, if not a new "government," fresh legislation is cer
tainly necessary for the welfare of the central and local
archives alike.2 It remains for historical students to
press for its accomplishment, and also for carrying out
such of the recommendations of the Commission as are
still desirable or practicable.3
(b) Local Archives. — Although, as we have seen, the
activities or interests of the towns, parishes, ecclesiastical
bodies and individual citizens of this country may be
traced back for more than 800 years in a large mass of
Local Records, those collections are now in most cases
exceedingly imperfect, while the official records in the
custody of the County Councils and statutory authorities
or trusts are in still worse plight.4 This may be partly
due to the fact that the Local Records do not possess the
same authority or prestige as the Public Records which
are nominally, at least, the property of the Crown.5 Thus
1 See 1 91 2 Rep., p. 2, where the Commissioners have paid a well-
deserved tribute to the work of Sir Henry Maxwell Lyte.
"It is noteworthy that the Committee on Local Records (1899-1901),
presided over by Bishop Creighton and Lord Bryce successively, and
advised by Sir Henry Maxwell Lyte, advocated definite legislation for
Local Records and an expansion of the powers of the Record Office in
respect of supervision.
3 cf. Library Association Record, XIV, pp. 519-528; XVII, pp.
185-199. These summaries of the recommendations of the Commission
(191 2 and 1914 Reports) have been generously contributed by Mr. Tedder,
whose interest in every branch of archive economy is inexhaustible.
4 See 1 91 9 Rep. and below, Parts II and III {passim).
s Apart from the Acts relating to Registration, and the special pro
visions made in the Municipal Corporations Acts of 1 882-1 883 and Local
Government Acts of 1888 and 1894, for the custody of town and parish
records, there has been no definite legislation for the security of Local
Records generally. Moreover, with the exception of outlying Judicial and
Departmental Records, they were excluded from the scope of the Public
Record Office Act of 1838, though they have benefited, unofficially, by
the procedure instituted under the Acts of 1877 and 1898. The existing
measures for their preservation and the further measures that may be
desirable are referred to in the Reports of the 1902 Committee and in the
Reports of the recent Royal Commission.

xxviii INTRODUCTION
many collections of ancient muniments have been pillaged
with impunity by local antiquaries, and a still larger pro
portion of later papers has been wilfully destroyed or
allowed to perish from neglect. One explanation of these
losses is, that however inadequate the accommodation
provided for the Public Records may have been, that of
the Local Records has been infinitely worse. At the
same time there are reasons for believing that the losses
incurred in respect of the latter are of longer standing.
We have seen that the repositories of the State Archives
underwent little change down to the 19th century, and
that the greatest destruction of the records has taken
place since that date. On the other hand, the custody of
county, town, and parish records has been precarious
from the first, and has depended largely on the personality
of their custodians. The same remark applies to the
records of statutory authorities in the personal custody
of the clerk to a local board ; while the records of statu
tory Registries have fared little better unless they have
been established under a modern statute. The ecclesias
tical records have had the great advantage of being
preserved in repositories which were usually situated in
the church itself; but, on the other hand, they have
suffered from the great spoliation of the Reformation
period, and the higher clergy, as a body, have taken little
interest in their preservation down to recent times.1
The Registers have been relatively better preserved than
any other parochial records, because their safety has
been an object of solicitude to the clergy and laity at
large. In contrast to this survival, church-wardens'
accounts, which contain still more interesting materials
for parochial history, have mostly perished with rate-
' This may be inferred from the fact that more than half the Bishops %l
and Archdeacons failed to answer the inquiries addressed to them by the
Local Records Committee of 1899.

INTRODUCTION xxix
books and other early records, in the custody of parish
officers. In the case of the two remaining classes of Local
Records, namely muniments and manuscript collections
of corporate bodies or public institutions and of private
individuals, there has been a constant wastage through fire
or damp and from the dispersion of many documents by
sale or otherwise. At the same time many local collec
tions have been largely augmented by gifts or purchases,
and this re-distribution has hitherto tended to preserve
our Local Records, as well as to make them more ac
cessible to students. There is, however, a growing
danger of the expatriation of national manuscripts
through their sale to foreign collectors or institutions,
especially in the case of State Papers or other Public
Records which have been improperly removed from
official custody by Ministers of State.
Unfortunately, the gravity of this danger is obscured
by the growing tendency to regard alien antiquities and
works of art as national treasures of supreme importance.
At the same time the existing traffic in ancient monu
ments or old masters cannot justify the exploitation of
National Archives which, unlike pictures or literary MSS.,
are unique and essential records of the history of the
race itself. For this reason it is very desirable that the
disposal of documents which are, or ought to be, for all
time the property of the Crown should be made the sub
ject of legislative enactments by international agreement.1
(c) Bibliography of the Archives. — This is not the place
in which even the outlines of an ideal policy for the
custody and administration of the English Archives can
be usefully set forth. Before such a policy is shaped, it
would be necessary to make a careful survey of the
1 As to this see 1919 Rep., Appx., p. 37 ; Y Cymmrodor, Vol. XXVII,
pp. 220, 228 sq., and Transactions, R. Hist. Soc, Ser. IV, Vol. II, pp. 42-49.

XXX INTRODUCTION
printed literature of the subject and to utilize the scien
tific methods and ripe experience of foreign archivists.
For the present purpose, however, reference may be
made, in the first place, to the Reports of the Royal
Commission on Public Records, prepared between 1910
and 1919, with Conclusions and Recommendations cover
ing almost every aspect of the subject. No other general
source of information can be compared with this ; but
it is desirable to peruse the results of previous official
inquiries, particularly the official Reports on the ad
ministration of the Public and Local Records issued from
the reign of Queen Anne onwards.1 The critical or con
troversial literature of the archives is also concerned with
these Reports and is remarkably instructive, though it is
chiefly in the form of periodical publications.2 There are
also many didactic works in the form of " Handbooks "
or " Guides " to the Public Records,3 which are not all of
first-rate importance, besides official Lists, Indexes, Cata
logues, Calendars, and textual publications. As to these
last, it should be noted that official activities, which have
necessarily been dependent on Treasury grants, are
supplemented by many private enterprises, especially
under the auspices of the learned societies.4 It will
*e.g. 1719, 1732, 1772, 1800, 1836, 1837, 1902, and 1908. The growth
of the archives as well as their administration is described in the Annual
Reports of the Deputy Keeper of the Public Records ; also by Prof. Firth
in 191 2 Rep., Appx. II. For Local Records, see below, pp. 112 sq.
2 e.g. Quarterly Review, Jan., 1910 ; Apr., 1917 : Edinburgh Review,
Oct., 1914: Contemporary Review, May, 1916 ; June, 1918; Oct. 1919 :
Athenaum, 7th Jan., 23rd Dec, 1905 ; 28th Dec, 1907 ; 3rd Oct., 1912 ;
19th Sept., 1914 : History, July, 1918 : cf. Gross, Sources, pp. 83-85.
3F. S. Thomas, Handbook (1853), and "History of Public Depart
ments" (1846); S. R. Scargill-Bird, Guide (3rd ed., 1908); C. M.
Andrews, Guide (1908-1914) ; Andrews and Davenport, Guide to Minor
London Archives (1908) ; H. Hall, Studies (I9o8) ; and Formula Book
(1 908- 1 909); Encyclopedia Brit., s.v. "Records".
4 For a list of such Societies, see H. Hall, Bibliography of Mediaval '
Economic History, p. 273 sq.

INTRODUCTION XXX1
therefore be found that these descriptions of the archives,
and the texts of particular series or of individual records,
are characterized by distinctive editorial methods,1 and
are associated with diverse undertakings;2 but much
valuable matter has been published in the proceedings
of "Academies" or in " Periodical Publications," as well
as in the Reports of the Deputy Keeper and of the
Record Commissioners.
The references that have been made to Public and
Local Records in various modern works are not very
helpful to the student of archives, partly because of the
difficulty of identification. Nevertheless, they include
some interesting observations, with occasional descrip
tions of documents that are no longer available.
The chief features of this record literature have been
commented on in several of the reviews above referred
to, and they have been critically examined in the recent
Reports of the Public Records Commission.3 The general
impression conveyed by these accounts and confirmed by
a perusal of official catalogues and inventories, is that,
while there was an enormous expenditure on the pre
paration or publication of printed texts, calendars, and
lists of the Records during the greater part of the nine
teenth century, we have very little to show for it at the
present date.
The hieroglyphic texts and pedantic indexes of the
old Record Commission may be dismissed from serious
consideration ; indeed its expenditure of some hundreds
1 Some are printed in " record type " ; others are partly or wholly
extended ; but many versions or abstracts appear in English, as well as
extracts from the original documents.
2 e.g. Collections, published by the Record Commission (1800-1837),
the Public Record Office, central learned societies (Pipe Roll Society,
Selden Society, etc.), local societies (Record Series), cf. C. Gross, Sources
and Literature, ch. ix. and Appendices.
3 See especially Prof. Firth's Memoranda in the Appendices (1912
Rep., Appx. VI, and 1914 Rep., Appx. VII) as to official publications.

xxxil INTRODUCTION
of thousands of pounds had been regarded as practically
a dead loss by the reformers of .1836. Nearly as much
more was expended on the publications of the "Rolls
Series," which only included half-a-dozen records among
a hundred manuscript sources.1 The publications of the
Public Record Office itself, from 1857 onwards, include a
few texts and separate lists, with a long series of Calendars
of Mediaeval and Modern State Papers. The latter are
admirable helps to historical study, but they do not cover
the whole period of English History since Magna Carta,
and they deal with only a few classes of the Public
Records. As for the Lists, published since 1840 in the
Deputy Keeper's Reports and continued since 1891 as a
separate series, they can only be regarded as temporary
and provisional inventories of the archives.
The above-mentioned texts and calendars were under
taken to meet the immediate need of students for historical
sources in an intelligible form, and the occasional and
fragmentary lists, for which alone time and money
were available, served the purposes of officials and
record agents. In these days, however, the conditions
of historical research have greatly changed and the pro
vision of adequate lists has become the first, if not the
chief, need of students. It may be hoped that when
this fact is recognized, and when application is duly
made, lists will be provided on the scholarly lines that
have been followed in the making of the Public Record
Office Calendars2 since 1890.
Next to adequate inventories of the records, a biblio
graphy of record literature is perhaps most urgently
required. For the mediaeval period, and for municipal
xcf. 1912 Rep., Appx. VI, No. 2.
2 The desiderata for a List of Records have been briefly stated by the
Royal Commission (1912 and 1914 Reports), and with more detail in the
Athenaum, 6th Aug. and ist Oct., 1910.

INTRODUCTION xxxiii
history generally, the bibliographies of Charles Gross
are valuable, though a new edition of his Municipal
Bibliography is needed. The subject of archives is still
more fully dealt with in a Bibliography of Mediceval
Economic History by the cojnpilers of the present work.1
A select list of works dealing with ecclesiastical
records would be at least of equal value ; but for general
use the select lists published in the " Political History
of England " and in the " Cambridge Modern History,"
are very serviceable. There are good reasons for
believing, however, that the subject of archives will
be still more fully treated in the forthcoming "Biblio
graphy of British Modern History," and that Mr. and
Mrs. Sidney Webb will make further progress with their
monumental History of English Local Government, largely
based on Local Records.
Finally, there is obvious need of an up-to-date list
of the record publications, issued from time to time by
the Stationery Office.2 Indeed, a critical Bibliography
might also furnish an argument for a revision of the
present system of publication.
1 Ed. H. Hall, 1914 ; cf. Studies, pp. 101 sq., and M. F. Moore
" Two Bibliographies," etc. The results of some very valuable researches
have been published or described in recent years by Messrs. C. G. Crump,.
C. Johnson, and C. H. Jenkinson of the Public Record Office, and, since
this Introduction was written, an invaluable series of " Helps for Students;
of History" is being edited by Mr. Johnson and Prof. Whitney (S.P.C.K.)..
During recent years the study of records as historical sources has been
cultivated in the History Schools of our Universities by several well-known
teachers, notably by Professors Firth, Tout, Pollard, and Hearnshaw.
Reference should also be made to valuable researches for the elucidation
of the original sources for the National History of Language, Literature,
and Science by many able scholars.
3cf. 1912 Rep., Appx. VI.

APPENDIX TO THE INTRODUCTION.
THE ROYAL COMMISSION OF 1910 AND SUBSEQUENT
PROCEEDINGS ON BEHALF OF THE PRESERVA
TION OF PUBLIC AND LOCAL RECORDS IN
ENGLAND AND WALES ; BY HENRY R. TEDDER,
F.S.A., Hon. Treasurer of the Royal Historical Society.

After the completion and signature of the Third
and final Report of the Royal Commission on Public
Records in April, 1918, a Records Committee was ap
pointed by the Council of the Royal Historical Society
for the purpose of furthering the recommendations of the
Commission and also of taking any necessary steps to
wards the preservation of Public and Local Records in
this country. In pursuance of these objects a Memorial,
drawn up by the Committee and signed by many dis
tinguished scholars, was presented to the Prime Minister
on June 30th, 1920, calling attention to the fact that
"The Public Records are not merely of historical value
or antiquarian interest : they are the authentic sources
of the Nation's History in every period, and they are
also indispensable for the dispatch of current business,
while they furnish ancient precedents of great importance
for the public interests. It is not surprising, therefore,
that these archives have been carefully preserved in
every civilized country as legal evidences of' the rights
or duties of the nation and as the most precious of its
historic treasures." The inadequate custody and im-.
perfect arrangement and description of many of the'

APPENDIX TO THE INTRODUCTION xxxv
records of a public nature revealed l in the Reports of
the Royal Commission on Public Records (1912-1919)
and the Departmental Committee oh Local Records
(1902) "justify the complaint of historical scholars that
the condition of our national archives is unsatisfactory
and even discreditable in view of the importance of the
matter and the good example set therein by other
nations. The conclusions and recommendations of the
Royal Commission of 1910 have been generally approved
by public and learned opinion in this and other countries.
They are based on the personal investigations of the Com
missioners, assisted by expert information, and they con
stitute a strong indictment of our casual and antiquated
methods." France is the mother country of the science of records
as well as that of librarianship. An important article in
The Times Literary Supplement of July 1, 1920, on "The
Care of National Records " points out that one of the
many valuable administrative acts of the Revolutionary
Government in France after the events of 1789 was to
adopt measures for securing the safety of documents
belonging to confiscated civil and ecclesiastical establish
ments. From that date the administration of the French
archives has served as a model for almost every country
in Europe except our own. The general principle was
to foster the establishment of local repositories under
the care of competent archivists. A system of excessive
centralization was subsequently adopted in this country :
it would be found that the general tendency of the recent
1 The criticisms of the Commission were chiefly directed towards the
reform of the Departmental and Local Archives and were obviously
intended to assist the efforts of the Record Office authorities in this-
direction. In the First Report it is stated that " during the last twenty
years much useful work has been accomplished in the arrangement of the
Records and the issue of Calendars and other official publications by the
present Deputy Keeper and his staff" (p. 48).

XXXV 1 APPENDIX TO THE INTRODUCTION
Commission is to favour the French method of de
centralization. The Times points out that " during the
reign of Queen Victoria, hundreds of tons of Public
Records, most of them of early date, were destroyed.
. . . Numberless departmental records were thus dis
posed of down to 1877, when a statutory procedure was
established by another Act. This, however, was only
permissive, and the Reports of the recent Royal Com
mission suggest that records have been largely destroyed
at the discretion of their official custodians. . . . For any
thing that we know to the contrary this unauthorized
destruction may still continue; and certainly many
opportunities were' furnished by the turmoil or by the
economies of the war as well as by the confused process
of demobilization and reconstruction which followed the
armistice . . . The Reports of the Commission have re
vealed the existence of a surprising quantity of historical
documents in unexpected places. Some of them were
found in the lobbies of Government offices, others in the
towers and vestries of Cathedral and Parish churches or
in the so-called strong-rooms of various local authorities.
Thousands more, however, still occupy a precarious posi
tion in the store sheds of naval or military arsenals,
in hired chambers or lumber rooms, and in the private
offices of a hierarchy of legal custodians." While there
is a serious risk of the total loss of many historical
documents, the condition of all of them must inevitably
deteriorate unless proper attention is paid to them and the
administrative system which is chiefly responsible for
these losses remains unreformed.
In 1800 the report of a select Committee of the House
of Commons was responsible for the appointment of a
Royal Commission which began to exercise some of the
duties of administration. The efforts of that Commission
were, however, chiefly limited to the publication of

APPENDIX TO THE INTRODUCTION XXXVU
a number of costly volumes, and its methods were
strongly condemned by another Select Committee in
1836. The Commission was then superseded by the
Public Records Act of 1838 and the Public Records were
placed under the Master of the Rolls. In 1910 various
reasons for discontent led to the appointment of another
Royal Commission,1 the terms of whose reference were
very wide. Report was to be made : —
(1) As to the working of the Public Records Acts.
(2) As to all arrangements now in operation for the
collection, control, custody, preservation from decay or
injury, classification, description, cataloguing, indexing,
calendaring, publishing, making accessible and disposing
of the Public Records of England and Wales.
(3) As to the Record Publications (texts, calendars,
reports and lists) since the year 1838, illustrating the
national history of England, Scotland, Ireland and
Wales. (4) As to the custody of Local Records of a public
nature. (5) As to the Record Office establishment and the
training of archivists.
The Commission has presented to Parliament three
Reports of a -very elaborate and comprehensive nature
containing in Appendices an immense amount of carefully
tabulated information which throws much light upon the
nature and use of the existing Public and Local Records
of England and Wales. The First Report (19 12) dealt
with the Public Record Office : the Second Report (19 14)
with the papers of Government Departments, and the
Third Report (19 19) with Local Records of all kinds.
] The Chairman of the Commission was the Rt. Hon. Sir F. Pollock,
Bt. The other members were Sir E. Vincent Evans, Prof. C. H. Firth, Dr.
M. R. James, Sir F. G. Kenyon, K.C.B., Sir Sidney Lee, Dr. Henry
Owen, Mr. H. R. Tedder, and Mr. W. LI. Williams, K.C. The Secretary
was Mr. Hubert Hall.

xxxviii APPENDIX TO THE INTRODUCTION
The working of the Public Record Office Acts had not
been submitted to any independent expert opinion since
the passing of the principal act in 1838. There is reason
to fear that many Public Records which might have been
useful to historians and students have been destroyed.
In the First Report (191 2) many suggestions were
made for the improvement of the methods and organiza
tion of the Public Record Office. Among them were re
commendations that the Search Rooms should be opened
to the public up to 5 o'clock each week day including
Saturdays, and that there should be a revision of the
existing rules for the disposal of valueless documents.
It was urged that not only should the Deputy Keeper
be restored to his proper function as chief archivist but
that the Master of the Rolls at the first convenient
opportunity should be relieved of his merely titular
headship of the Record Office. The government of the
Record Office should be transferred to a permanent
Commission, following Continental practice, and a per
manent Board of Historical Scholars should be appointed
to direct the publication of calendars and other historical
materials.1 The "Rolls Series" of "Chronicles and
Memorials " should be continued, and the planning and
supervision of this series should be entrusted to the same
body. The Commission proposed the retransfer of the Public
Records formerly preserved in the Principality to a
Record Office in Wales.
The necessity of establishing in this country some
organization akin to the Ecole des Chartes in Paris,
possibly in association with the Public Record Office,
was strongly felt. It was clear that the proper manage-
1 A step towards the establishment of a permanent Board has been
the creation of an Advisory Committee by the late Lord Cozens Hardy
when Master of the Rolls.

APPENDIX TO THE INTRODUCTION xxxix
ment of Municipal and Local Records must involve the
services of a number of technically trained archivists.
The Second Report (191 4) dealt with the Public
Records now preserved in various Courts, Registries,
Law Establishments and Public Government Offices and
in several branches of outlying repositories thereof.
One important proposal was that Departmental Records
should be open to inspection when they have reached a
certain age, without any exception.
1 The Commission also recommended; that the Records
and State Papers deposited by departments in the Public
Record Office should be accessible under the usual con
ditions, and that documents of a public nature in need of
better custody should be transmitted to the most suitable
repository in each case. The Literary Search Depart
ment of the principal Probate Registry at Somerset
House should be under the control of the permanent
Commission suggested for the administration of the
Public Records.
Among other special Recommendations of this Report
were the following : —
Lists of Departmental Records to be published and
certain departmental publications prepared.
Future transmissions of Departmental Records to the
Public Record Office to be limited to documents avail
able for public inspection.
All outstanding Judicial Records to be under the con
trol of the Master of the Rolls for the purposes of the
Public Record Office Acts of 1877 and 1898.
The custody, arrangement, and description of official
documents, not transferred to the Public Record Office
to be entrusted, in all cases, to trained record keepers,
with an adequate staff of skilled subordinates, and

xl APPENDIX TO THE INTRODUCTION
these repositories to be periodically inspected by the
Public Record Office.
The national archives to be reorganized on the lines
followed by other countries, namely, by establishing De
partmental and District Record Offices as branch re
positories under the supervision of the Permanent Com
mission already recommended for the government of the
Public Record Office.
The Third and final Report (19 19) dealt with local
archives (including the out-lying Public Records of the
Courts of Justice and Government Departments), County
Records, Town Records, Parochial Records, Ecclesias
tical Records and Records of Statutory Authorities and
Public Institutions, War Committees, etc. More than
200 of these collections in England and Wales were
personally inspected by members of the Commission.
Other collections of Judicial or Official Records in several
parts of the Kingdom had already been inspected in the
course of the preparation of the First and Second Reports.
Members of the Commission also visited (in 191 1 and
1912) many archive establishments in France, Belgium
and Holland and obtained interesting information with
regard to the custody of Local Records in the Channel
Islands and Dominions and Colonies. Throughout the
inquiry important communications were received from
learned societies, local authorities, record agents and
persons engaged in historical, antiquarian or genea
logical studies, as well as much valuable information from
Clerks of the Peace and County Councils, Town Clerks,
Chapter Clerks, Archdeacons and others. Some general
legislation is necessary to secure the local records. Local
offices should be established for their preservation and
no Local Records of a public nature should be destroyed
or disposed of except in accordance with the method
provided for in the Acts. Most of the existing evils of

APPENDIX TO THE INTRODUCTION xli
our custody of Local Records arise from the lack of
adequate buildings and trained custodians. To remedy
these conditions, suitable local centres might be estab
lished through the co-operation of the various local
authorities. Such an arrangement would be more con
venient to students, especially to those at provincial
Tiniversities, than wholesale transfers to London. The
cost of providing a common local repository should be
within the means of the authorities, judging from the
provision that is made for archive establishments abroad.
These repositories might be under the supervision of the
Public Record Office and should be periodically inspected
by the Record Officers. The statutory powers of the
Master of the Rolls should be enlarged, as far as may be
necessary for this purpose.
The desirability of the early establishment of a Record
Office in Wales has already been mentioned. The Com
missioners were of the opinion that in Wales more than
in any other part of the United Kingdom the Local Re
cords had perished through actual neglect or through
some lapse of proper custody, having come into the
possession of private persons, such as the solicitors,
agents, or other representatives of lords of manors.
The War has led to the accumulation of bewildering
masses of records, accounts and papers, not to be
counted and scarcely to be calculated even in figures of
thousands of tons. Even after wholesale weeding, they
would probably exceed in bulk all the records at present
in the charge and custody of the Master of the Rolls.
Many of these papers are of merely temporary interest
but much remains of great future value, not only as
sources for military and naval history but also as evi
dence of the social and economic condition of the Nation
during the War.
In view of the present inadequate custody and the

xlii APPENDIX TO THE INTRODUCTION
historical importance of Departmental Records relating:
to the War, and the increasing difficulty of transferring
Departmental Records of comparatively recent date to
the Public Record Office, it was proposed that the old
State Paper Office should be revived in the form of a
special repository for all such Records since 22nd
January, 1901 ; that it be specially constructed and
equipped, and that it be situated in close proximity to
the Imperial War Museum which should contain a special
room for the study of records relating to the War.
Historians, students and high educational authorities
are alive to the importance of this subject. The Uni
versity of London is at the present moment endeavouring
to establish in London a centre for Advanced Historical
Studies and in an appeal for funds states that "Our
marvellous National Archives, the full wealth of which
has lately been emphasized by the labours of the Royal
Commission on the Public Records, remain too little -
studied even by Englishmen ".
The substance of the foregoing Note was included in
a paper submitted by the writer at the Annual Meeting
of the Library Association held at Norwich on 8th
September, 1920, when the following resolution was
carried unanimously, viz. : " That in view of the findings
of the Royal Commission as to the state of the Public
and Local Records of England and Wales, His Majesty's
Government should take steps to give effect, at an early
date, to the Recommendations of the Royal Commission
which are still practicable ".
Subsequently, on 30th September, 1920, a Conference
was held at King's College, Strand, summoned at the
request of the British Editorial Board for the Economic
History and Survey of the War Period, under the
auspices of the British Academy. A large number of
historians, archivists and others interested in records

APPENDIX TO THE INTRODUCTION xliii
attended. The following resolution was carried unani
mously, viz. : " In the opinion of the Conference it is
necessary that Local Records relating to the War period
and other records, not the property of the Crown, relat
ing to the same period, should be examined with a view
to selection for preservation ; that such documents as
are to be preserved should be duly catalogued on a uni
form plan by local societies or representative local
committees ; and that a Committee be appointed to con
sider the questions arising from the present Conference
and to take such steps as may be deemed necessary for
giving effect to this Resolution ". A Committee was then
nominated, and held a preliminary meeting.

KEY TO THE PRINCIPAL ABBREVIATIONS
USED IN THE PRESENT WORK.
{a) PUBLIC RECORDS.*
P.B.O. —Chancery, Petty Bag Office.
R.C.O. — „ Rolls Chapel Office;
S.C1.0. — „ Six Clerks' Office.
Cr.O. — „ Crown Office.
Exch. of Pleas — Exchequer of Pleas.
K.R. — „ King's Remembrancer's Side.
L.T.R. — „ Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer's Side
E.R. — „ of Receipt.
T.R. — „ Treasury of Receipt.
A.O. — Augmentation Office.
~ F.F. and T. —First Fruits and Tenths Office.
L.R.D. — Land Revenue Department.
K.B. — King's Bench.
Cr. Sde. — „ „ Crown Side.
PI. Sde. — „ „ Pleas Side.
C.P. — Common Pleas.
D. of L. — Duchy of Lancaster.
State Papers : —
S.P. Dom. — State Papers Domestic.
S.P. For. — State Papers Foreign.
H.O. — Home Office.
F.O. — Foreign Office.
CO. — Colonial Office.
W.O. —War Office.
B.T. —Board of Trade.
P.R.O. —Public Record Office.
1 The names of sovereigns are represented in regnal dates by initial
letters. xlv

xlvi KEY TO THE PRINCIPAL ABBREVIATIONS
{b) PRINTED WORKS.
The frequent references to the lengthy titles of the First, Second,
and Third Reports of the Royal Commission on Public Records (1910-
1919) and other Reports, as well as to the several Hand-books, "Guides"
to the Records, etc., have necessitated the following short titles. It
should be added that in the Section on Local Archives (pp. 174-254) the
page references to the above Reports are in nearly all cases to the
respective Appendices. Short titles have been used, as far as possible
in references to other authorities. The titles of local periodicals, when
abbreviated, can be ascertained from a preceding reference. See also
Appendix C below.
1800 Report — Reports of the Select Committee on the Public Records.
(1799-1800), (Parliamentary Papers, Vol. XV).
1835 „ — Reports of the Royal Commission on Municipal Corpora
tions. (1835-1839.)
'837 „ — General Report of the Royal Commission on Public
Records. (1800- 1837.)
1880 „ —Report of the Royal Commission on Municipal Corpora
tions. (1876-1880.)
1902 „ — Report of the Local Records Committee. (1899-1901.)
191 2 „ — First Report of the Royal Commission on Public Records.
(1910-1919), (Vol. I, Parts I-III).
1914 „ — Second Report of the Royal Commission on Public Records.
(1910-1919), (Vol. II., Parts I-III).
x9'9 )i — Third Report of the Royal Commission on Public Records.
(1910-1919), (Vol. Ill, Parts I-III).
D.K. „ — Annual Reports of the Deputy Keeper of the Public
Records. (1840, etc).
H.M.C. —Reports of the Historical Manuscripts Commission. (1870,
etc.)
V.C.H. — The Victoria County History. (1900, etc.)
N. and Q. — Notes and Queries. (1850, etc.)
{c) LOCAL AUTHORITIES.
T.C. —Town Clerk.
R.D.C.— Rural District Council.
U.D.C.— Urban District Council.
P.C. —Parish Council.
T.T. —Town Trust.

CONTENTS. PAGE
Preface  v
Introduction  ix
Appendix to Introduction  xxxiv
Key to the Principal Abbreviations used in the Present
Work  xlv
PART I.— CLASSIFIED LIST OF PUBLIC RECORDS i
I. DIPLOMATIC DOCUMENTS  I
i. Instruments under the Great Seal .... 2
Royal Charters and Confirmations ...... 3
Writs and Letters  3
Writs (and Returns) ........ 5
Letters Patent ......... 6
Letters Close . . . . . . . . 7
Composite Collections ........ 8
Conventional Instruments under the Great Seal . . .11
Commissions ........ 12, 14
Leases and Indentures  12, 15
Patents and Specifications of Inventions . . . 13, 15
Treaties and Treaty Papers  13, 16
Proclamations . . . . . . . . 14, 16
Documents (Unsealed), Subsidiary or Incidental to Instru
ments under the Great Seal  16
Subsidiary Documents  16
Drafts  . . .17
Memoranda, Notes, Abstracts, etc. . . . . .17
Docquets  18
Formula Books  18
Precedent Books  18
xlvii

xlviii

CONTENTS

PAGE
Incidental Documents  19.
Petitions  19
Certificates  19-
Accounts  19

2. Instruments under the Smaller Seals and Sign Manual 2o>

Writs and Letters for Administrative Purposes
Warrants for the Great Seal .
Subsidiary Documents ....
Privy Seal, Writs, Letters, and Bills
Signet Letters and Bills ....
Sign Manual Warrants and Signed Bills

20
21 21
2223. 24

Instruments under the Seals of the Palatinate Courts
and Special Jurisdictions  26*
Records of Palatine Jurisdictions  26
Principality of Wales (Courts of Great Sessions) ... 27
Duchy of Cornwall  27
Duchy of Lancaster  27
Palatinate of Lancaster ....... 28
Palatinate of Durham  28
County Palatine of Chester ....... 28
Honour of Peveril  29

Records of Courts of Special Jurisdiction

n

High Court of Admiralty  29
High Court of Delegates  30
Court of Requests ........ 30
Court of Star Chamber  30
Court of Wards and Liveries  30
Court of Augmentations and Court of General Surveyors . 30
Court of First Fruits and Tenths  30

4. Instruments under Private Seals Inrolled or
posited in Archives ...

De-

Originals (amongst Judicial Records and State Papers)
Inrolments (chiefly in Judicial Records) .

3' 3233

CONTENTS xlix
PAGE
,5. Departmental Instruments  33
Instruments Issued by Officers of the King's Household . . 35
Instruments Issued by Local Administrative Officers . . 35
Instruments Issued by Official Departments (Secretaries of State
and other Public Offices)  37
6. Official Correspondence and Private Correspondence
Deposited in Archives  38
Mediaeval Series ......... 40
Royal Letters ......... 40
Departmental Correspondence  41
Private Correspondence (deposited)  41
Modern Series  41
Royal Letters  41
Secretarial Correspondence . . . . . . .42
Departmental Correspondence  43
Documents Subsidiary to Secretarial and Departmental
Correspondence  43
Archives and Documents transmitted or deposited amongst
the Secretarial, Departmental, and Judicial Records . 43
II. ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEEDINGS .... 45
1. Accounts  45
Judicial Records  46
State Papers  48
Departmental Records  48
2. Surveys  5°
Judicial Records  5 '
State Papers  53
Departmental Records  53
3. Nominal Lists  54
Classified List of Persons  $6
Classified List of Records  57
Judicial Records  57
State Papers  62
Departmental Records  62
d

1 CONTENTS PAGE
III. JUDICIAL PROCEEDINGS  65
1. Records of Courts of Last Resort  67
House of Lords  67
Privy Council  68
High Court of Delegates  68
Court of Appeal (Supreme Court of Judicature) ... 68
High Court of Justice (King's Bench)  68
Court of Criminal Appeal  68
2. Central Courts of Common Law and Equity ... 68
The King's Court 
King's Bench  69
Common Pleas  69
Justices in Eyre, etc. ....... 69
The Chancery  70
Proceedings in Equity .......
Proceedings on the Common Law Side ....
The Exchequer ......... 73
3. Records of Ordinary Courts of Local Jurisdiction . 74
4. Records of Palatinate and Seignorial Franchizes 76, 79
Principality of Wales  76
Duchy of Cornwall  77
County Palatine of Chester  77
Duchy of Lancaster  77
Palatinate of Lancaster ....... 78
Palatinate of Durham  78
5. Records of Courts of Civil and Canon Law ... 80
High Court of Admiralty  80
High Court of Delegates  80
Ecclesiastical Courts  gi
6. Records of Special Jurisdictions . . . . .82
Household Courts ...... 82
Palace Courts •••..... 82 87
Court of Chivalry ...... 83 87
Court of Claims  83 87

CONTENTS

li

PAGE
Courts Martial  84, 87

Statutory Courts
Court of Requests
Court of Star Chamber

. . 85
85, 87
85, 87
Court of Wards and Liveries
85, 87
Court of Augmentations
Court of General Surveyors
Court of First Fruits and Tenths
85, 87
86, 87
86, 87
Court of High Commission .
Council of the North .
86
. 87
Council of Wales and the Marches
. . 87
IV. MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS IN CENTRAL ARCHIVES 88
PART 1 1.— SURVEY OF LOCAL RECORDS . 93
I. Records of Public Offices in Local Repositories . 93
Descriptive Note  93
Classification of the Records  95
II. Archives of Statutory Authorities and Trusts . 97
Historical Note  97
Select List of Statutory Authorities, etc  103
Description of the Archives . . . . . . .105
III. County Records  108
Historical Note  108
Description of the Records . . . . . . 1 13
Classified List of County Records  115
IV. Town Records  116
Historical Note  116
Description of the Records  119
Classified List of Town Records  124
V. Parish Records  126
Historical and Descriptive Note  126
Distribution of the Records  128
List of Parish Officers  131
Classified List of Parish Records  131
Hi

CONTENTS

PAGE
VI. Church Records  134
Historical Note  134
Description and Distribution of the Records . . . 135
Classified List of Ecclesiastical Records . . . .141
VII. Muniments and Collections of Literary Institutions,
Learned Societies, Academic, Professional and Trading
Corporations, and Private Individuals .
Historical and Descriptive Note . ...
Classified List of Semi-Public and Private Archives
Distribution of the Muniments of Institutions, Corporations,
and Private Individuals 
PART III.— DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
1. Central Archives
Public Records .
Semi-Public Records
2. Local Archives
Bedfordshire Berkshire .
BuckinghamshireCambridgeshire
Cheshire Cornwall .
CumberlandDerbyshire Devonshire
DorsetshireDurham
EssexGloucestershireHampshireHerefordshireHertfordshireH untingdonshi re
Kent .
Lancashire .
Leicestershire Lincolnshire

CONTENTS Hit
PAGE
London . . . . . . , .213
Middlesex  220
Norfolk  221
Northamptonshire  223
Northumberland  226
Nottinghamshire  228
Oxfordshire . . . . . . . . .230
Rutland .......... 232
Shropshire .......... 233
Somerset .......... 235
Staffordshire .  237
Suffolk  239
Surrey  241
Sussex . . . . . . . . . . 243
Warwickshire ......... 245
Westmoreland  247
Wiltshire  248
Worcestershire  249
Yorkshire  251
Appendix A. Summary List of English Archives . . .255,
Appendix B. List of Statutory and Reputed Boroughs . .257
Appendix C. Bibliographical Note  261
Index  263,

PART I
A SELECT
CLASSIFIED LIST OF PUBLIC
RECORDS

PART I.
A SELECT
CLASSIFIED LIST OF PUBLIC
RECORDS.

I. DIPLOMATIC DOCUMENTS.
This Section includes instruments, such as Charters,
Deeds, Writs, Letters, Treaties, etc., under Seal or
Sign Manual, together with drafts, memoranda, or other
documents subsidiary thereto. Among the documents
of this nature now preserved in the Public Record Office
are many private instruments which were placed in
the Royal Treasury or other repository at various dates.
On the other hand, many official instruments have been
diverted or removed from the State Archives, and are
now preserved in private collections. It may be noticed
that the original documents in official custody have been,
for the most part, received from individual litigants or
correspondents, whilst the rolls, files, or books are
mostly of official origin. The earlier Diplomatic Docu
ments are chiefly found in the Chancery and Exchequer,
whilst the later Letters and State Papers are derived
from the Secretariat and other Departments of State.
Nearly all the above types are to be found in the
Public Record Office down to a comparatively modern
date, but documents of various dates are preserved in
B

2 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
certain Departmental repositories where they are usually
inaccessible to students.1
i. Instruments under the Great Seal and Cognate
or Subsidiary Documents.2
These documents are not brought together in the
various hand-books to the Public Records. The originals
are mixed with instruments under the smaller Royal
Seals, and with private Deeds, whilst copies enrolled or
entered in books will be found scattered amongst the
Records of the several Courts. Although the inrolments
are far more convenient for reference, the original instru
ments under Seal will occasionally prove valuable, and
in a few cases they are even unique.3 The historical
interest of the whole group is well known.
In the following list it will be seen that, besides the
important classes of Charters and Letters Patent or
Close, mention is made of a number of subsidiary and
irregular instruments which are described in the official,
Guide. Although the curial seals of the Exchequer, King's
Bench, and Common Pleas differ in design from the
Great Seal of the Royal Chancery, they have been in
cluded here.4 Instruments under the Great or " Double "
Seals of the Palatine Courts and the processes of certain
curial departments or local jurisdictions are described1
below (I. (3)).
1 See below, p. 161 sq., and Appendix A. These documents will pre
sumably be transferred to the Record Office in due course.
2 Excluding the Departmental or Provincial Seals mentioned below
(pp. 26-30). For the nature and use of the Great Seal, see Hall, Studies,
pp. 215-228. 3 See Formula Book, Part I {passim). It may be observed that
many documents not of a diplomatic nature are to be found amongst the
Chancery Enrolments ; cf. below, II (3).
4 The Seal of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, still preserved by the
King's Remembrancer, is not included here.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 3
A. Royal Charters and Confirmations.
For the purpose of the student of Historical Sources
the distinction between these diplomatic forms, which is
sometimes rather a fine one, may perhaps be disregarded.
It is certainly convenient to include both forms under
the same heading down to the beginning of the 13th
century. Similarly, as the distinction between Royal
Charters and Writs is seldom recognised, either by con
temporary or modern writers, they may be grouped to
gether with advantage during the earlier period.
Classified List of Royal Charters and Confirmations.1
A.D. 974-1516.
Originals. Duchy of Lancaster — Royal Charters (W. II — G. II).
Inrolments. Chancery— Charter Rolls (1 J.— 8 H.VIII) ; Confirmation Rolls
(1 R. Ill— C. I) ; Cartae Antiquae,' (R. I— H. III).
B. Writs and Letters.
(a) Writs {Brevia regid).
The distinction between Writs and Letters under the
Great Seal is not a very clear one. Roughly speaking,
1 A few later copies, as well as contemporary inrolments, of instru
ments having the effect of Charters and Confirmations, though in a different
diplomatic style, will be found on the Patent Rolls and other Chancery
inrolments from the 13th century onwards. Original Royal Charters
will be found scattered in other series, and these will be referred to
below (C). Others exist in official custody, but are not yet access
ible (p. 9). Many more are still preserved in private custody, and will
be referred to elsewhere. Other original Charters are noticed below
under Special Collections.
2 These ancient official transcripts must be distinguished from the
series preserved in the Augmentation Office (D.K. 4th Rept, p. 12), of
which more than 120 rolls were reported missing in 1843. As in the case
of the two preceding series, they include charters dating back to the
Anglo-Saxon period.

4 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
the former term applies to legal, and the latter to ad
ministrative documents. For administrative purposes
the most familiar type is the writ of inquiry, the returns
to which are known as " Inquisitions " of various kinds.
For judicial purposes, there were "Original" writs from
the Chancery and " Judicial " writs from the Courts of
Justice. '
An obvious difficulty arises in respect of the classifi
cation of the originating writs, and the attached returns
in the shape of Pleadings, Depositions, Accounts, and
other judicial or ministerial proceedings, which are not
always in the form of diplomatic documents.
As to the historical value and use of the , whole class
of writs, it would perhaps be found that the "writ-
charters " and " missive writs " have been in most
request. The forms of the legal writs are purely conven
tional, and they are printed in the Registrum Brevium.
At the same time their historical and technical signifi
cance must not be ignored.1
Further reference to the " writs missive " will be
made under the head of " Letters under the Great Seal,"
but certain types, such as military, fiscal, and parlia
mentary writs, are actually Writs and not Letters.
Again, other Chancery writs have a special interest in
connection with the returns which are, or were, attached
to them. The latter have been partially printed in
several well-known editions, and a study of the parent
writ is desirable in these cases.2 Some of these Returns
are noticed below under the headings " Ministerial Pro
ceedings " and " Judicial Proceedings ".
The so-called Brevia Regia et Recorda formed only a
portion of the instruments formerly to be found on the
Chancery Files, which are now under arrangement.3
1 See 1912 Report, Appendix (III), p. 164.
2 See Formula Book (Part II), v. " Inquisitions "-
3 See Scargill-Bird, op. cit. pp. 15-18.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 5
The four official series of " Inquisitions " that have
been recently distinguished are mentioned below, and
fuller information may be found in the Formula Book
(Part II), where these Writs and Returns have been
classified as Feudal, Political, or Statutory, and Judicial
Inquisitions. The titles mentioned in the official Guide and in official
Lists show that a vast collection of curial and depart
mental writs is preserved in the Public Record Office
amongst the subsidiary proceedings of the Courts of
Law.1 It may be assumed that these can be of no
practical value as they are for the most part recited in
the Pleadings, while their purport can be ascertained
from the Precedent Books above referred to. At the
same time the relationship of the subsidiary records to
the main series of pleadings is in need of further elucida
tion, and this may be furnished by the large mass of
miscellaneous records in official custody.
Classified List of Writs and Letters under the Great Seal.2
(o) Writs (and Returns).
Originals. Chancery — Brevia Regia (Tower, Rolls Chapel, and Petty Bag
Series) ; Parliamentary Writs and Military Summonses ( 1 3- 1 8 C.) ;
Inquisitions (13-17 C.) ; Miscellanea3 {passim).
Exchequer (K.R.). — Inquisitions,4 etc.
1 1912 Report (Pt. I), p. 9. Probably a great many others have
been preserved amongst the miscellaneous proceedings of the Court of
Exchequer. 2 The Tower Series is now under arrangement with the " Chancery
Files ". See also below (p. 72) under Chancery, " Common Law Pro
ceedings ".
3 This class contains many valuable records. For the several series,
see Scargill-Bird, op. cit. p. 58.
4 Many writs for Inquisitions are preserved amongst the " Lay Sub
sidies," " Serjeanties," " Escheators' Files," "Trial of the Pyx,"
"Rentals and Surveys," "Forest Proceedings," and special collections,
such as the "Hundred Rolls" (Chapter House Series), "Exchequer Pro
ceedings," etc. See below, p. 51.

6 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
Special Collections — Writs, etc., recovered from Westminster Abbey,
etc.
Inrolments. Chancery— Enrolments {passim) 1 ; Crown Office, Entry Bopks of
Writs.2
Exchequer — Miscellanea ; Memoranda Rolls {passim) ; Miscellaneous
Books {passim). Original and Judicial Writs and returns (also re
cited in records of Pleadings or in Subsidiary
Proceedings) (13-19 C).

King's Bench
Common Pleas s
Palatinate Courts4
King's Bench — Controlment Rolls (1327-*.).

(b) Letters Patent.
Before the development of the Departments of State,
the greater part of public business was carried on by
the Chancery and is recorded in its inrolments. Of these
the Patent Rolls form the most numerous and important
series which illustrates the diversified activities of the
Crown. Speaking generally, Letters Patent were used
for business of a judicial and administrative nature, but
the matters dealt with in the Patent Rolls can be grouped
more or less roughly into the entries concerned with
foreign relations, internal administration, and the estates
of the Crown. The business of internal administration
is exhibited in its widest aspect.5
The Supplementary Patent Rolls, a description of
which will be found below, were used, for reasons of
departmental convenience, to record Letters Patent of a
special and uniform nature. After the establishment of
the Civil List (1 Anne, c. 7), and the restriction on the
1 e.g. Close Rolls, Supplementary Close Rolls, Liberate Rolls, Re-
disseisin Rolls, Scutage Rolls, Foreign or Treaty Rolls.
2 See 1914 Report, App. (II), p. 205.
3 Including the Alienation Office.
4 See below, Division 3, under Palatinate Records.
6 For details, see T. D. Hardy, Introduction to Rot. Litt. Pat;
Scargill-Bird, op. cit. p. 27, and Hall, Studies, pp. 249-253.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 7
disposal of the Land Revenues of the Crown, the Patent
Rolls chiefly contain grants of offices and pensions,
creations of nobility, and Letters Patent of invention and
denization ; but the rolls had already gradually lost, from
Tudor times, the multifarious character which dis
tinguishes them during the mediaeval period.
Classified List of Letters Patent.
Originals. See below (C.).1
Inrolments. Chancery — Patent Rolls (gen. ser.) (3 J. — 3 G. V) ; Supplementary
Patent Rolls2 (4 E. I— 22 G. II) ; Bishops' Patent Rolls3
(9 G.I — 38 Vict.); Dispensation Rolls4 (37 Eliz. — 1745).
(c) Letters Close.
The Letters entered on the Close Rolls were usually
issued as royal missives to certain specified individuals.
They were therefore closed, not open like the Letters
Patent. As a general rule they contained an injunction
or command to the individual addressed to perform some
definite piece of business. They include diplomatic and
miscellaneous correspondence.
The information given in these documents is naturally
minute and detailed and is of peculiar value to the
'Original Patents of appointment for various offices will be found
amongst the Departmental Records {e.g. Admiralty, Treasury, etc.), some
of which have not yet been transferred to the Public Record Office. For
composite collections of original Letters Patent, see below (C). For
Drafts of Letters Patent, see below (D.). For Letters Patent under
Palatinate Seals, see below, p. 26.
"These include Pardons, Protections, Passes, Denizations, Com
missions, and Appointments which were formerly regarded as distinct
series of inrolments (Pardon Rolls, Protection Rolls, Denization Rolls,
Staple Rolls). See below, p. 9.
3 For Offices in an earlier period, see the general series of Rolls.
4 Enrolments by the Clerk of the Faculties of approbations of instru
ments issued by the Master of the Faculties.

8 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
student of mediaeval, constitutional, and economic his
tory.1 On the back of the Rolls are frequently entered copies
of various state papers and administrative acts, judicial
proceedings, acknowledgments of debt, private deeds,
inquisitions, partitions and assignments of land, procla
mations, orders for knighthood, and summonses to
Parliament, etc.
With the development of the organization of the
Secretariat, the various mandatory letters on diplomatic,
fiscal, military, commercial, or ecclesiastic subjects are
recorded by the Departments to which they belong,
and deeds, agreements, etc., inrolled, constitute almost
the entire contents of the latter Close Rolls.
Classified List of Letters Close.
Inrolments? Chancery — Close Rolls (1205-1903) ; Supplementary Close Rolls
(I243-I434).8
C. Composite Collections.
This sub-division has been made by us in order
to avoid the repetition of references to various series of
Chancery enrolments, which comprise more than one
kind of instrument, whilst others are inrolled or entered
in Inrolments or Precedent Books of the several Courts.
The section includes several series of instruments of
a departmental or local character. For the most part
1 For details, see Thomas, op. cit. p. 8 ; Scargill-Bird, op. cit. p. 29 j
T. D. Hardy, Description of the Close Rolls (1833); and Hall, Studies,
pp. 253-257. 2 No considerable collection of original Letters Close under Seal now
exists. 3 Including the former series of Exchange Rolls (6 Ric. II — 12 H. VI),
and Passage Rolls (E. Ill — R. II), and series of formal writs of a legal
nature. The " Surrender Rolls " should apparently be included with this
series.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 9
these are in the form of Letters Patent and Letters
Close,1 though Charters, Confirmations, Writs, and
Diplomatic Documents are also inrolled here.2 Besides
these, there are several series of inrolments which have
not usually been regarded as being in the nature either
of Letters Patent or of Letters Close. Some of these are
in the style of Letters Close,3 whilst others are compil
ations of a constitutional or departmental nature.1 The
purely judicial inrolments of Decrees and Recognizances,
which have been included in the official list of Chancery
Inrolments are omitted here and are referred to under
Judicial Proceedings. Classified List of Composite Collections.
Originals. Chancery '—Original Letters Patent6 (13-17 C.) ; Diplomatic Docu
ments7 (13-16 C).
Exchequer (A.O.)— Miscellaneous Books8 (13-16 C).
Exchequer (K.R.)— Original Letters Patent (13-18 C.).6

1 For subjects of the " Supplementary Patent Rolls," see above, p. 7,
». 2. Probably the Bishops' Patent Rolls, Dispensation Rolls, and
Surrender Rolls might also be included amongst Supplementary Patent
and Close Rolls. The Exchange Rolls are now placed amongst the latter.
a e.g. the so-called Foreign or Treaty Rolls (French, Gascon, Norman,
Almain, Roman, Scotch, Irish, Welsh), now rearranged.
* e.g. the Fine and Oblata Rolls, the Scutage Rolls, the Liberate Rolls,
and Redisseisin Rolls.
4 e.g. the Statute, Parliament, Coronation, and Extract Rolls.
5 A large and valuable collection of Royal Charters and Ancient Deeds
is known to be preserved among the Chancery Masters' Documents, now
under arrangement.
6 Some of these are cancelled, others are uncancelled. Most of these
instruments are Letters Patent. This collection has been recently dis
tributed among "Ancient Deeds" (C).
7 Including many foreign notarial instruments.
8 Royal Charters, Letters Patent and Writs mounted on guards.

IO SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
Exchequer (T. of R.) — Letters Patent (and Privy Seals) for loans
(H. VII— C. I) ; Diplomatic Documents ' (13-16 C).
Court of Wards and Liveries — Deeds, Charters and Evidences2
(E. I— C. I).
Special Collections — Ancient Deeds (12-17 C.).3
Departmental Records — Ecclesiastical Commission (various) (13-
18 C.) 4 ; Original Patents of Commissions, etc.6 (18-19 c0-
Documents deposited (in the P.R.O.) — Original Charters 6 and Mis
cellaneous Collections7 (17 C).
Inrolments. Chancery "—Foreign (or Treaty) Rolls"; Scutage Rolls10 (16 J.—
2 E. Ill) ; Redisseisin Rolls " (14 E. 1—6 E. IV) ; Liberate Rolls "
(2 J.— 14 H. VI); Fine Rolls13 (1 J.— 23 C. I); Extract Rolls
1 Including many foreign notarial instruments.
2 See also below (3).
3 Many Royal Charters will be found in this collection which is derived
from the Records of the Chancery and Exchequer.
4 Not yet transferred to the Public Record Office. See 191 4 Report,
Appendix (II), p. 32.
5 Chiefly for appointments of Boards and Officers. Some not yet
transferred to the Public Record Office.
6 e.g. Anglo-Saxon Charter, A.D. 974 (D.K. 32 Report, p. 4 sq.) and
Anglo-Norman Charter, H. II (D.K. 35 Report, p. 15). Facsimiles of
both have been published.
7 e.g. the Manchester and Shaftesbury MSS., and Venetian transcripts.
8 The ancient classification of inrolments has been considerably modi
fied in recent years, whilst the -Irish Rolls and some other individual Rolls
have been dispersed.
'For a description of the contents of these inrolments, see Public
Record Office, Lists and Indexes, xxvii (Preface).
10 Inrolments of the writs allowing Scutage to military tenants who had
performed due service.
11 Statutory writs, in a special form, for the relief of persons unlawfully
disseised a second time. Estreats of these were also entered in the
Exchequer {see " Originalia " Rolls).
12 Orders to the Exchequer to pay out monies and salary lists, etc.
13 A few Charters and many Letters Patent are inrolled here, e.g. in the
14th century, but the bulk of the instruments are Letters Close. Appoint
ments of Customers are entered here down to the 17th century (««
Bishops' Patent Rolls).

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS II
(14 H. Ill— 23 E. Ill) ; 2 Parhament Rolls '(iE. Ill— 49 Vict.) ;
Statute Rolls3 (6 E. 1—8 E. IV) ; Coronation Rolls 2 (E. II— G. V) ;
Marshalsea Rolls3 (5 E. I— 16 E. II).
Exchequer (L.T.R.)— Pipe Rolls4 (1131-1834); Originalia Rolls'
(H.III— 1851).
Exchequer (K.R. and L.T.R.)— Memoranda Rolls6 (10 R. I-s-).
Exchequer (K.R., T. of R., A.O.)— Miscellaneous Books.7
Exchequer (K.R.)— Transcripts of Charters and Deeds 8 (E. I— E. III).
Exchequer (R.)— Patent (and Privy Seal) Rolls and Books9 (1509-
1834).
Colonial Office— Board of Trade Entry Books10 (1674-1782).
D. Conventional Instruments under the Great Seal.
In this sub-division are included series of diplomatic
documents which were originally or normally in the form
of Letters Patent or Close, but which eventually assumed
a conventional character, owing to their political or econ
omic significance. In some cases (e.g. Patents of Inven
tion) even the formality of execution under the Great
1 Memoranda of Grants, etc., made by Charters and Letters Patent.
2 The early Rolls include many writs and other diplomatic documents,
but the greater part of hoth series is judicial; cf. Exchequer, "Parliament
Rolls," etc.
3 These are Departmental Memoranda in connexion with the Scutage
Rolls. 4 A few Charters are entered here specialiori modo.
5 Estreats of Charters, Fines, Writs of Redisseisin, etc.
' Letters Patent and writs are frequently inrolled here.
'Some of these are "made" collections {e.g. A.O.), others are entries
specialiori modo.
8 A suspicious collection of early Royal Charters to religious houses,
etc., temp. E. I, etc.
'Several series of Pells' and Auditors' records containing entries of
Letters Patent, etc., which were the authority for payment of fees, liveries,
etc. These were entered here specialiori modo, but this source is more
valuable in respect of instruments under the Privy Seal than under the
Great Seal.
10 See Andrews' Guide, Vol. I, p. 109. These are 1 7th century Charters.
In addition to the above instruments under the English Chancery Seal, others
can be found amongst the Palatinate and " Duchy " (Lancaster) records
(Chancery Enrolments, etc.).

12 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
Seal has been dispensed with. Instruments of this
nature are usually classified as separate collections. At
the same time, it is important to note their actual re
lationship with earlier forms of diplomatic documents.
The most noticeable types of conventional Letters
under the Great Seal are Commissions, Leases, Specifica
tions for Patent Inventions, Treaties, and Proclamations.
(a) Commissions. — These are almost the commonest
instruments found on the mediaeval Patent Rolls, but
the large majority of appointments made since the 16th
century are under Sign-Manual Warrants. This for
mality is now dispensed with in the case of most naval,
military, and civi], appointments which are authorised
by a departmental letter, and published in the London
Gazette. {b) Leases and Indentures, since the reign of Queen
Elizabeth, began to take the place of grants of Crown
Lands or forfeited estates, and they are closely connected
with the departmental supervision of the Treasury or of
the Surveyor-General of Crown Lands, represented by
the modern office of Woods, Forests, and Land Revenues.1
The procedure in the grant of a lease involves a whole
series of diplomatic documents.
Many Petitions, References, and Reports relating to
Leases will be found amongst the Papers of the Office
of H.M. Woods, etc. It is believed that copies are still
preserved at Whitehall. Some Leases were under the
Great Seal ; others were under the Exchequer Seal and
the Seal of the Court of Wards and Liveries. Since
1 82 1 Crown Leases have been procured or executed by
the Commissioners of Woods and Forests.2
Of a like nature are the Indentures entered into by
the Crown under certain business arrangements (e.g.
1 See below, p. 86.
2 Leases within the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall are preserved
in those departments.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS I J
" Indentures of War "), the counterparts executed by the
Sovereign being sealed with the Great Seal, though
drawn in the conventional form of a private concord.
(c) Patents and Specifications of Inventions. — This is
now the most familiar use of the term Patent, but the
instrument is no longer entered on the Patent Roll. In
the earliest period of such grants, namely, in the 16th
and 17th centuries, they were duly entered on the Patent
or Close Rolls. By degrees the " Specification " or
description of the Patent became of paramount im
portance, and as late as 1853 they were inrolled in
one of the Chancery Offices. Next, the Specifications
were filed instead of being inrolled, and eventually they
were printed and published.1 The files of Specifications
were formerly deposited in the Public Record Office,
but they have been re-transferred to the Patent Office.
Between 1853 and 1883 the Great Seal was affixed
to Patents for Inventions under Warrants of the Com
missioners of Patents.2 Since 1883 the Seal of the Patent
Office (now a branch of the Board of Trade) has been
substituted for the Great Seal.
(d) Treaties. — These instruments will be found in-
rolled on the Chancery Inrolments as late as the reign
of Charles II,8 and in the 13th century, especially,
they may be found in the form of Letters Patent. From
the first, however, the Treaty must be regarded as a con
vention or agreement, whilst its cosmopolitan character 4
soon led to the universal use of a notarial style. The
preparation of Treaties or Treaty Papers was the duty
of the Prothonotary's Office in Chancery down to the
1 15 & 16 Vict, c. 82.
2 Ibid. ; neither the Warranty nor the Patents are inrolled, only
registered at the Patent Office.
3 French Rolls. In Edwards' Synopsis, Treaty Rolls are said to exist
for the 1 8th century.
4 As in the case of the Ecclesiastical and Admiralty jurisdictions.

14 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
beginning of the 18th century, when the preparation
of Treaties was apparently undertaken by the Secretary
of State's department. It will be seen from the classified
list below that these records have been scattered, and
that the several collections overlap. It is believed
that many treaty papers are now missing, though some
have been preserved in private collections. A complete
list of Treaties affecting this country should long ago
have been compiled. Even the biography of the subject
is defective, and the early printed texts are most un
satisfactory.1 (e) Proclamations. — Like Treaties and certain special
forms of Letters Patent, these instruments were distin
guished from an early period by an appropriate style
and formula of execution.2 At the same time, they nor
mally passed through the usual stages of preparation for
the attachment of the Great Seal ; but the conventional
type of Proclamation is a printed broadside with con
spicuous protocols. The originals under the Great Seal
are not apparently officially preserved, though they are
inrolled on the Patent Rolls.
Classified List of Conventional Instruments.
{a) Commissions.
Originals. Chancery (P. B.) — Commissions and Special Commissions (J. I — Vict.).
Chancery — Miscellanea, Special Commissions (E. II — J. I).
Exchequer (K.R.) — Special Commissions (Eliz. — Vict.).
Exchequer (T. of R.)— Diplomatic Documents3 {passim) ; S.P. Dom-
{passim).
Inrolments. Chancery 4 — Diplomatic Documents 3 {passim). /
1 Since this was written a valuable treatise has been published by
Sir E. Satow : Miss F. G. Davenport and Sir J. Macdonell have made
learned studies of the subject.
2 e.g. " By the King " and " God Save the King ".
3 Commissions to Plenipotentaries, etc., in a notarial style.
* See also on the dorse of the Patent and Close Rolls.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS , 1$
Exchequer (K.R. and L.T.R.')— Memoranda Rolls {passim).
Departmental Records —
S.P. For. and F.O.— King's Letters1 (17-19 C).
W.O. — Commissions and Warrants * (17-19 C).
Adm. — Commissions and Warrants2 (17-19 C).
CO.— Commissions (1662-*) and Board of Trade (Commercial
Series),3 (1696-*-). {b) Leases and Indentures.
Originals. Office of H.M. Woods, etc.— Original Leases.4
H.M. Office of Works— Original Deeds.4
Court of Wards and Liveries — Miscellaneous Books 5 {passim).
Exchequer (K.R.)— Accounts, Various (Army, etc.), {passim).
Exchequer (A.O. and K.R.) — Counterparts of Crown Leases, etc.
State Papers Domestic {passim).
Inrolments. Chancery — Patent Rolls {passim).
Exchequer (R.)— Auditors' Patent Books {passim).
Exchequer (L.T.R.) — Inrolments of Leases {passim).
Exchequer (T.R.) — Entry Books of Leases {passim).
Exchequer (K.R. and A.O.)— Miscellaneous Books {passim).
Land Revenue Office— Inrolments of Grants and Leases (H. VIII-*-).
Treasury Records — Crown Lease Books (1727-1818).
Warrants (not money), (1679-1727).
{c) Inventions, Patents and Specifications of.
Originals. Chancery — Warrants for the Great Seal (Series II), {passim).
Inrolments. Chancery— Patent and Close Rolls (H. 7— Geo. IV).
Chancery (P.B.O.) — Specification and Surrender Rolls (1712-*-).
Chancery (R.C.O.) — Specification and Surrender Rolls (1712-*.).
Patent Office — Specifications of Patent Inventions (1852-*).
1 Commissions to Consuls, etc.
2 i.e. under the Smaller Seals or Sign Manual by devolution.
3 This series belonged formerly, and properly, to the records of the
Board of Trade whose earlier records (before 1784) have recently been
re-classified with the Colonial Office records.
4 Under the hand or Seal of departmental officers.
5 Under the Seal of the Court.

1 6 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
{d) Treaties and Treaty Papers.1
Originals. Special Collections — Ancient Correspondence2 (13-15 C).
Chancery, Miscellanea— Diplomatic Documents (13-16 C).
Exchequer (T. of R.)— Diplomatic Documents (12-17 C.).
S.P. For.— Treaties, Treaty Papers, Archives (16-18 C).
F.O. — Treaties (Protocols and Ratifications (18-19 C.) ; Archives
(18-19 C).
Inrolments. Chancery — Inrolments2 (12-17 C.).
Exchequer (T. of R.) — Libri Munimentorum (13 C).
Exchequer (K.R.) — -Miscellaneous Books {passim).
S.P. For.— Foreign Entry Books (16-18 C).
F.O. — King's Letter Books (18-19 C.) ; Miscellaneous3 (18-19 C).
{e) Proclamations.
Originals. Chancery — Warrants for the Great Seal (Ser. II), (16-18 C).
Privy Council Office Records — Papers' (17-19 C).
S.P. Dom. — Proclamations (16-17 C.).
S.P. Suppl. {passim).
S.O.— King's Bills (i66i->).
Inrolments. Chancery— Patent Rolls (13-18 C).
E. Documents (Unsealed) Subsidiary or Incidental
to Instruments under the Great Seal.5
(a) Subsidiary Documents. — These were utilized to
procure the issue of letters or writs under the Great
Seal, as in the case of drafts and memoranda from which
the official transcript was compiled or Docquets, Formula
Books, and Precedent Books used for official instruments.

1 cf Formula Book, I, 129 («.).
2 See above, Treaty Rolls.
3 Many " Full Powers," etc., are entered here.
4 Formerly preserved at the Privy Council Office.
6 Some of these approach closely to the nature of the Miscellaneous
class of Records {see below, p. 88).

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 17
The references given here, especially to the latter group
of instruments, could be added to almost indefinitely from
the partially arranged series of Departmental Records
now deposited in the Public Record Office, as well as
from others that are still preserved in Departmental
archives.

Classified List of Subsidiary Documents.
{a) Drafts.
Originals.1 Chancery — Chancery Files {passim).
Exchequer (L.T.R.)— Drafts of Demises (Eliz.— C. II).
(L.R.O.) 2— Particulars for Grants (H. VIII— G. II).
(b) Memoranda, Notes, Abstracts, etc.
Originals.1 Chancery — Six Clerks' Office (Papers of), (17-18 C.) ; Chancery Files
{passim) ; Miscellanea {passim).
Chancery (P.B.O.) — Memoranda for Writs, etc.
Exchequer — Miscellanea {passim).
Exchequer (K.R.) — Exchequer Proceedings {passim).
(L.R.O.)— Auditors' Memoranda (H. VII— W. IV).
S.P. Dom. — {passim).
Inrolments. Chancery — Inrolments {passim).
Exchequer (L.T.R) — Memoranda Rolls {passim) ; Originalia Rolls
{passim).
Exchequer — Miscellaneous Books {passim).
Land Revenue Office— Miscellaneous Books {passim).
Palatinate of Chester — Recognizance Rolls {passim).
S.P. Dom. — Entry Books, Various {passim).
Departmental Records {passim).
Treasury — Miscellanea, Caveat Books (1678-1791).
1 Numerous documents also occur among the State Papers and
Departmental Records. '
2 The Land Revenue Office was, till 1832, a department of the
Exchequer ; then, till 1903, an independent department. It is now a
branch of the Public Record Office. C

1 8 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
{c) Docquets.
Original. S.P. Dom. "Docquets"; Docquet Books (16-18 C.).1
Inrolments. Chancery — Crown Office ; Inrolment Office ; 2 Privy Seal Office ;
Signet Office (16-19 C).
{d) Formula Books.3
Inrolments. Chancery (P.B.O.) 4— Precedent Books of Writs (1715— ); Forms
of Oaths.
Curators'' Records — Precedent Books of Writs (1740 — ).
Exchequer Miscellanea — Registers and Rolls of Writs, Accounts, etc.
(H. Ill— H.VI).
Exchequer (K.R.)— Entry Books of Writs (1725-1842).5
Exchequer (A.O.)— Miscellaneous Books, No. 169 (14 C).
King's Bench (Plea Side) "—Miscellaneous Books, No. 96.
S.P. Dom.— Precedent Books (17-18 C).
H.O.— Precedent Book (18-19 C).
(e) Precedent Books.
There is another class of Precedent Books made
not so much to serve as models for drafting, but as
constitutional or departmental precedents. Familiar
examples will be found in the so-called " Books of
Remembrance " of the Exchequer (Red and Black
Books) and the Libri Munimentorum and Liber Memo-
randorum of the same Court. Other examples will
1 The Docquets are also written in the margins of successive Warrants
for the issue of the Great Seal.
2 Including Registers of Inventions now at the Patent Office.
3 Similar documents may be found amongst the Palatinate and Duchy
records. ' An interesting series of Formula Books dating from the 1 5th century
was recently preserved at the Crown Office (House of Lords), see 1914
Report, Appx. (II), p. 205.
6 An earlier volume is still preserved in the King's Remembrancer's
Office (Royal Courts of Justice).
6 A single volume (17-19 C.) is still preserved in the Crown Office
(Royal Courts of Justice).

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 19
be found amongst the "Miscellaneous Books" of the
Exchequer at large, the " Miscellaneous Rolls " of the
Chancery, the " Special Enrolments " of the Petty Bag
Office, the " Special Events " of the Lord Chamberlain's
Department, the War Office "Miscellany Books," and
many other sources.1
F. Documents Unsealed Incidental to Instruments
under the Great Seal.
These comprise a large number of miscellaneous
documents deposited in the Chancery as memorials or
vouchers in connection with the issue of Charters, Writs
or Letters, under the Great Seal. They may be of value
in tracing the issue of such instruments 2 or in revealing
the motive of the application.
(a) Petitions (including Addresses and Memorials). —
Isolated documents (originals) will be found on the
Chancery Files (Warrants for the Great Seal) amongst
the Chancery " Miscellanea," Special Collections (Ancient
Petitions), Crown Office Records (Commissions of
Sewers), as well as amongst the State Papers Domestic
and the Home Office Records; In another aspect Pe
titions may be classified as Correspondence.3
(b) Certificates. — These were either put in as vouchers
to accounts or were prepared in accordance with statutory
or departmental instructions. Some of the more notable
forms are dealt with as sealed instruments below.4
1 Some valuable Muniment Books of this nature are preserved in the
Admiralty Registry (Royal Courts of Justice). Others are preserved in
several departmental libraries, including the Office of H.M. Woods and
the Royal Mint. {See 1914 Report, Appx. (II), pp. 190-191.)
*cf. the Hanaper Accounts. Surrenders of Office, being quit-claims
duly executed on relinquishing an office granted under the Great Seal, will
be noticed under the head of Semi-official and Departmental Instruments.
3 See below (6). 4 See pp. 35-36.

20 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
(c) Accounts.— The only class of Accounts that directly
elucidate the issue of the Great Seal are those presented „
by the Clerks or Comptrollers of the Hanaper of the
Chancery. These form an extensive series, original
accounts being preserved amongst the Exchequer records
of the King's Remembrancer's Department and of the
Auditors of the Imprest, now known as " Audit Office,
Accounts Various ". Inrolments are found amongst the
records of the Exchequer (L.T.R.) and Pipe and Audit
Offices (Declared Accounts) and are also abstracted in
other classes of Exchequer inrolments.1
2. Instruments under the Smaller Seals and
Sign Manual Warrants.
Writs and Letters for Administrative Purposes. — For
the origin and nature of these instruments, reference
may be made to diplomatic treatises.2 No positive dis
tinction has been made in the official classification of
the Public Records between this and the related group
of Warrants for the Great Seal. Both sources have been
used indiscriminately by historical writers, and the terms
"Writ," "Letter," or "Warrant" are applied to each.
It is obvious, however, that the historical value of the
two sources is very different, the missive or executive
instruments being of greater interest than the depart
mental orders authorizing the issue of the Seals. The
former also are less frequently found in official custody,
except in connexion with the routine business of the
Exchequer, the Royal Household and the later Secretarial
Departments. It will be seen that these sources extend from the
• J See Formula Book, Part II, p. 91 sq.
2 E. Deprez, Etudes de Diplomatique Anglaise ; Hall, Studies, pp.
258 sq. and 358, and Formula Book, Part I, p. 92 sq.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 21
13th century to the 19th. The official establishments of
the Privy Seal and Signet no longer exist, and the use
of the latter has been elaborated in the course of official
devolution. The Royal Warrant, however, is still em
ployed for formal as well as for departmental purposes.1
Warrants for the Great Seal. — It has been previously
observed that no distinction has been made in official
lists, etc., between missive writs and departmental
warrants to procure the issue of the several Seals.
From one point of view the latter, being subsidiary
to Charters, Letters Patent, or Close and other in
struments under the Great Seal, might seem to be of
no practical value. It has been found, however, that
these Warrants sometimes supply a missing inrolment
or supplement its meaning. Moreover, the substance
of the documents given in the Warrants or in the
Docket Books connected therewith is frequently pre
sented in a more convenient form for reference. The
procedure in connexion with these Warrants has been
described in many works of reference, but that which
obtained in the mediaeval period is in need of further
elucidation.2 Subsidiary Documents. — These are closely analogous
to the documents subsidiary to the instruments under
the Great Seal ; but the issue of the Smaller Seals has
been a matter of individual administration, and this in
creases the difficulty of bringing together the subsidiary
documents in the form of drafts. There are, however,
some fortunate survivals in the shape of Docquet Books,
Fee Books, etc., found in the Privy Seal and Signet
Offices when these were abolished.3
1 Anson, Law and Custom (1907), II (i), pp. 50 sq. and 169.
2 D.K. 8th Report, App. II, 189 sq. ; cf. Hall, Studies, loc. cit, and
Andrews, Guide, Vol. I, p. 268.
3 Some of these are no longer in official custody ; e.g. MSS. Harl. {cf.
D.K. 30th Report, pp. 21, 24).

22 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
A. Privy Seal, Writs, Letters, and Bills.
Some specimens of early missives will be found in
the Chancery and Exchequer series of "Warrants for
the issue of the Great Seal ". Later specimens have
been' bound up as a series of Warrants amongst the
papers of the Secretary of State or preserved as vouchers
amongst the Exchequer Records. Many bundles of
original Writs of Privy Seal, some of which are of a mis
sive nature, are preserved amongst the records of the
Courts of the Palatinate and Duchy of Lancaster and of
the Principality of Wales. Drafts frequently occur
amongst the State Papers Domestic.
Although the official inrolment of Writs and Letters
under the Smaller Seals cannot be clearly traced in the
mediaeval period,1 many interesting fiscal writs will be
found on the Memoranda Rolls of the Exchequer. A
still larger series of Writs or Letters is entered in the
" Privy Seal Books " of the Exchequer (Pells' and Audi
tors' Records). In the Declared Accounts of the Pipe
and Audit Office full extracts are frequently inrolled of
the Privy Seal which was the authority for payment.
Abstracts and copies will be found in the Liber Memor-
andorum Camerarii?
Classified List of Privy Seal, Writs, and Letters, etc.
{a) Writs and Letters for Administrative Purposes.
Originals. Chancery— Warrants for the Great Seal (Series I), (H. Ill— R. III).3
Exchequer (R.)— Privy Seals and Warrants for issue (H. Ill— W. IV).8
Exchequer (K.R.) — Accounts {passim).
Exchequer (T.R.)— (Letters Patent and) Privy Seals for loans (H.VII—
C. I) ; Diplomatic Documents (H. I— J. I) ; Specimens of Privy
Seals (various dates).
1 But many specimens of semi-official registers have survived, pointing
to a practice of inrolment in book form, as abroad.
2 Ed. Palgrave (Record Commission).
3 This series includes some administrative types, but these are rela
tively rare.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 23
Exchequer (A.O.)— Miscellaneous Books (No. 31).
Exchequer— Miscellanea 1 {passim).
Inrolments. Exchequer (R.)— Patent and Privy Seal Books (Pells' and Auditors')
Various Series (1485-1834); Posting Books (Pells'), (1597-
n 1834) ; Books of Payment by Royal Warrant (1559-1 586).
Exchequer (K.R.)— Accounts {passim) ; Black Book of the Ex
chequer (13-18 C).
Exchequer (K.R. and L.T.R.)— Memoranda Rolls {passim).
Exchequer (T.R.)— Miscellaneous Books (Nos. 144, 274, 275).
Exchequer and Audit Department— Pipe and Audit Office Declared
Accounts (H. VII— G. IV).
State Papers Domestic — Warrant Books and Entry Books {passim).
Departmental Records 2 {passim).
{b) Warrants for the Great Seal.
Originals. Chancery— Warrants for the Great Seal (H. Ill — Vict.) : Diplomatic
Documents {passim).
Chancery (P.B.O.)— Customers' Patents (G. I— G. III).
B. Signet Letters and Bills.
The Signet was rarely used before the reign of Ed
ward III. It was affixed to Letters Missive for general
administrative purposes, and to Letters or Warrants for
the issue of instruments under the Great Seal. Some
Missive Letters appear among the Warrants on the
Chancery Files. In the Privy Signet Bill another type of
Warrant is seen which afterwards assumed a conven
tional form as the authority for issuing the Privy Seal.
It has sometimes been assumed that the Signet Bills
have not been preserved in official custody since the
Restoration ; but it would seem that from the year 1765
to 1885 the Signet Bills, or most of them, were preserved
in the Privy Seal Office, whence they were recently
1 All three Series : for Warrants to repay loans under Privy Seals, see
Scargill-Bird, op. cit. p. 157.
2 The best collection will be found amongst the Lord Chamberlain's
Records (H. VII — W. IV). Others occur amongst the Ordnance and Navy
Board Records.

24 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
transferred to the Public Record Office. Those dating
between the reigns of Henry VIII and Charles I were
already in the Public Record Office, and it is possible
that the Bills for the period prior to 1765 have perished,
with the exception of such as may survive in public or
private collections.1
It has been found impracticable to distinguish here
between the executive and departmental uses of the
Signet. During the mediaeval period the former is
occasionally illustrated by Warrants for the Great
Seal on the Chancery Files and also amongst the
Exchequer Warrants for Issues. The only distinct or
considerable series of such Signet Letters, preserved in
official custody, relates to ,the transaction of business
between the English Government and the Lord Lieu
tenant of Ireland.2
Classified List of Signet Letters and Bills.
Originals. Chancery — Warrants for the Great Seal (H. Ill — Vict.).
Exchequer (T. of R.)— Warrants for the Privy Seal (H. IV— C. I).
Exchequer (R.) — Privy Seals and Warrants for Issues (H. Ill—
W. IV).3
Privy Seal Office— Signet Bills (1765-1885).
Inrolments. Signet Office Letter Books (162 7- 1764).
C. Sign Manual Warrants and Signed Bills.
The use of the Sign Manual or the royal signature
appended to a document to give it validity or official
currency did not obtain in this country before the latter
part of the 14th century. A petition or bill, when thus
initialled, became an effectual warrant for the Great Seal,
and in the later practice this was the recognized stage
1 cf. Series of Signets addressed to the Duke of Newcastle, as Lord
Privy Seal, in the reign of Anne, 30th Report, Appx. p. 360.
acf. below, p. 41.
3 A few Signets may be found here. See also below (3).

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 25
of the departmental procedure for the issue of the Great
Seal.1 At the same time, the Sign Manual Warrant was
largely employed for administrative business and in this
connexion it was used for a great variety of purposes.2
These instruments are scattered amongst several
classes of records and MSS. and are not classified or
described as a distinct group. The greatest number of
executive Warrants are entered in the Warrant Books of
the Secretaries of State. Some are to be found also
amongst the records of the Admiralty, War Office, and
other Departments (Commissions, etc.).
Classified List of Sign Manual Warrants and Signed Bills.
{a) Warrants for Administrative Purposes.
Originals. Chancery — Ancient Correspondence {passim).
Exchequer (R.) — Privy Seals and Warrants for Issues (H. Ill — W. IV) ;
Warrants, original (1794-1834).
Exchequer (T. of R.)— Warrants for the Privy Seal (H. IV— C. I).
Exchequer — Miscellanea 3 {passim).
State Papers Domestic — (Eliz. — J. I).4
Departmental Records {passim).5
Inrolments. Exchequer (R.)— Auditors' Warrant Books (1626-1790).
Land Revenue Record Office — Miscellaneous Books (1609-*-).
State Papers Domestic — Warrant Books (1584-1781).6
Departmental Records — Warrant Books.7
1 Above, p. 21, n. 2.
2 Hall, Studies, p. 333, and Formula Book, Part I, p. 96 sq.
3 Including the Miscellanea of the several departments of the Ex
chequer. 4 Originals mounted in books ; some are Warrants for the Seal.
5 See above, p. 23, n. 2.
6 Continued down to modern times in the Home Office Records.
'e.g. the Records of the Crown Office (House of Lords), Lord
Chamberlain's and Lord Steward's Departments, the Home Office,
Admiralty, War Office and Treasury Records.

26 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
{b) Warrants for the Great Seal.
Originals. Chancery— Warrants for the Great Seal (H. IV— C. II).
State Papers Domestic— Sign Manual Warrants (Eliz. — C. I).
Signet Office— King's Bills (1661-1851).
Duchy of Lancaster — Miscellanea {passim).
Palatinate of Chester — Miscellanea {passim).
Subsidiary Documents.
Privy Seal Office— Docquet Books (1 571-1884) ; x Fee Books (17-
19 C.) ; Miscellaneous Correspondence (18-19 C).
Signet Office— Docquet Books (1584-1821) ; Fee Books (I7ii-i82i).!
3. Instruments under the Seals of the Palatinate
Courts3 and Special Jurisdictions.
A. Records of Palatine Jurisdictions.
The various diplomatic instruments issued under the
Seals of the Principality of Wales, the ancient Pala
tinates, the Royal Duchies, and the special tribunals
that were erected, chiefly during the Tudor period, with
jurisdiction independent of the Chancery or Courts of
Common Law, have been briefly noticed in the following
lists. For an account of the jurisdiction and proceed
ings of these Courts, see below, III (6).
It was thought desirable to place the Palatinate
records in a separate class, since the jurisdictions from
which they emanate were mostly administered by a dis
tinct official establishment, including the use of a Seal
which was not merely a departmental variant of the Seals
of the Chancery and Courts of Common Law. As noted
xThe Harleian collection covers the period, 1634-1711.
2 Accounts of Fees will also be found amongst the State Papers
Domestic, Various, the Signet Office being regarded as a branch depart
ment under the Secretaries of State.
3 Owing to the composite nature of the Palatinate Inrolments, instru
ments under various Seals are entered on the same rolls. The lesser
Seals of the Palatinates are not usually distinguished from the English
Seals, especially when they were in the hands of the Crown. For the
Bishopric of Ely, see below, pp. 78 and 178.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 27
above (i and 2), instruments under the latter Seals are
occasionally found in these collections.1
Classified List of Palatinate Instruments, etc.
{a) Principality of Wales.
Originals. Miscellanea2 (16-18 C).
Inrolments. Plea Rolls3 (1 543- 1830).
Subsidiary Documents.
Prothonotaries' Papers (16-17 C.) ; Miscellanea (16-19 C).
{b) Duchy of Cornwall.4
Originals. Exchequer (Augm. O.) — Miscellaneous Books5 69-75, 278-280;
Miscellaneous Accounts and Papers (E. Ill — C. II).
Inrolments. Exchequer (T. of R.)— Miscellaneous Books, Vols. 57 and 280";,
Council Book of the Duchy of Cornwall.
1 {c) Duchy of Lancaster.7
Originals. Royal Charters8 (11-16C.) ; Ancient Charters and Grants8 (12 C.-9-);
Special Commissions and Returns (Eliz. — G. III.) ; Miscellanea
{passim) ; Warrants for issue of the Palatinate Seal (H. VII —
G. IV).
Inrolments. Chancery Inrolments (1354-1509) ; Miscellaneous Books (J. — G. II).
Subsidiary Documents.
Miscellanea. /
1 For a description of the respective Seals, see British Museum, Cata
logue of Seals, Vol. I, and Declared Accounts, Pipe Office, No. 2890.
2 Specimens of original (Chancery) and select judicial writs, precepts
for sessions, letters of Inspeximus, etc. ; cf. above, p. 6.
3 Writs inrolled or recited.
4 See also 1800 Report, p. 81 ; 1914 Report, App., p. 173, and below,
P-77- 5 Acquittances and Council Book. 6 Charters.
' Some records are still retained at the Duchy Office. Some instru
ments under the Duchy Seal are amongst the Palatinate records, and vice-
versa; cf. p. 28, n. 5.
8 Most of these, however, are under the English Seal.

2S SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
{d) Palatinate of Lancaster.1
•Originals. v
Miscellanea; Original and Judicial writs (17 H. 6->) ; Warrants
(R. II— H. VII).
Inrolments. Chancery Inrolments (1380-1506).
Subsidiary Documents.
Chancery, Warrants for the Great Seal (Ser. I) ; Miscellanea {passim),
(17-19 C). («) Palatinate of Durham.4
Originals. Cursitors' Records, Miscellanea,2 (E. VI— Vict.).
Inrolments. Cursitors' Records, Chancery Inrolments (1333-1836); Kellawe's
Register (1311-1316).
Subsidiary Documents.
Cursitor's and Prothonotaries' Records ; Miscellanea {passim).
(/) Palatinate of Chester.3
Originals. Privy Seals and Warrants 4 (E. Ill— C. I) : Miscellanea; specimens of
Writs and Warrants {passim).
Inrolments. Recognizance Rolls » (1 E. II— 1 W. IV).
Exchequer T.R. — Miscellaneous Books,' 279.
Subsidiary Documents.
Writ Book (C. I— C. II) ; Recognizance Rolls {passim).
1 For records not transferred from the Palatinate, see 19 14 Report,
Appx., p. 141, and 1919 Report, p. 109.
2 See D.K., 16th Report, App., p. 44 sq.
3 For certain purposes, and during a certain period, the county of
Flint has been officially included in the Palatinate of Chester. Formerly
{1839-1908), records relating to Flint and Chester were classified amongst
Welsh Records. As to the Seal of this Circuit, cf. 191 2 Report, App., p. 1561
and P.R.O. Lists and Indexes, Vol. xl, p. iii.
4 Including writs and ordinances under the Seals of the Prince of
Wales. Original instruments under the Chester Seals were formerly pre
served amongst " Original Letters Patent," now distributed.
6 Letters and Writs may be under the Palatinate Seals or under the
Great Seal and Privy Seals.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 2CJ
{g) The Honour of Peveril.1
Originals. Specimens of Writs.
B. Courts of Special Jurisdiction.
As mentioned in the prefatory note (above, p. 26), the
courts included under* this title are for the most part
abolished or extinct, and a brief account of their history-
and judicial procedure is given in a later Section.2 As
in the case of the Palatinate Records, however, a certain
number of diplomatic documents may be found in various
inrolments or precedent books and also among the
subsidiary judicial proceedings. With the exception of
the Admiralty Court, impressions of the distinctive seals.
are rarely found and their use is obscure. Moreover,
four of these courts (Augmentations, Surveyors, Wards-.
and Liveries, and First Fruits) became practically merged
in the procedure of the > Exchequer soon after their
institution. In later times the writs, warrants, and other
instruments under seal, have been separated from the
proceedings. Classified List of Instruments connected with Courts
of Special Jurisdiction.
{a) High Court of Admiralty.3
Originals. Warrants, etc. (151 5-1760) ; Letters of Marque, etc. (1549-*); Mis
cellanea (1 562-*). 1
1 Though included in the official Guide with other special royal juris
dictions, this was practically a private franchize under a stewardship. Only
a few modern writs have survived.
2 Below, Section III, No. 6. No reference has been made' here
to records of the Palace Courts, Courts Martial, Court of High Commis
sion, Council of the North, or of the Council of the West (Wales and
Marches), since no diplomatic documents of any special interest are pre
served in official custody. As to the status of the Ecclesiastical Courts,
see below, pp. 81, 164.
3 There is only a summary manuscript list of these records.
As to the Seal, see Selden Society, "Pleas in Admiralty Court" (ed-
R. G. Marsden), Vol. I.

30 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
{b) High Court of Delegates.
Originals. Miscellanea (1536-*). {c) Court of Requests.
Originals. Proceedings (H. VII— C. I).
Inrolments. Miscellaneous Books (H. VIII— J. I).
{d) Court of Star Chamber.
Originals. Proceedings (H. VII— C. I).
{e) Court of Wards and Liveries.
Originals. Miscellaneous Proceedings {passim).
Inrolments. Miscellaneous Books 1 {passim).
Subsidiary Documents.
Miscellaneous {passim). (/) Court of Augmentations.2
Originals. Leases (counter parts) (H. VIII— J. I) ; Original Letters Patent
(Ancient Deeds (B)).
Inrolments. Miscellaneous Books {passim) ; Inrolments, etc., of Leases (H. VIII —
Eliz.).
Subsidiary Documents.
Miscellaneous Books {passim).
{g) Court of First Fruits and Tenths.
Originals. Writs and Miscellanea; Process Books, Vol. I (H. VIII).
1 Including those of the Exchequer and Augmentation Office as well
as the Court of Wards, etc., itself.
2 Including the Court of General Surveyors and some modern records
of the Land Revenue Department.

english public records 31
4. Instruments under Private Seals Inrolled or
Deposited in Archives.
Original title-deeds have been deposited in the
Archives in various ways. Some refer to property
forfeited (Greenwich Hospital Records) or escheated to
the Crown (Treasury Solicitors' Records), or acquired
by purchase or exchange or composition (Office of Works
and Ecclesiastical Commissioners' Records) ; others have
been put in as exhibits in the course of litigation or
have been ordered to be deposited for the information of
the Courts.1 An immense number of deeds was acquired
at the Dissolution of the Monasteries (Augmentation
Office Series). Another very large collection among the
Chancery Masters' Documents, is under arrangement,
and almost as many more (though, for the most part of a
more recent date) might be found amongst the Judicial
and Departmental Records not yet transferred to the
Public Record Office, or open to public inspection.
In a few cases, deeds of peculiar importance have been
deposited by official arrangement for safe custody.
Another cause of the preservation of private deeds
in official custody has been the desire of the parties to
perpetuate the tenor of certain deeds by means of formal
inrolment. This might be effected either by a judicial
process, as in the case of a Final Concord, or by inrol
ment in the records of the Courts.2 Again, deeds might
be inrolled for the special information of the Departments
concerned, especially the Exchequer; and many such
will be found in official precedent books.
1 These are now classified as follows : Series A. Exchequer (T. of R.) ;
B. Exchequer (Augmentation Office) ; C. Chancery ; D. Exchequer
(K.R.) ; E. Land Revenue ; F. Wales (Chester) ; G. Durham ; H. Lan
caster (Palatinate) ; L. Lancaster (Duchy) ; P. Exchequer (L.T.R.).
2 In later times the chief medium of such inrolments was the Chancery
Close Roll, e.g. since 5 Ric. II, c. 8.

32 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
In some cases deeds were inrolled as an official pre
caution or in accordance with statutory or official
direction. In this way many thousands of bonds and
acknowledgments, including the Jewish "Starrs," have
been inrolled. There are also numerous inrolments of
deeds concerning the possessions or interests of the
Crown amongst the Miscellaneous books and Plea Rolls
of the Chancery, Exchequer, and King's Bench.
By the Act of 27 Henry VIII, c. 16, Deeds of Bargain
and Sale of freehold estate were to be inrolled within six
months. The system of permissive inrolments was still
further extended in the 17 th and 18th centuries by the
establishment of local Registries of Deeds for the Fen
District (Bedford Level) and the counties of Yorkshire
and Middlesex. The last of these has now been amalga
mated with the Land Registry Office.
Other classes of deeds are inrolled in some of the
statutory registries of modern date.1
A diplomatic classification of Private Deeds will be
found in printed works of reference,2 but in the archives
they are not classified according to their form.
Classified List of Deeds Inrolled or Deposited in Archives.2'
Originals. Chancery4 — Miscellanea, Transcripts of Deeds, etc. (E. I — E. III).
Exchequer * — Miscellanea, of the.5
Exchequer (A.O.) — Miscellaneous Books (Nos. 31-54).
Court of Wards and Liveries — Deeds, Charters, and Evidences (E. I—
CI).
1 No special mention need be made here of the Registries of Recogniz
ances under the Statute of Merchants and Statute of the Staple, since these
were local repositories.
'e.g. Madox, Formulare Anglicanum and H. Hall, Studies, p. 225.
3 The titles of judicial records containing only occasional inrolments of
deeds are omitted here, including various series of Chancery inrolments.
4 See also Special Collections (Ancient Deeds).
e Including the several departments of the Exchequer.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 33
Duchy of Lancaster — Ancient Deeds and Charters ; Carta? Miscel-
lanae ; Security Bonds (H. VIII— G. I) ; Miscellanea (Bdles.
i-3).
Palatinate of Chester — Ancient Deeds (F).
Palatinate of Durham — Ancient Deeds (G).
Special Collections — Ancient Deeds (Series A.-P.).1
State Papers Domestic {passim).
State Papers Supplementary {passim).
Departmental Records a {passim).
Inrolments? Chancery — Chancery Inrolments ; 4 Miscellanea of the Chancery.
Exchequer (R.)— Pells' and Auditors' Assignment Books (1622-1834).
Exchequer — Miscellaneous Books {passim).
Land Revenue Records — Inrolment Books of Deeds (H. VIII->);
Miscellaneous Books (H. VIII— Eliz.).
Duchy of Lancaster — Miscellaneous Books.
Palatinate of Chester — Recognizance Rolls ; Plea Rolls.
Palatinate of Durham — Cursitors' Records ; Plea Rolls.
5. Departmental Instruments.
For the purpose of any diplomatic description of the
Public Records, notice must be taken of an extensive and
varied class of documents which, are analogous to Writs
and Letters under the Great and Smaller Seals, and
otherwise serve as warrants for the administration of
the Royal Household or the Public Service.
1 See above, p. 31 («.).
3e.g. Admiralty, Greenwich Hospital, Customs and Excise, H.M.
Office of Works, etc., Ecclesiastical Commission, Office of H.M. Woods,
etc., Queen Anne's Bounty, Charity Commission, Treasury, War Office, a
large proportion of which is not yet transferred to the Public Record
Office. 3 For records containing early kirolments of private deeds, see above
(p. 32). After a certain date, such Deeds as Memorials of Annuities,
Specifications, etc., of Patents, Recognizances, etc., are separately
entered and indexed. Private instruments are sometimes entered in
Departmental Records but the practice was quite exceptional.
4 Recited or confirmed in Royal Charters and Confirmations or
specially inrolled on the later Close Rolls. Even some colonial grants
are entered in the 18th century Close Rolls.
D

34 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
These are the Bills, Grants, Warrants, Commissions,
Orders, Instructions, Licenses, Dispensations, Passes,
Caveats, Certificates, etc., issued under the official or
departmental seals of royal officers or Public Depart
ments, both during the mediaeval period and in later
times. In the first place it should be noted that the work
now performed by various Government Departments
was carried out during the mediaeval period, and later,
either by the Chancery and the King's Courts, or by
local officers variously appointed,1 or again by officials of
the King's Household.
Although no complete list of mediaeval offices has yet
been compiled, it is well known that some of these local
offices were of an occasional or special nature, as for
instance, the supervision of local passes in connexion
with the Statutes of Labourers. Others like the offices
of Sheriff and Coroner still survive, and to these may be
added a large number of local authorities or ministers of
the Crown whose functions are well known, though now
obsolete. On the other hand, the number of Public
Departments has been infinitely multiplied in modem
times, and we have already seen that the King's Court
had been supplemented before the middle of the 16th
century by a number of adventitious tribunals.
One means of estimating the official status of a court
or department or individual ministry would be the
recorded cost of preparing a seal of office. Such records
are occasionally found from the 15th century onwards in
connection with the accounts of the engraver of the
seals,2 and we know that, in some cases at least, the
1 See below, Part II (2) and (7).
2 Numerous examples of such official seals have survived {see Birch,
Catalogue of Seals in the Department of MSS. in the British Museum, I,
105 sq. and Vol. II, passim), and the petition of Henry the Fourth's
engraver, printed in Rot Pari., IV, 312 ; cf. 1914 Report, App. (II), p. 190.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 35
official seal was provided by the Crown.1 It is probable,
however, that in many cases the King's officer used his
personal or armorial seal ; but in later times instruments
were usually authenticated by official signatures and not
by seals, which were relegated to the cover of the missive
and by degrees became an official embellishment in shape
of an official crest or stamp.
The classes of Departmental Instruments mentioned
below are only given as types. A complete enumeration
would be impracticable on the score of space. Moreover,
an extensive rearrangement of most of these collections
had been in progress during the last thirty years.
A. Instruments Issued by Officers of the King's Household.2
Originals. Exchequer (R.) — Wardrobe Debentures (Ed. I— III).
Chancery — Warrants for the Great Seal (Ser. I) (15th C).
Inrolments. Lord Chamberlain's Department — Warrants (1628- 1 828).
Lord Steward's Department — Miscellaneous Books (17-18 C).
Exchequer (R.) — Liber Memorandorum (14-16 C).
Exchequer (L.T.R.) — Accounts (13-17 C).
B. Instruments Issued by Local Administrative Officers.3
Originals. Chancery (P.B.O.)— Certificates various (J. I— G. III).
Chancery Files — Statute Merchant and Staple Certificates, etc.
(E. I— C. I).
1 e.g. the " Coket " seal supplied to Customs officers.
"Several officers connected with the Royal Household who have
exercised a departmental authority, e.g. Keeper of the Wardrobe, Masters
of the Swans, Butler, Treasurer of the Household, Lord Steward and Lord
Chamberlain of the Household, Master of the Horse, Coroner of the
Household and Keeper of the Jewel House. With the exception of the
Lord Steward's and Lord Chamberlain's Departments, few records have
survived. Some have not yet been transferred according to the Second
Report of Public Records Commission (Vol. II, Part II, p. 173).
'These include certificates and awards, assessments, or other pro
ceedings of Commissioners of Sewers and Taxes, of the officers who

36 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
Chancery (P.B.O.)— Statute Staple, Recognizances, etc. (J. I— G. III).
Chancery (Rolls, Chapel Series) — Pleadings on Statute Staple, Re
cognizances, etc. (H. VIII — Anne).
Chancery (P.B.O.)— Sacrament Certificates (1673-1789).
Chancery Miscellanea— Special Commissions (E. I — J. I).
Exchequer (K.R.) — Certificates of Residence (Eliz. — J. I) ; Special
Commissions (Eliz. — Vict.) ; Inventories of Church goods (E. VI);
Original Letters Patent (Cokets), (E. I — III) ; Port Books and
Coast Bonds (H. VI— C. II) ; 1 Ulnage, Accounts, etc. (E. III.—
J.I).
Exchequer (R.) — Miscellanea Blood Money Certificates (i649-i8oo).s
State Papers Domestic {passim).
Exchequer (A.O.) — Certificates of Colleges and Chantries (H. VIII—
E.VI).
King's Bench (Cr. Side)— Sacrament Certificates3 (1728-1828).
State Papers Domestic — (16-18 C), {passim).
Inrolments. Lord Chamberlain's Records — Rolls, Entry Books, and Indexes of
Statute Staple Recognizances (24 H. VIII— 15 G. III).4
Subsidiary Proceedings.
Chancery (Crown Office) — Petitions and Fiats for Commissioners of
Sewers (16-19 C).
executed the provisions of the Statutes of Merchants (1285), the Staple
(1351), and the Test Act (1673). In another aspect the proceedings of
the Commissioners of Sewers are judicial records. Other well known
examples of this class are the Certificates of Customers and Ulnagers.
The administrative orders and Warrants of Justices of the Peace and
Coroners are preserved as Local Records by the Clerks of the Peace, but
those of Sheriffs, Bailiffs, and some other local officers have not survived
as a separate series, though these officers had official seals and transacted
important business. {Cf Stonor Papers (R. Hist. Soc), Vol. I, passim.)
A delegated authority was exercised by colonial governors and consuls.
1 See 1912 Report, Appx. (II), pp. 45-51.
2 A series of very interesting Certificates (or Bills), known as
"Sheriffs' Cravings".
'" A very large number of Sacrament Certificates exist in various
custodies, public and private, and many more have been destroyed.
4 These are really the archives of the statutory registry of the Staple
at Westminster. The pleadings, hereon, among the Chancery, Common
Law Records are preserved in the three series mentioned above. The
Statute Staple archives in question constitute a collection of 183 Rolls and
35 volumes of Entry Books and Indexes.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 37
C. Instruments Issued by Official Departments.1
{a) Secretaries of States' Departments.
S.P. Dom.2 (16-18 C); S.P. Dom. various (16-18 C.) ; S.P. Dom.
Borders (16 C.) ; S.P. Dom. Channel Islands (17J18 C.) ; S.P.
Dom. Regencies (18 C.) ; S.P. Dom. Ireland (16-18 C.) ; S.P.
Dom. Scotland (17-18 C.) ; S.P. For. (gen. ser.), (16-18 C.) ;
F.O. Correspondence (1781-*); CO. Records (17-19 C.) ;
H.O. Records (1781-^).
W.O. Records3 — Marching Orders (1683-^) ; Ordnance Warrants
(!597->) 5 Orders (i744->)-
{b) Other Public Offices.
Originals. Treasury Records — Papers (16-19 C).
Treasury (E. of R.)— Royal and Treasury Warrants (1547-1834).4
Admiralty Records — Admiralty and Navy Board Inletters" (1660-
1832).
Inrolments. Treasury (E. of R.) 6— Auditors' Warrant Books (1 626-1 790) ; Pells'
Warrant Books (161 7-1 790).
Land Revenue Records 7 — Enrolment Books of Grants, Leases, and
Warrants (28 H. VIII— 1832).
1 Information as to the outstanding records of the Public Departments
will be found in the First and Second Reports of the Public Records
Commission and Appendices thereto.
2 e.g. Warrants, Passes (or Protections), Caveats, and Certificates,
including Entry Books and Warrant Books. For the classification of
these instruments, see Hall, Studies, pp. 332-334, and Formula Book,
Part I, Nos. 178, 179, 182, 189, 192-194. Besides the above, many instru
ments of various forms have been preserved here. The Series of Letters
and Papers, Henry VIII, is included here.
3 Down to 1782 the Home Department had control of military affairs
and this continued to be exercised till a recent date in respect of the
auxiliary forces.
4 For some later records preserved (till recently) at the Exchequer
and Audit Office, see 1914 Report, Appx. (II), pp. 236-237.
5 Before 1673 these are included amongst the State Papers Domestic.
6 The records of the abolished departments of the Exchequer were in
the charge of the Comptroller General of the Exchequer for many years.
They have now been transferred to the Public Record Office.
7 Some records have not yet been transferred to the Record Office
including those in local custody.

38 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
Treasury1 — Outletters and Miscellanea (1667-^) ; Warrants (i66o-»>);
Fund Books (Warrants), (1797-*-); Miscellanea (1664-1800).
Admiralty Records,2 Secretary's Department — Orders and Instructions
(1665— >) ; Commission and Warrant Books (1695-5.); Pro
tections and Passes (1683-*).
Accountant General's Department — Head Money Vouchers
{i7io->).
Navy Board — Orders (1658-9-) ; Passing Certificates (1691-1848).
Medical Department— (Cartels for prisoners of war), (18 C).
Controller of Navy— Warrants (1714-1781).
Greenwich Hospital — Orders and Warrants (18-19 C).
6. Official Correspondence and Private Corre
spondence Deposited in Archives.
The modern arrangement of this vast class of records
is, to some extent, based upon the artificial systems of
classification employed by 17th and 18th century archiv
ists.3 The result of this proprietary system of classifi
cation has been the duplication of titles and the dispersal
of related documents. At the same time it has been the
practice to file with the State Papers many incongruous
documents, such as originals or drafts of Charters, Letters
Patent, Sign Manual Warrants, etc. These have been
relegated here to their proper position. Another large
class of formal documents, such as Warrants and Signet
Letters, procured by the Secretary of State, has been
dealt with above under the heading of Departmental
Instruments. Ministerial and Judicial Proceedings,
which are actually to be found amongst this correspond
ence, have been noted in those Sections. Finally, an
1 For details of the respective series of Treasury Records, see the
official list.
2 See also the records in the Admiralty Library mentioned in the 1914
Report, Appx. (II), p. 227 sq. For Summary Lists of, and Reports on, the
Admiralty, War Office, Customs, Woods and Forests, and other depart
mental collections not yet transferred to the Public Record Office, see
1912 and 1914 Reports, Appx. (II).
3 For a description of these, see Hall, Studies, Part I, Appendices.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 39
attempt has been made to indicate the character of the
large mass of extraneous documents casually acquired
by the Secretariats and Departments, amongst which is
included a considerable quantity of unofficial correspond
ence. The so-called Ancient Correspondence of the mediaeval
period includes Departmental as well as Royal Letters.
This series is continued by the well-known State Papers,
which comprise the records of the Secretaries of State,
as opposed to those of the Commissions or Boards, Com
mittees and other Government Departments. Of the
records of the five modern Secretarie$ of State, only
those concerned with Home, Foreign, and Colonial
affairs are usually included under the title of State
Papers. The Secretary for War was represented down
to 1855 by the Colonial Secretary, and, moreover, a large
portion of the military records were received from the
old Board of Ordnance. The position of the India Office
Records is in doubt, since these might be regarded as
being under the control of the Indian rather than of the
British Government.1 Moreover, many Departmental
Records have been actually incorporated with these
Secretarial State Papers, either through the dominating
position of the Secretariat, or as the result of earlier
official schemes which included all sorts of non-related
records within the scope of the State Paper Calendars in
order to enhance the importance of a particular series of
official publications. The Departmental Records in
question consist chiefly of Naval Papers in the earlier
period, but records of the War Office, Council Office,
Post Office, and other Departments are included in
official lists and Calendars for a later period.
A classified list of the more important documents
referred to will be found below.
1 See 1 91 4 Report, p. 22.

40 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
A few references have been given here to the mis
cellaneous correspondence occasionally found even in
judicial records, and especially amongst the Exchequer
and Chancery Records during the 16th and 17th cen
turies.1 There is also a large quantity of semi-official
and departmental correspondence preserved in the
Public Record Office relating to the administration of the
Office, and this will eventually form part of the Depart
mental Records at large.2
Classified List of Official Correspondence.
A. Medieval Series.
{a) Royal Letters.
Originals. Chancery — Ancient Correspondence (13-15 C.).3
Exchequer (T.R.) — Diplomatic Documents (13-15 C.).4
Exchequer (K.R.) — Ecclesiastical Documents (13 C).
Inrolments. Chancery— Patent Rolls (13-15 C.) ; Close Rolls (13-15 C).
Exchequer (K.R.) — Miscellaneous Books, No. 2 (13 C.).6
Exchequer (T. of R.) — Registrum Munimentorum (13 C.) e ; Liber
Memorandorum Camerarii (14-15 C.) 7 ; Miscellaneous Books
{passim) ; (Transcripts of Letters of the Black Prince), (1346-7). 8
1 Correspondence may also be found amongst the records of the Pala
tine Courts and Special Jurisdictions. For specimens, see Hall, Antiquities
and Curiosities of the Exchequer, and the official lists of Exchequer
Miscellanea. 2 For indications of its nature, see D.K. Reports {passim) ; the 1912
Report, Appx. (VIII), and Public Record Office, Schedules, 1914.
3 From the Chancery Files, etc. Some of these are exhibited in the
Public Record Office Museum.
4 Mostly foreign letters.
6 Correspondence between Henry III and the Emperor Frederic II,
etc. Foreign Letters (14-15 C.) are also entered in the Laing MS. 313,
now in the University Library at Edinburgh.
6 Liber A and B, an important source.
7 Titles of documents only.
8 Other letters of this prince are preserved in the Duchy of Cornwall
Office ; cf. Exch. T.R. Miscellaneous Books, Nos. 278-280.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 4 1
{b) Departmental Correspondence.
Originals. Special Collections— Ancient Correspondence (13-15 C.) ' ; Ancient
Petitions (13-15 C).
Duchy of Lancaster — Ancient Correspondence, etc. (13-15 C).
Chancery— Miscellanea (13-15 C.) ; Warrants for the Great Seal
(Series I), (13-15 C).
Exchequer — Miscellanea (13-15 C).
Inrolments. Chancery Enrolments (13-15 C).
(c) Private Correspondence (deposited).
Originals. Special Collections — Ancient Correspondence (13-15 C.).2
Chancery — Miscellanea. 3
B. Modern Series.
{a) Royal Letters.
Originals. ' S.P. Dom. (1509-1780).
S.P. (Ireland), (1547-5.).
S.P. (Scotland), (1 547-1603).
S.P. (Foreign), (1547-1780).4
F.O. Records (1 781 -1834).
India Office Records (1596-1858).
Chatham Papers (2nd Series), Vols. 103-106, 228-230, 364 (and
a few scattered letters in other volumes).
Inrolments. S.P. Ireland, King's Letter Books (1681-1776).
S.P. For., Royal Letters (1 580-1780).
Foreign Entry Books, King's Letter Books (1714-72).
F.O. King's Letters (1714-1846).
1 e.g. Vols. 6-10, 22, 24, the correspondence of the Chancellor.
2 e.g. the " Stonor Papers," the " Cely Papers," etc.
3 Under arrangement, but containing correspondence supplementing
the Ancient Correspondence. Both series (like the " Supplementary
State Papers") include documents which were "exhibits" in the Court
of Chancery. 4 From 1689 Royal Letters form a distinct class, but being devoted to
the exchange of courtesies, they are less interesting than the general cor
respondence.

42 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
F.O. Miscellaneous (Series I), 491-501 (1781-1834).
India Office Records (17 C.-s>).
A few copies of Royal Letters are to be found in the Manchester
Papers and Shaftesbury Papers.
{b) Secretarial Correspondence.
Originals.1 Exchequer of Receipt— Thorpe's Exchequer Papers (16-17 C.)2;
Miscellanea (16-17 C).
Exchequer (T. of R.) — Miscellaneous Books, 121, 122, etc. (16 C).
Exchequer (A.O.) — Miscellaneous Books, 472-478 {passim), (16 C).
Letters and Papers, Henry VIII (1509-47).3
S.P. Dom.4 (1 547-1 780).
Home Office Records (1780-*-).
S.P. Foreign (1 547-1780).
Foreign Office Records (1781-s-).
Colonial Office Records (1574— >).
State Papers, Supplementary (16-18 C).
State Papers, Miscellaneous (17-18 C).
Inrolments.5 S. P. Dom.— Entry Books and Letter Books (16-18 C).
Home Office Records — Entry Books and Letter Books (18-19 C).
S.P. Foreign— Entry Books and Letter Books (16-18 C).
Foreign Office Records— Entry Books and Letter Books (18-19 C.).
Colonial Office Records — Entry Books and Letter Books (17-19 C).
1 These include Letters Received (or Inletters) of various kinds (some
times technically described as Holographs, Signed Letters, Duplicates,
Private, Separate, Confidential, Secret, Newsletters, Treaty Papers, etc.),
together with inclosures and drafts of replies, etc. It has been pointed out
elsewhere that the subject-matter cannot be ascertained from the Official
lists. For the contents and classification, see Hall, Studies, pp. 60-70, and
Appendices. 2 These have been now partly distributed into other series.
3 These include many administrative and judicial records.
4 Including "S.P. Scotland," "S.P. Ireland," "S.P. Borders," "S.P.
Channel Islands " and " Regencies ".
° As previously mentioned, there is no consistent classification of these
series. The normal inrolment is an Entry Book of Letters both received
and issued, or a Letter Book of Letters issued only. For Treaties and Treaty
Papers, see above, pp. 13-14.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 43
{c) Departmental Correspondence.1
Originals. Inletters2; Papers3; Miscellanea; Registers4; Accounts.6
Inrolments. Outletters 6 ; Entry Books ; Indexes ' ; Registers 8 ; Accounts.8
{d) Documents Subsidiary to Secretarial and Departmental
Correspondence.9
Drafts, Cyphers, Memoranda, Notes, Minutes, Journals, Registers,
Pre'cis Books, Indexes, Diaries, Precedent Books, Entry Books,
List and Fee Books.
(e) Archives and Documents Transmitted or Deposited amongst the
Secretarial, Departmental, and Judicial Records.10
State Papers Domestic.11
Home Office Records.11
1 For a list of the Departments whose records have been transmitted
(in part or in whole) to the Public Record Office from 1877 to 1912, see
1912 Report, Appx. (II), p. 121, and 1914 Report, Appx. (II), pp. 211-
256. For a history of the archives and their composition and classifica
tion, see H. Hall, Studies, Part I, and C. M. Andrew, Guide, Vol. II, and
1914 Report, pp. 13-35.
2 i.e. Letters Received and their enclosures.
3 i.e. Of the Treasury and other Departments.
4 Loose letters may sometimes be found between the leaves of these
Entry Books.
6 Correspondence is frequently found with these Ministerial Proceed
ings (described below, pp. 45-50).
6 i.e. Copies of Letters received or sent.
7 " Reference Books " (containing copies of official reports) are in
cluded under this title in the official list of Treasury Records.
8 Official letters are sometimes inrolled with these Ministerial Proceed
ings. 9 Documents subsidiary to purely diplomatic instruments have been
noticed above (pp. 17-20), and are not included here {e.g. Docquets, etc.).
Some of the above also occur in Departmental Records, see Public Record
Office, Lists and Indexes, Nos. XVIII and XXVIII.
10 For information as to the records of the Privy Council Office and
Houses of Parliament, see 1914 Report, Appx., pp. 104- no. Amongst
the departmental records many are deposited or transmitted. It will be
noticed that the transmissions were either regular (Colonial Acts, etc.), or
occasional (legation archives, etc.). In some cases, documents were com
municated by one Department for the information of another. A distinc
tion must be made between the departmental correspondence and
miscellaneous documents.
11 Returns or Reports from Justices, Commissioners, and Military,.

44 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
State Papers Foreign.1
Foreign Office Records.1
Colonial Office Records.2
State Papers Supplementary.'
State Papers Miscellaneous.4
Departmental Records (Treasury, Admiralty, War Office, Customs,
etc., etc.).5
Naval, and Civil Officers. Archives of various public bodies, Committees,
Commissions or Departments. Intelligence from agents and confiscated
documents, private and semi-official papers, and miscellaneous (MSS.,
pamphlets, Blue Books, books, maps, drawings, curios, etc.).
1 Archives of foreign Legations and Consulates or Factories, Archives
of expired Commissions, Congresses, Committees, and abolished de
partments, Intelligence and Intercepted Letters, vouchers and claims
for compensation, private and semi-official papers, etc., and miscellaneous. .
2 Archives of Colonial Governments or ceded possessions, Colonial
Acts, Sessional Papers, newspapers, etc. ; Archives of Commissions,
claims, trade and shipping and exploration reports, surveys, returns, and
statistics, private and semi-official papers, etc.
3 Documents, presumably deposited, including : letters and papers,
legal proceedings and accounts (E. VI — J. II), proceedings before the
King's Council of the Marches of Wales ; Johnson, Darrell, Williamson,
and other family papers ; ancient maps and plans ; original Proclama
tions, 1620-70, etc.
4 Semi-official documents, including : pamphlets and treatises, diplo
matic and political notes relating to foreign countries, maps, etc. ; ex
tracts from records ; genealogical notes and constitutional or official
precedents. A portion of this collection has been distributed since it was
transferred from the State Paper Office.
0 Archives of expired Commissions and Committees or abolished de
partments, Logs, Muster Books, Pay Books or Pay Lists periodically
transmitted. Intelligence, Wills, Deeds, Court Rolls, and other diplomatic
documents deposited. Private or semi-official collections deposited.
Many departmental records have not yet been transferred to the Public
Record Office {see 1914 Report, Appx. (II), p. 211 sq.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 45,

II. ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEEDINGS.
This title is suggested for the purpose of bringing to
gether the extensive and widely distributed class of
records which, in themselves, are neither of a diplomatic
or judicial nature. At the same time ministerial atod
judicial records are frequently associated with diplomatic
instruments requiring a return for the information of the
Crown, or with a view to proceedings in a court of
justice. For the most part, however, these returns and
proceedings have become detached from the originating
writ and have come to be regarded as independent records
which elucidate many subjects of historical or legal in
terest. From this point of view the Administrative
Proceedings preserved amongst the Public Records can
be conveniently arranged in the following divisions : —
1. Accounts.
2. Surveys.
3. Nominal Lists.
A brief account of each of these is prefixed to the
respective classified lists in7the following pages.
1. Accounts
The Account may be distinguished among ministerial
proceedings by a precise and technical formula.1
The Account as an official document may be regarded
as normally the return to an originating writ, which is
often recited in the exposition. The relationship is
1 W. Cunningham, Industry and Commerce (3rd ed.) I, p. 232 sq.

46 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
easily seen in the case of an Exchequer " Summons," or
of an "Imprest" and "Assignment."
For the purpose of identification it is important to
note that an Exchequer account may pass through several
stages of presentment from the "Particulars" (serving
eventually as vouchers) to the " Original " account, with
its " inrolment," subject to an official " view," and
audit.1 It is also necessary to bear in mind the process of the
" Declared Account," 2 while in later times the " Journal "
and the "Ledger" follow the conventional procedure of
the counting house.3 Finally, there are the many forms
of compilation found in precedent books. It will be
seen from the following Classified List that these docu
ments are especially associated with the Exchequer and
Treasury, though from the end of the 17th century
onwards, Accounts preserved in the Public Departments
begin to occupy our attention. It is not always practi
cable to distinguish between original and inrolled
Accounts, but generally, the former are more detailed
and the latter more complete as an existing series.
The classes mentioned in the List include some irregular
forms and several series of duplicate accounts, which
may, however, serve to fill gaps. It will, of course, be
understood that the references given in the footnotes to
the Classified List indicate types which could easily be
multiplied. Classified List of Accounts.
{a) The Judicial Records.
Chancery "—Miscellanea (13-15 C), {passim); Proceedings (15-18
C), {passim).
1 For these see Hall, Studies, p. 307 ; Formula Book, Part II, p. 91 ;
Winchester Pipe Roll, Intro., p. ix, and Dialogus de Scaccario (Oxford
ed.), Intro, {passim).
"Public Record Office, Lists and Indexes, Vol. II, Preface.
3 Ibid., Rules and Schedules, pp. 343-344.
4 See also Special Collections (Ancient Correspondence). The Chancery
Masters' Documents are under arrangement.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 47
Exchequer (K.R.)— Miscellanea (13-15 C), {passim); Exchequer
Accounts (13-16 C.) -,1 Miscellaneous Books (17-19 C), {passim) ;
Subsidies (Lay and Clerical), (13-16 C.) ; Accounts of Land and
Assessed Taxes (1688-1830).
Exchequer (L.T.R.) 2— Chancellor's Rolls (H. II— W. IV) ; Exannual
Rolls (E. I— G. Ill); Foreign Accounts3 (E. Ill— W. IV) ; In-
rolled Accounts (H. Ill— C. I) ; Memoranda Rolls (H. III-s.) ;
Miscellaneous Books {passim) ; Miscellaneous Rolls {passim) ;
Pipe Rolls (H. I— W. IV).
Exchequer (R.) — Auditors' Account Books (1782-1834) ; Issue Rolls
and Books * (H. Ill— W. IV) ; Miscellaneous Rolls {passim) ;
Miscellanea {passim) ; Receipt Rolls and Books 5 (H. Ill — 1834) ;
Tellers' Rolls (H. IV— C. I) ; 6 Treasurer's Accounts (E. I—
H. VII).
Exchequer (T.R.) — Miscellaneous Books (14-16 C), {passim).
Exchequer (A.O.)— Stannary Rolls (E. I — P. and M.) ; Miscellaneous
Books (13-17 C.) ; Treasurer's Accounts (28 H. VIII— i Mary).
Exchequer (F.F. and T.)— Receivers' Accounts (H. VIII— W. IV).
Exchequer (L.R.D.) — General Accounts (C. II— W. IV) ; Receivers'
Accounts (H. VIII— 1832); Views of Accounts (H. VIII— 1832) ;
Miscellaneous Books (16-19 C), {passim) ; Auditors' Memoranda
(H. VIII— 1832).
Duchy of Lancaster 7 — Accounts Various ; Miscellanea ; Miscellane
ous Books {passim).
Duchy of Cornwall 8 — See Exchequer K.R. and A.O.
Palatinate of Durham — Auditors' Records (14-19 C), {passim).
Palatinate of Ely — {See below, p. 78.) 9
Palatinate of Chester ' — Miscellanea (14 C.-s-), {passim).
Principality of Wales7 — Miscellanea (14-19 C), {passim).
1 Public Record Office, Lists and Indexes, No. XXXV. There are
separate lists for Customs, Subsidies, etc.
2 The principal classes only are mentioned here. There are many
series of Subsidiary Accounts.
3 Lists and Indexes, No. XI.
4 Supplying gaps in the preceding series.
5 Pells' and Auditors' Series.
6 Supplying gaps in the preceding series.
''See also below, under "Special Collections "-
8 The Duchy Records have been regarded as of a public nature and
some have been transferred to the Record Office with Exchequer Records ;
cf. 1914 Report, Appx. (II), p. 173.
9 These are Public Records which might be brought in by Warrant
at any time.

48 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
Court of Wards, etc. — Feodaries' Accounts (Eliz. — C.I); Receiver-
Generals' Accounts (H. VIII — C.I); Miscellaneous Records
(Eliz.— C.I), {passim); Books of Arrears (H. VIII— J. I);
Views of Accounts (H. VIII— C. I) ; Miscellaneous Books
(H. VIII— C. I), {passim).
Court of Requests — Proceedings (H. VIII — C. I), {passim).
Court of Star Chamber — Proceedings (H. VIII — C. I), {passim).
High Court of Admiralty J — Instance and Prize Records (17-19 C),
{passim) ; Prize Appeal Records (17-19 G), {passim).
Special Collections — Ancient Correspondence 2 {passim) ; Declared
Accounts 3 (H. VIII— G. IV) ; Ministers' Accounts (13-1 5 C).
{b) State Papers.
Letters and Papers, Henry VIII (1509-47).
State Papers Domestic (1 547-178 1).4
State Papers Supplementary (16-17 C).
State Papers Foreign6 (1 547-1 782).
Home Office Records (1781-9-).
Foreign Office Records6 (1781-?-).
Colonial Office Records6 (1574-*).
(c) Departmental Records.
Admiralty' — Secretary's Department, Miscellanea, etc. (1673-*).
Accountant-General's Department8 — Accounts (Treasurer's), (1681-
1822) ; Accounts (Various), (1673-1836) ; Accounts (Bill
Books), (1642-1831) ; Accounts (Treasurer's Ledgers), (1660-
1836) ; Miscellanea (1658-*).
Victualling Department, Accounts (1660-1831).
Marine Office, Accounts (1702-1831).
Greenwich Hospital — Accounts (Various, e.g. Treasurer's, Re
ceivers, and Household), (1700-0-); Treasurer's Ledgers
(1695-8*) ; Northern Estates Ledgers (1734-^).
* e.g. Inventories of Ships and Cargoes.
2 See above, Chancery, to which this class actually belongs.
3 See above, Exchequer, to which this series actually belongs.
4Generai Correspondence, Entry Books, and Commonwealth Com
mittees. 6 e.g. Fee Books, Secret Service, Messengers, and Legation Expenses.
6 Fee Books, Audit Books, Colonial Revenue Accounts, etc.
7 There are also series of Accounts of considerable extent in naval
dockyards. (Second Report of Royal Commission on Public Records,,
Appx., p. 229 sq.)
3 Chiefly used as nominal indexes.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 49
Chatham Chest Accounts (1653- 1799).
Exchequer and Audit Department l— Accounts Various 2 (1530-9.).
Board of Trade (Commercial Series), (18-19 C); African Accounts
(1771-1805) ; Customs and Excise, Imports and Exports Accounts,
etc. (1780-1822).
Lord Chamberlain's Department 3 (1483-*).
Customs and Excise Office4 — Accounts (1696-9-).
Ecclesiastical Commission6 (13-19 C).
Paymaster-General6 (1757— >).
Lord Steward's Department 7 (1641-*).
Treasury Board Records8 — Accounts9 (1 558— >) ; Accounts Various
(17-19 C); Papers (1547-9-); Declarations (Pells' and Auditors')
(1636-1793)-
War Office Records — Accounts10 (1679-*-); Ordnance Accounts11
(16-19 C.) ; Commissariat Accounts 12 (1782-9-).
Office of Works — Accounts (1660-9-).
Archives of expired Commissions or Committees transmitted to or in
corporated in the Departmental Records.13
1 See also Special Collections for Declared Accounts.
2 Including series cognate to the Declared Accounts ; but the col
lection is now very imperfect.
3 e.g. Jewels and Plate, Great Wardrobe, Salaries, Palaces, Coro
nations, Funerals, Marriages, etc., some miscellaneous accounts may also
be found amongst the series of " Papers " in this collection.
4 e.g. Inspector-General's Accounts of Imports and Exports, Ledgers
of Imports and Exports, States of Revenue. For the important records
still preserved at the Custom House, see Second Report of Public Records
Commission, Part II, pp. 237 sq.
6 Ministers' Accounts for the episcopal manors, etc.
6 The Pension and Half- Pay Lists of this Department are chiefly used
as nominal indexes.
7 e.g. Accounts (Comptroller and Lord Steward), Ledgers, Bill Books,
Kitchen Books, and series of inrolments.
8 Including Lowndes Papers and other miscellaneous series.
9 Accounts, General, Various, and Departmental. Pubhc Income and
Expenditure books, 1689- 1800.
10 e.g. Tabular Accounts, Militia Accounts (1780-9-), Yeomanry
Ledgers (183 1-9).
11 e.g. Debentures, Ledgers, Bill Books, and Miscellanea.
12 e.g. Ledgers, Abstracts, etc.
13 e.g. Bouillon Correspondence (H.O. and F.O.); Commission on Prince
of Wales Debts, etc. (H.O. Various) ; Levant Co. Ledgers, etc. (S.P. Foreign
E

50 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
Collections deposited in the Public Record Office — Chatham Papers '
(18-19C); Shaftesbury Papers * (17-18 C.) ; Manchester Papers »
(H.VIII— G. III).
2. Surveys.
The Ministerial Proceedings included under the
above heading are of a somewhat miscellaneous nature :
but however much they may differ in origin and form,
they have this in common, that they furnish information
as to the extent and contents of certain property, whether
it be land or chattels or some such intangible possession
as an invention.
It has been previously observed that certain adminis
trative proceedings might also be regarded as being in
the nature of judicial proceedings. It is true that the
usual process by which information was obtained in the
mediaeval period was by impanelling a jury, but these
quasi-judicial functions have been gradually transferred
to officers whose activity is purely ministerial.
Among the State Papers and Departmental Records
there are many documents, in the form of official de
scriptions or returns, which differ materially from the
returns brought into the Chancery during an earlier
period.3 These types cannot be noticed in detail until
the records have been adequately listed.
Misc.) ; French Emigre" Establishment Books (F.O.) ; Accounts and
Ledgers for Tangiers and Ceylon (CO. Entry Books) ; Treasury Records :
Slave Compensation, 1870-40; Commissioners of Forfeited Estates,
1716-25; African Company, 1660-1830; American Loyalists' Claims,
1783-1803; French Refugees' Relief Committee, 1789-1803.
1 A few odd Declared Accounts, etc.
2 e.g. Household Books, 16th century.
3 e.g. Inquests, extents, rentals, awards, particulars, descriptions,
and valuations of lands, buildings, stock, goods, etc. Since this was
written the first two volumes of a valuable Calendar of Chancery Mis
cellaneous Inquisitions have been published.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS Si
Classified List of Surveys.
(a) Judicial Records.
Chancery — Charitable Uses, Proceedings of Commissioners for1
(Eliz.— G. Ill) ; Close Rolls (1756-3.) ;2 Inquisitions Ad Quod
Damnum (H. Ill — R. Ill);3 Inquisitions, Miscellaneous (13-
1 5 C.) ; Inquisitions Post Mortem (H. Ill — C. I) ; Specifications 4
and Surrender Rolls (1709-9-) ; Surveys of Church Livings
(Commonwealth) ; Miscellanea.6
Chancery (Cr.O.) — Commissions, etc.6 (Anne — W. IV).
Chancery (P.B.O.) — Chancery Files {passim), (1598-*-); Inquisi
tions (Lunacy), (C. I-*-) ; Special Commissions (J. I — Vict.).7
Exchequer — Miscellanea ( passim).
Exchequer of Pleas — Plea Rolls (1771-1832).8
Exchequer (K.R.)— Escheators' Files (H. I— R. Ill) ; Exchequer
Proceedings (H. Ill — Anne) ; Exchequer Extents (13-17 C.) ;
Extents of Alien Priories (22 E. I — 22 E. IV) ; Forest Pro
ceedings (H. Ill — Cmnwlth.) ; Inquisitions Post Mortem (H. Ill
— J. I) ; Inventories of Church Goods (E. VI) ; Inventories of
Goods, etc., of Attainted Persons, etc. (John — C. I) ; Knights'
Fees, Return of (H. II— C. I) 9 ; Memoranda Rolls (1216-9-) 10 ;
Nonae Rolls (1340-2) ; Particulars for Grants of Crown Lands
(H. VIII — C. II) ; Special Commissions of Inquiry (Eliz.-9-) u ;
Miscellaneous Books12 (13-17 C).
1 Inquisitions, etc., of Commissioners appointed to enquire into
abuses. As to these see below, p. 106.
2 Contain Inclosure Awards from 1756.
3 For later years filled with Inquisitions P.M. and from James I with
P.B.O. Chancery Files.
4 Rolls Chapel and P.B.O. Series.
6 Include Inquisitions respecting Depopulation (Hen. VIII).
6 For fortifying docks and harbours at Portsmouth, Chatham,
Plymouth, etc.
7 Referring, inter alia, to Aliens, Concealed Lands, Depopulation,
Derelict Lands, Forfeitures, Lands given to Superstitious Uses, Per
ambulations of Forests.
8 Inclosure Awards from 1771-1832. 9 See Descriptive List (MS.).
10 e.g. Special Commissions of Inquiry and, from 1817, Inclosure
Awards. 11 e.g. Boundaries, Concealed Lands, Marsh Lands, Mills, Posses
sions of Persons Attainted, Sea Banks, Tithes, Woods.
12 e.g. Breviate of Domesday, Testa de Nevill, Taxatio Ecclesiastica,
Transcript of Kirkby's Quest, various Surveys of Manors, etc.

52 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
Exchequer (L.T.R.)— Memoranda Rolls (1216-1835)1 ; Particulars
for Leases (Eliz.— G. IV) ; Miscellaneous Rolls2 (13-14 C).
Exchequer (T.R.)— Domesday Book < 1 086) 3; Forest Proceedings
(H. Ill— C. II) ; Miscellaneous Books4 (13-18 C).
Exchequer (A.O) — Particulars of Concealed Lands (Eliz.) ; of Crown
Lands (H. VIII— C. I) ; of Grammar Schools (1551-2); for
Leases (H. VIII — J. I) ; for Sale of Crown Lands, and "Parlia
mentary Surveys" (Cmnwlth.); Miscellaneous Books6 (13-16 C).
Exchequer (F.F. and T.) — Liber Decimarum (1709); Valor Ecclesi-
asticus (H. VIII) 6 ; Miscellaneous Books 7 (16-19 C).
Exchequer (L.R.) — Inrolment Books (1536-1832)8; Particulars for
Grants (H. VIII— G. II); Miscellaneous Books9 (H. VIII— 1832).
King's Bench— Plea Rolls (1760-9.).10
Common Pleas — Recovery Rolls (i762-s»).19
Court of Wards and Liveries (H. VIII — C. I) — Extents ; Inquisitions
Post Mortem n ; Particulars for Leases ; Miscellaneous Books.12
Chester, Palatinate of — Forest Rolls (1271-1503); Inquisitions Post
Mortem, etc. (E. Ill— C. I).
Cornwall, Earldom and Duchy of 13 — Assession Rolls (E. Ill— J. I);
"Captio Seisinae Ducatus Cornubiae" (11 E. Ill); Miscel
laneous Accounts and Papers (E. Ill — C. II)14; Miscellaneous
Rolls (E. I— C. I).14
1 e.g. Special Commissions of Inquiry with Returns.
2 e.g. Nomina Villarum (13 16).
3 Also an Abbreviation (12 G). Another copy (13 C.) is in K.R.
4 e.g. Inventories of Stores, Plate, Jewels, etc, transcripts from
Kirkby's Quest, Testa de Nevill, etc.
6 e.g. Surveys, Rentals, Valors, Inventories, Particulars for Leases,
etc. 6 Also volumes of extracts {Liber Valorum), transcripts {Liber Regis),
and abstracts.
7 Include Valuation of Province of Canterbury, 1586.
8 e.g. Inquisitions, Surveys, etc.
9 e.g. Surveys, Rentals, Inventories, Particulars for Sales, etc.
10 Inclosure Awards.
11 Duplicates of Chancery Series returned into Court of Wards.
12 e.g. Surveys, Valuations, etc.
13 With the exception of " Captio Seisinae Ducatus Cornubiae," which
is among K.R. Records, documents mentioned are among A.O. Records.
See also A.O. Misc. Books, 15, 17, and 78.
14 e.g. Articles of inquiry as to customs of manors, etc.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS S3
Durham, Palatinate of— Decree Book, vols. 1-4 (17-18 C.)1 ; Extents
(J. I) ; Inquisitions Post Mortem (1318— C. I).
Lancaster, Duchy of— Extents for Debt (Eliz.— C. II); Forest Pro
ceedings {passim), (H. Ill— G. Ill) ; Inquisitions Post Mortem
(H. Ill— C.I); Maps and Plans (Eliz.— G. Ill) ; 2 Rentals and
Surveys (13-17 C.) ; Special Commissions and Returns (Eliz.—
G. Ill) ; Surveys (Parliamentary), (Cmnwlth.) ; ' Miscellanea4
{passim) ; Miscellaneous Books 6 {passim).
Lancaster, Palatinate of— Inquisitions (Lunacy), (C. II — W. IV) ; In
quisitions Post Mortem (H. IV— H. VIII).
Wales and Chester — Inclosure Awards (1741-1811).
Special Collections— Hundred Rolls (H. Ill— E. I) ; Ministers' Ac
counts (13-17 C.) ; Rentals and Surveys (14-17 C).
{b) State Papers.
S.P. Dom. — General Correspondence6 (1509-1781); Committee for
Compounding with Delinquents7 (1643-60); Commonwealth
Exchequer Papers (1642-60) ; Maps, Plans, and Charts.
S.P. For. and S.P. Supplementary.8
{c) Departmental Records.9
Admiralty (Secretary) — Miscellanea {passim), (18-19 C).
Admiralty (Accountant-General) — Miscellanea {passim), (1673-1836) ;
Ships' Logs (Explorations), (18-19 C.).
Admiralty (Navy Board) — Miscellanea10 (1660-1832).
Admiralty (Greenwich Hospital) — Miscellanea11 (1694-9-).
Admiralty (Controller of the Navy) — Miscellanea9 ( 1 689-9-).
1 Contain Inclosure Awards.
2 Relating to Extents, etc.
3 Chiefly transcripts of those among A.O. Records.
4 e.g. Inquisitions, Inventories, etc.
5 e.g. The Great Cowchers, containing, inter alia, Perambulations
of Forests, Rentals, Surveys, etc. For John of Gaunt's Register (Misc.
Books 13 and 14), see R. Hist. Soc, Camden, 3rd Series, Vols. XX and
XXI. 6 Surveys of Forests, Crown Lands, Navy, etc.
7 Royalist Composition Papers — Surveys.
8 Maps, plans, etc.
9 For other Departmental Records, not yet transferred to the Public
Record Office, see 191 4 Report {passim).
10 Surveys of Ships and Stores.
11 Surveys of Derwentwater Estates and Rentals of Greenwich Estates.

54 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
Colonial Office — Original Correspondence (various Colonies) !
(1574-*).
Ecclesiastical Commission — Rentals of Manors (13-19 C).
Treasury— Maps and Plans (1783-*-) ; Miscellanea2 (17-19 C).
War Office — Miscellanea, Various3 (17-19 C.).
War Office (Ordnance)— Miscellanea3 (1570-9-).
Office of H.M. Woods, etc. — Records of Surveys of Forests, etc.
(17-19 C.).4
Board of Agriculture and Fisheries — Tithe Maps, etc. (1836-*-). 6
Abolished Offices and expired Commissions.
Commissioners of Forfeited Estates — Rentals, etc. (1716-25).
Royal African Company — Detached Papers6 (1672-1821).
Documents deposited in the Archives — Shaftesbury Papers6 (17 C);
Rodney Papers7 (18 C).
3. Nominal Lists.
Under this head we include Muster Rolls, Pay Lists,
Establishments, and other contemporary lists of names
of persons officially compiled, together with such files,
inrolments or books, as serve a similar purpose.
. The first difficulty is in deciding what to regard as
Nominal Lists, and what to exclude as properly belonging
to some other category ; for while most records mention
names, some give them almost seriatim or in conspicuous
abundance. Diplomatic Documents yield names, sporadically, as
Originals, while the Chancery Inrolments are an ack
nowledged source of biographical information and supply
names of persons in great variety.8 Amongst Ministerial
Proceedings we find that Nominal Lists occur frequently
in such classes as Accounts and Surveys,8 Inquisitions,
'African Exploration, Indian Surveys, Jesuits' Estates, Plantation
Surveys, Maps and Plans.
2 e.g. Records of expired Commissions: Slave Registration, etc.
3 Various surveys.
4 See, for Records preserved in H.M. Office of Woods, etc., Second
Report of Public Records Commission (1914), Part II, pp. 248 sq.
6 See ibid., pp. 254-255. " Inventories and Surveys.
7 St. Eustatius captures. 8 See Classified List below.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 55
and Assessments. Among Judicial Proceedings, described
below, records of Pleadings provide names sporadically,
Judicial Inquisitions give lists of names, and subsidiary
Judicial Records include large numbers of documents
which are actually or practically Nominal Lists, though
often of but slight historical value,^ e.g. Attorneys' and
SoUcitors' Oath Rolls, Files and Registers of Articles of
Clerkship, Jury Lists, Lists of Prisoners and Convicts,
Essoin Rolls.
The following List, therefore, includes not only records
which furnish strings of names, but also such as contain
persistent references. A further difficulty, however,
arises in deciding what to exclude on the ground that
the documents are not of historical, though possibly of
genealogical value. We have here excluded isolated
specimens of unimportant documents, as well as records,
which, though numerous or complete and useful for
family history and biography, are of slight historical
value, e.g. Recognizances, Sacrament Certificates, Par
dons, Sequestrations, lists of Petty Jurors, Outlaws
and Prisoners, Grand Jurors, Attorneys, Solicitors, In
formers, and Convicts.
Finally, an immense mass of Pay Books, Pay Lists,
etc., among the records of the Administrative Depart
ments, has had to be dismissed with merely a passing
reference, although these are largely used by genealogists
and military and naval historians or biographers.
As regards the distribution of these Nominal Lists,
considerable numbers of them, often extending back to
the 13th century, are found among the Judicial Records,
sometimes in most unlikely documents.
The records of the Chancery and Exchequer and
their sub-departments will prove a fruitful source of
information. State Papers, and especially the Domestic series,
include large numbers of Nominal Lists, similar to those

56 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
mentioned above, while a still larger number is contained
in the records of the modern Departments, the historical
value of which is becoming increasingly recognized. An
attempt has been made here to indicate those most de
serving of examination by students of history.1
The Following: are the Chief Classes of Persons Pound
in these Lists.
Aliens and Travellers, e.g. Aliens, Hostages, Emigrants, Jews,
Naturalized Persons, Prisoners of War, Refugees, British Subjects abroad,
" Loyalists," Ships' Passengers.
Armed Forces of the Crown : —
I. Land Forces1 including Knights and Esquires, musters for
Military Expeditions, Mercenaries, Constables of Castles,
Garrisons, Officers and Soldiers of the Regular Forces, Militia,
Yeomanry, Volunteers, Foreign Troops.
II. Sea Forces and Shipping, including Navy, Mercantile Marine,
Coast Defence and Privateers,2 e.g. Officers, Sailors, Owners,
and Masters of Ships, etc
Disaffected Persons and Suspects, e.g. Commonwealth " Delinquents,"
Nonconformists, Rebels, Recusants, etc.
Ecclesiastical Persons, e.g. beneficed and pensioned, regular and
secular Clergy, etc.
Unofficial Persons in Fiscal Relationship to Government, e.g. An
nuitants, Assignees of Crown Revenues, Contributors to Government
Loans, Tontines, etc., Creditors and Debtors of the Crown or the Jews,
Dividend Holders, Grantees of Crown Lands or Leases, Pensioners, Tax
payers, etc.
Landholders, e.g. Claimants to and Holders of Liberties, Manors, etc.,
Cottagers, Encroachers on Forests or other I ands, Freeholders, Grantees
of Lands, Leaseholders and other Tenants, etc.
Nobles, Baronets, Knights, Ladies, Serjeants, and other persons of
social distinction.
Oaths, Persons bound by, e.g. by the Oath of Allegiance and
Supremacy, the Association Oath of 1696, etc.
Officials of all ranks and sorts, e.g. of the Royal Household, Central
1 The official documents above referred to include collections deposited
in the Public Record Office, and Indices, etc., compiled by various official
or private record searchers, past and present.
2 Also widows and children of soldiers and sailors.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 57
Courts and Departments, Local Courts and Governments, Channel Islands,
Forests, Royal Estates, Palatinates, Cities and Boroughs, Manorial Estates,
etc. Population, e.g. Colonists, Freemen, Inhabitants in the Census
Returns, Parliamentary Electors, etc.
Professional Men, e.g. Lawyers, Law Clerks, Schoolmasters, Univer
sity Students, etc.
Traders and other classes of economic interest, e.g. Artisans, Alehouse
keepers and Taverners, Bankers and Goldsmiths, Boatmen, Clothiers,
Cookshop Owners, Creditors, Debtors, Drovers, Freemen of City Companies,
Higglers, Labourers, Maltsters, Merchants (native and foreign), Sub
scribers to Lotteries and Tontines, Newspaper Owners, Owners of Horses
and Carts, Printers and Publishers, Serfs (manumitted), Servants, Slaves,
Slave Owners, Tin Miners, Victuallers, Vintners, Wool Merchants, etc.
Classified List1 of Public Records Containing: Materials
for Nominal Lists.
{a) Judicial Records. •
Chancery — Miscellanea2 (John — W. Ill) : e.g. Feudal Service, Docu
ments relating 3 to : Army and Navy,4 etc. ; Household and
Wardrobe, Works,6 etc. ; Wardrobe Books " ; Marshalsey Rolls
or Proffers of Service 7 ; Special Commissions ° ; Evidences,9
etc. ; Channel Islands, Ireland, and Wales 10 ; Forests n ; Foreign
1 The selection made here is only intended to be suggestive.
2 Exclusive of the unclassified documents " under arrangement ".
3 Lists of persons liable for feudal service, knights, members of Parlia
ment. 4 Returns, lists, wages rolls, certificates, schedules of persons subject
to feudal service, keepers of castles, garrisons, keepers of the coast, own
ers of horses, owners and masters of ships, sailors, arrayers, clergy, etc.
6 Lists, rolls, etc., of soldiers, sailors, workmen, purveyors, etc.
6 Payments to huntsmen, falconers, etc.
7 Rolls of military service, summons, and of proffers of service.
8 Owners of liberties or franchises, tin miners, offenders against
special jurisdictions, etc.
"Lists of knights, condemned Jews, etc. Pedigrees of various
families. 10 Rolls of Inquisitions of Jersey, Guernsey, and the Channel Islands
(E.I). Jury panels. Holders of concealed lands (H. VIII). Owners and
masters of ships. Tenants. Soldiers serving in France (H. VI), etc.
11 Names of foresters. Lists, returns, presentments of offenders against
the forest laws.

58 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
Merchants l ; Ecclesiastical Documents 2 ; Scottish Documents 3 ;
French Possessions 4 ; Foreign Relations.6
Chancery Inrolments6 — Bishops' Patent Rolls7 (G. I->) ; Close
Rolls (Supplementary),8 (H. Ill— H. VI) ; Fine Rolls9 (John—
C.I) ; Patent Rolls 10 (H. VII-9-); Scutage Rolls " (John— E. Ill);
Liberate Rolls 12 (John— H. VI).
Chancery — Parhamentary Writs and Returns13 (E. I->).
Chancery (Cr. Off.)— Docket Books14 (1595-1810).
Chancery (P.B.O.)— Miscellaneous Rolls16 (H. VIII— G. I) ; Admis
sions of Officers, Rolls of18 (Eliz.-s-) ; Certificates (Various)17 ;
1 Merchants, debtors, creditors, etc.
2 Clergy, beneficed aliens, etc.
3 Diplomatic representatives ; homage rolls, etc.
"Bordeaux officials; Calais wool merchants (E. Ill); Moneyers
(H. VI) ; Crown tenants (H. V.) ; Gascon notables (E. I).
6 Ambassadors, claimants for compensation, English and foreign mer
chants ; Scottish homages ; governors of Guienne and Gascony (E. I—
E. Ill) ; allies of Edward I, etc.
6 For the general contents of all these inrolments, see the official
Guide, pp. 26-41, and above, 6 (A).
7 Appointments of Bishops {see also Patent Rolls), and Customs
Officers {see also Fine Rolls).
8 Respites of knighthood ; Protections when on military service ; for
feitures ; passes ; foreign merchants issuing letters of exchange.
9 Appointments of sheriffs, escheators, customers, comptrollers,
searchers. Exemptions from safe conducts, etc.
10 Grants of offices, titles of nobility, ecclesiastical dignities, letters of
denization, etc. The names of successive office-holders can be obtained
from these records in the case of a particular office.
11 Military tenants.
12 Officials and others.
13 Returns of Knights of the Shire and Burgesses in Parliament.
14 Lords Lieutenants of Counties, Justices of the Peace.
16 e.g. Recognizance Rolls (H.VIII); Fealty Roll (Eliz.); Admis
sions of Masters, etc., of Chancery ; Pensions (C. I) ; Commissioners of
subsidies, sheriffs, and escheators, etc. (Eliz. — J. I).
16 Officers of the Chancery Court.
17 Keepers of taverns and cookshops, recusants and persons con
cealed, members of Parhament, Solicitors, and Attorneys admitted (G. I —
G. III).

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 59
Oath Rolls ("Association,"),1 (1696), (W. Ill); Oaths, Inrol
ments of"2 (C. II— Anne) ; Sheriffs' Rolls » (H. VIII— C. I).
Exchequer (K.R.)— Accounts, Various* (John— G. Ill) ; Alien
Priories, etc., Extents of6 (E. I— 22 E. IV) ; Forest Proceedings "
(H.III — C.I.); Serjeanties, Knights' Fees and Service, documents
relating to 7 (H. II— C. I) ; Miscellaneous Books 8 (E. I -9.) ;
Papists' Estates, Returns of, with Index (G. I) ; Licenses to
pass beyond the Seas" (Eliz.— C. II) ; Special Commissions10
(Eliz.-*) ; Subsidies (Lay and Clerical) (H. Ill— C. II) " ; (Certifi
cates of Residence (Eliz. — J. I) ; Victuallers' Recognizances 12
(Eliz.— J. I).
Exchequer (L.T.R.)— Miscellaneous Books 13 (C. I— W. IV) ; Miscel
laneous Rolls14 (H.II-s-); Castle Guard Rents (C. II— J. II) ;
Recusant Rolls15 (Eliz.— W. and M).
1 Members of Parhament, City Freemen, Civil and Military Officers,
Clergy and Gentry of England and Wales.
"e.g. Officers and men in the Fleet who had taken the Oaths of
Allegiance and Supremacy (12 C. II).
3 Lists of persons proposed as Sheriffs, showing those selected. A
later series is preserved among the records of the former Six Clerks' Office.
4 An extensive and important series. For a summary List, see Public
Record Office, Lists and Indexes, No. XXXV.
6 Returns of beneficed aliens.
6 Forest officers, claimants of rights in forests, etc.
7 Tenants by knight service, serjeanty, castle guard, etc. Lists of
knights' fees and of homage done. {See also above, " Surveys ".) Some
of these feodaries have been printed.
8 For list of Books in Series I, see official Guide ; for those in Series-
II, see official MS. Class List of Exchequer (K.R.).
9 Soldiers and others going abroad, to Ireland, New England, West
Indies, and elsewhere.
10 e.g. Owners of concealed lands, persons attainted, Crown debtors,..
etc. 11 These include " Hearth Tax Returns " and " Alien Subsidies ".
12 Names of victuallers, etc. Bonds given by persons not to kill,,
dress, or eat flesh during Lent.
13 Crown tenants, etc. Collectors of subsidies (J. I).
14 Lists of Jurors, Serjeants, Wards of the Crown, etc.
16 Names of nonconformists, with penalties incurred.

•So SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
Exchequer (R.) J— Miscellanea2 (1558-*) ; Miscellaneous Rolls3;
(H.III— G. Ill); Assignment Books (Goldsmiths'), Series I*
(1676-1713) ; Gentlemen Pensioners' Rolls (P. and M.— G. Ill);
Jews' Rolls 6 (John— E. I) ; Liberate Rolls 6 (10 H. Ill— 34 E. I).
Exchequer (T. of R.)— Miscellaneous Books 7 (H. VII— G. I) ; Black
Book of the Exchequer ° ; Forest Proceedings 9 ; Liber Me-
morandorum Camerarii 10 (E. Ill— H. VIII); Registrant Muni-
mentorum " (H. Ill— E. I).
Exchequer (A.O.)— Miscellaneous Books12 (H. III-W. III).
Exchequer (F.F. and T.)— Miscellaneous Books 13 (H. VIII-*-)
Benefices, Returns and Certificates of,14 (Eliz. — W. Ill) ; Bishops'
Certificates of Institutions and Livings14 (i553->); Composition
Books (Indexes),15 (1656-1798).
Exchequer (L.R.)16 {passim), (16-19 C.).
King's Bench (C.S.)— Oath Rolls, or " Swearing Rolls " 17 (1673-1837) ;
1 Names of officials will also be found in the Pells' and Auditors'
sPatent and Privy Seal Books {passim).
2 Including (subject to rearrangement) names of annuitants, pensioners,
¦(contributors to loans, informers. Compositions for knighthood,- 1630-32.
Index to Officers and Appointments, 1558-1837. Pay Lists of Gentlemen
•Pensioners, 1796-98.
3 Fines from persons trading without warrant ; from the religious ;
from the alien religious. Receipt Rolls, Rolls of Taxes (tenths, fifteenths,
etc.). Compositions for knights' fees (C.I.).
4 Goldsmiths or Bankers.
5 Tallages, fines, and amercements of Jews.
6 Names of Exchequer officials, Justices, etc.
7 Certificates of Musters and Monastic Pensions, Freemen of London
-Companies, Servants of the Royal Household, Grant of Crown Lands, etc.
8 Admissions of various officers of the Exchequer.
9 Forest officers, etc
10 Includes list of Goldsmiths temp. R. II, etc.
11 Includes submissions, homage, grants, etc., relating to Wales,
Gascony, and other countries.
12 Musters, grants of offices, pensions, advowsons, etc.
13 Lists of beneficed clergy instituted; clergy presented ; church digni
taries liable for first-fruits ; beneficed clergy and sequestered Cornish clergy.
14 Names of beneficed clergy.
16 Sureties for payment of compositions for First Fruits.
16 Tenants of Crown Lands.
17 Names of persons who had taken the Oath of Allegiance, the Sacra
ment and Test Oaths, the Association Oath, temp. William III, the
Naturalization Oath, 1-12 Anne, etc. See above, Chancery (P.B.O.).

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 6t.
Papists in Lancashire, Returns of (G. I) ; Essoin Rolls * (R. Ill —
G. III).
Common Pleas — Appointments of Filazers, etc.2 (1674-1831); Essoin
Rolls 1 (H. Ill— G. Ill) ; Oaths of Allegiance (Roman Catholic),.
Roll of (1 778-1829) ; Oaths of Allegiance (Clergymen), Roll of
(1 789-1 836).
Palatinate of Chester— Crown Books (Chester and Flint),3 (H. VIII—
W. IV) ; Essoin Rolls (Chester), (E. Ill— H. VII) ; Miscellanea
(E. II— W. IV).
Duchy of Cornwall4 — Exchequer T. of R. and A.O. {passim)?,.
(E. Ill— C. II).
Duchy of Lancaster — Accounts (Various),6 (E. I — G. Ill) ; Chancery
Rolls, Indentures, Leases, Homages, etc.6 (H. VI — E. IV) ; Pre
sentations7 (H. VI— E. IV); Forest Proceedings8 (H. Ill—
G. Ill) ; Knights' Fees, Returns, etc.,9 of (H. II— C. I) ; Mis
cellanea 10 (W. I->) ; Miscellaneous Books " (John— G. III).
Principality of Wales 12— Crown Books (Chester and Flint),13 (H. VIII
—W. IV) ; Ruthin Records14 (1722-98).
Special Collections — Ministers' Accounts15 (Documents subsidiary-
to), (E. Ill— E. IV) ; Declared Accounts (Pipe and Audit Office),
(H.VII— G. IV).16
1 Names of persons who excused themselves for non-appearance when
summoned by Writ.
2 Officers of the Court. For their duties, see official Guide.
3 Welsh Recusants, etc.
4 Returns of tenants, etc. cf. above, p. 52.
6 Annuitants and pensioners.
6 Feudal and other tenants.
7 Beneficed clergy.
8 Forest officials ; claimants to liberties, dwellers within forest bounds ;.
encroachers and other offenders against forest laws, etc.
9 Knights' fees, lords of manors, tenants, etc.
10 Bondmen (16th century).
11 Knights' fees ; recipients of grants, offices, manumissions, etc.
12 cf. Y. Cymmrodor (1910), p. 1 sq.
13 Lists of Welsh Recusants, etc.
14 Freeholders, etc.
16 Public Record Office, Lists and Indexes^ No.. VIII. Lists of credi
tors, tenants, etc.
18 cf. below, Exchequer and Audit Office.

62 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
{b) State Papers.
State Papers Domestic1 (1509-1781).
Home Office Records 2 (1782-*-).
Foreign Office Records3 (i782->-).
Colonial Office Records — Original Correspondence 4 ; Miscellaneous 8 ;
Entry Books 8 ; Board of Trade 7 ; General : Miscellanea 8
(I574-*)- (c) Departmental Records.9
Admiralty:10 Secretary's Department — Registers, Returns and
Certificates ; " Miscellanea 12 (i673->).
Accountant-General's Department — Registers13 (i65i->-); Mis
cellanea (Various),14 (1 668- 1 836).
Navy Board — Registers15 (1660-1830) ; Passing Certificates
(Indexes) (i69i->).
Victualling Department — Registers16 (1703-*).
1 Including the Proceedings of the Commonwealth Committees. For
special subject headings see official Guide, pp. 355-365.
2 Lists of immigrants, convicts, military officers, etc.
3 Ministers, consuls, and other diplomatic agents. (Some have been
edited by Prof. Firth and Mr. J. F. Chance.)
4 e.g. Colonial establishments, convicts, etc See Rolls, Calendars ;
C. M. Andrews, Guide (1912-14), and official histories of New South Wales
and South African Governments.
0 e.g. Lists of grants, acts, etc.
6 e.g. Emigration. See also Land and Emigration Commission,
1835-*. 7 e.g. Establishments, etc.
8 e.g. Returns of Colonial Appointments.
9 For Statutory and Departmental Registries, see 1914 and 1919
Reports {passim).
10 For further information see G. Fothergill, Records of Naval Men
(1910). 11 e.g. Officers' Commissions and Services, List Books (ships), Pen
sioners, Appointment Books, etc.
12 e.g. Lists of names of slaves, rebels, freemen, colonists, servants,
mariners, etc. ^
13 e.g. Ships' Muster Books and Pay Books, Salaries and Pensions,
Full Pay, etc.
14 e.g. Lists of Ships, etc.
16 e.g. Officers' Appointments, Description Books of Artificers, etc.
16 e.g. Pay Lists, Pensions, Musters, etc.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 63
Medical Department— Registers of Prisoners of War (1755-1820) ;
Registers (Various),1 (1778-1823).
Greenwich Hospital— Registers, etc.2 (1591-*) ; Miscellanea {pas
sim), (i639->).
Chatham Chest Records3 (1 653-1 799).
Exchequer and Audit Department — Accounts and Subsidiary Docu
ments * (1559— >).
Lord Chamberlain's Department — Registers5 (i64i->).
Customs and Excise Office — Establishment Books6 (1675-1829).
National Debt Office 7 (1733-89).
Paymaster-General's Department — Army "Establishment Books''
(1737-*); Navy "Establishment Books" (i836->).
Treasury — Registers 8 (1708-*).
War Office — Chelsea Registers (i8i4->) ; Establishments 9 (i66i->) ;
Muster Rolls and Pay Lists 10 (1758-*-) ;i Registers (Various) "
(i66o->) ; Army Lists12 (1702-*) ; Weeded Papers.13
e.g. Hospital Estabhshment Books.
* e.g. Officers and Pensioners, School Admission Papers, and School
Registers. 3 Registers of Payments to Pensioners.
4 e.g. Establishments, Foreign Troops, Yeomen of the Guard, Pri
soners of War, Contributors to Scottish Fund, Newspaper owners,
French Refugees, etc., etc.
5 e.g. Appointment and Salary Books ; Establishment Books of the
Household, etc. Similar lists may be found in the records of the Lord
Steward and the Master of the Horse.
6 Other early records are preserved in the Customs and Inland
Revenue Departments, cf. 1914 Report, Appx., pp. 127, 239-242.
1 e.g. Registers of Proprietors of, and Subscribers to, Life Annuities
and Tontines. Lists of Lottery Ticketholdersiare preserved in the Inland
Revenue Department.
8 e.g. Estabhshment Books, Treasury, Customs and Excise, Emigra
tion Lists, 1773-76.
9 e.g. General, Half Pay, Widows' Pensions, Foreign Military Pen
sions, etc.
10 cf. Public Record Office, List of War Office Records, Vol. I. In
troduction {Lists and Indexes, XXVIII). It will be seen from the Second
Report (1914) of the Public Records Commission, Part II, p. 211 sq., that
many records of this nature are still preserved in regimental depots.
11 e.g. Notification, Succession, and Description Books, Returns of
Officers' and Soldiers' Services, Casualty Returns, Embarkation and
Disembarkation Returns, Half Pay, Pensions, etc.
12 Manuscript lists, 1702-1816; printed lists, i754~>-
13 Selected from O.S. and other departmental papers. An index has
been printed for the War Office. Wills and reports |of marriages are also
occasionally found.

64 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
War Office (Ordnance) — Registers1 <i594->); Miscellanea*
(1570-3-).
War Office (Commissariat) — Registers1 (1798-*).
Expired Commissions,8 Archives of Treasury — Royal African Com
pany4 (1660-1830); American Loyalists and other Claims*
(G. Ill — W. IV); Forfeited Estates Commissioners" (1716-25);
Slave Compensation7 (1817-*).
Collections deposited in P.R.O. — Bosanquet Papers 8 ; Golden Grove
Book (18-19 C.)8; Manchester Papers10 (H. VIII— G. Ill);
Shaftesbury Papers n (17-18 C).
Modem Calendars, Indexes, and Lists in MS.12 — Agarde's Indexes ls ;
Le Neve's Indexes ; 14 Palmer's Indexes.15
1 e.g. Persons employed, Appointment Books, Pay Lists, Musters, etc,
" e.g. Lists of ships and gunners, 1 702-03 ; of landholders in George
Town, Honduras; Pay Lists, 1813-23, etc.
3 Most of these are now incorporated in the State Papers or in the
records of various Departments ; e.g. Colonial Office and Foreign Office.
{See 1914 Report, Appx., p. 267, and below, p. 171.)
4 Lists of passengers, ships' crews, freemen, servants, etc.
6 Including the Commissions for dealing with the American Loyalists,
Claims for Compensation, and the relief of French Refugees.
6 e.g. Popish Recusants, Rebels, etc.
7 Slave owners, slaves, etc.
8 e.g. Musters of Westminster Light Horse Volunteers, 1779-183 1.
9 A collection of Welsh Pedigrees (deposited by Lord Cawdor).
10 e.g. Lists of Colonists (17th century).
11 e.g. Military establishments, etc.
12 There is an Official List of this extensive collection.
18 A collection, with Indices Locorum and occasionally Nominum, of
Abstracts from, and references to, the Assize, Quo Warranto, Coram
Rege, and De Banco Rolls, etc., in 60 volumes.
14 Abstracts and Calendars with Indices Locorum (and occasionally
Nominum) referring to Feet of Fines and De Banco Rolls, etc., in 37
volumes. 15 Calendars, with Indices Locorum and Nominum, referring to the
Patent Rolls, Close Rolls, Inquisitions post mortem, and other Chancery
Records, in 153 volumes.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 65

III. JUDICIAL PROCEEDINGS.
Besides their obvious importance for the study of legal
history, the judicial records included in this section
are chiefly valuable for the light they throw upon the
history of public administration and, in the absence of
other adequate sources of information, upon contemporary
social conditions. Apart from this use, they serve chiefly
to provide material for occasional footnotes to history,
for genealogical study, and such bypaths of learning.
Their historical significance is greatest for the mediaeval
period and particularly for the early part of that period.
With the creation of a vernacular literature, and with the
accumulation of State papers and private correspondence
and memoirs, judicial records, ever growing in bulk,
lose increasingly their importance as sources of general
history. As more accessible sources, Law Reports have
the relative value of the early judicial Pleadings.
In the Middle Ages the Court constituted the ordinary
machinery for administering the country, from its
humblest aspect in the manor to its highest in Parliament j1
every side of the daily life of the community was re
presented in the judicial proceedings of the courts, but
with the decay of the manorial system at one end of the
scale and the rise of the Secretariat and Departments of
State at the other, the forms of administrative procedure
for the most part change and lose their judicial aspect.
The manor court has long been a mere survival ; Forest
Courts are for all practical purposes extinct; County
Courts,2 Hundred Courts and all sorts and conditions of
1 cf. above, p. 50.
2 i.e. under their ancient procedure.
F

66 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
local and special jurisdictions have been either swept
away or superseded by new procedure. The Justices of the
Peace, it is true, have not wholly lost the administrative
powers with which they were definitely entrusted from
the Tudor period onwards ; but, with the exception per
haps of the Commissioners of Sewers, the administrative
functions of no other judicial authority have been widened
since the close of the mediaeval period.
Importance must be attached especially to the records
of the actual judicial proceedings of the courts, namely,
the plea rolls or analogous documents. The subsidiary
documents are for the most part of minor interest;
some have been already noticed in another connec
tion. Of those classified here, special mention may
be made of the records of Fines which have a great
antiquity and are much used for topographical and
genealogical purposes.
The importance of the records of the central courts
diminishes with the period of the Year Books. With
the era of the modern Reports their interest is practically
confined to notable trials, though original research is still
necessary in the case of the records of the Ecclesiastical
and Admiralty Courts down to a comparatively recent
date. For an earlier period the records of Justices
Itinerant and other documents of the same class have
been found to shed new light upon economic and social
conditions, and the Assize Court records are a new
source of information for Local History. Again, the early
records of the Justices of the Peace are invaluable for
an adequate understanding of the position of the agri
cultural community in the period following the Black
Death, while the records of the Commissioners of Sewers
(now wholly preserved in local custody), besides their
value for historical topography, afford a considerable
amount of information as to local administration and its
relation to the central government.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 6?

i. Courts of Last Resort.
The history and procedure of these Courts in early
times, and the nature of their records, are still somewhat
obscure. In fact, since the Judicature Act of 1873, the
records are practically non-existent, their place being
taken by the Law Reports, since the Court below con
ducts its own appeals.1 In any case the later records
are not of immediate historical interest, though, for
the earlier period, those preserved at the House of Lords
and the Privy Council Office, together with the proceed
ings of the extinct Court of Delegates, are of considerable
value.2 To' these last might be added the cases heard
in the Exchequer Chamber 3 ; also in the Court of Arches,
if the official nature of the latter records is established.
The Classified List of these records has been much
abbreviated, in view both of the condition of the existing
lists and the relative unimportance of the modern records.
Classified List of the Records of Courts of Last Resort.
{a) House of Lords.4
Year-bundles and Journals (17 C.-s-).
1 Second Report of Royal Commission on Public Records, Appx.,
P- 133- 2 Ibid., Appx., pp. 90 sq.
3 For these, see below, King's Bench Records (p. 68 n. 4) ; but
the ancient departmental judicial committee, known as the " Court of
Exchequer Chamber" and the Chancery Appeal Court, between 1857
and 1873, are not included here, as the records are preserved with those
of the Courts of Exchequer and Chancery.
4 Viz. Common Law or Equity appeals by Writ of error or petition
and ordinary appeals since 1857 and 1873. These are preserved partly as
originals in the year files of sessional papers, and partly in the Journals of
the House {Second Report of Royal Commission on Public Records, Appx.,
p. 132 ; see also the printed official Calendars of House of Lords Papers,
and C. M. Andrews, Guide to Materials for American History in the
House of Lords, etc.).

68 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
{b) Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.1
Books, Registers, and Year Bundles (16 C.-*-).
{c) High Court of Delegates.2
Originals and Inrolments (16 C.->).
{d) Court of Appeal (Supreme Court of Judicature).3
Inrolments and Files.
{e) High Court of Justice 4 (King's Bench).
Miscellaneous Books ; Miscellanea and passim (16-19 C.).
(/) Court of Criminal Appeal.5
Registers and Files (1907-*).
2. Central Courts of Common Law and Equity.
A. The King's Court.
The nature and historical value of these records is
well known and reference is made to them in the pre
fatory note to this Section. Reference is also made to
certain outlying local records in Part II of this work
(Section I).
1 The judicial records are preserved in the shape of bound books of
Appeal Cases, as entries in the Registers of the Council, and in bundles
of miscellaneous papers {Second Report of Royal Commission on Public
Records, Appx., p. 92).
2 Established by Act of 25 Henry VIII c. 19 as a Chancery Com
mission to deal with ecclesiastical appeals hitherto heard in the Papal
Court. In 1566 Appeals from the High Court of Admiralty were taken
here. The Court was abolished in 1832, and its jurisdiction transferred
to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in 1 833. A summary list
of the records is in the Second Report of Royal Commission on Public
Records, Appx., pp. 91-2.
3 See above, prefatory note as to the records of this court.
4 Appeals from Inferior Courts ; Proceedings in Error ; Exchequer
Chamber Proceedings. Appeals since 1875 are transmitted from the
Crown Office.
5 The records (which are valuable) were preserved (in 1912) by the
Registrar {Second Report of the Royal Commission on Public Records^
Appx., p. 39). For earlier cases, see Home Office, Criminal Books, etc.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 6g
{a) King's Bench.
King's Bench (Crown Side)— Curia Regis Rolls (i 193-1272) ; Coram
Rege Rolls (1272-1702)1 ; Crown Rolls (1702-v-)1; Control-
ment Rolls (1272-*-); Indictments (E. I  9-) 2 ; Baga de Secretis
(1477-1813) 3 ; Posteas (1728-*) ; Rule Books (1589-=-).
King's Bench (Plea Side)— Plea Rolls (i702-=>) 1; Judgments, etc.,
Entry Books of (1699-s-) 4 ; Rules, Entry Books of (i6o3-#-).4
{b) Common Pleas.
Common Pleas — Placita de Banco or Plea Rolls (1272-v-)6; Fines,
Concords of (1558— W. IV) ; Fines, Feet of (R. I— W. IV) ; Fines,
Notes of (E. I— W. IV); Extract Rolls or "King's Rolls"
(E. I— H. IV); Posteas, Files of (1599-*-); Recovery Rolls
(' 583-5-); Remembrance Rolls (Prothonotaries'), (1524-1799).6
{c) Justices Itinerant, of Assize, of Labourers, of the Peace, and Oyer
and Terminer (including Commissioners of Sewers).7
Chancery (P.B.O.) — Miscellanea ; Laws of Sewers (1 599-1831).
Exchequer — Miscellanea.
Exchequer (T. of R.) — Miscellaneous Books.
King's Bench (Plea Side)— Writs and Returns (Ancient), (E. I— Eliz.).
Records of Justices Itinerant, etc. — Eyre Rolls, Assize Rolls, etc.
(J.— H. VIII) ; Gaol Delivery Rolls (E. I— Eliz.).
1 Coram Rege Rolls contain entries of all proceedings both on the Civil
and Crown sides. The Pleadings in Civil Cases were separated in 1702,
from which date the two series of Crown Rolls and Plea Rolls commence.
Some transcripts of early proceedings will be found in the Chancery and
Exchequer Miscellanea.
2 Include also Informations, etc., and early Coroner's Inquisitions, a
valuable series.
3 Records of proceedings in State Trials.
4 The Plea Rolls being imperfect for the period subsequent to George
II, these Entry Books are sometimes the sole record of the proceedings.
5 After 25 Eliz. Common Recoveries, Proceedings in Real Actions,
and Deeds Enrolled, are entered separately on the Recovery Rolls, prior
to that date these are entered on the de Banco Rolls.
6 Continued in the Secondaries' Series.
' As to these, see B. H. Putnam, Statute of Labourers, Placitorum
Abbreviatio, and 1914 Report, Appx. (II), p. 98. Mention should be made
here of the hitherto undescribed records of the Clerks of Assize (16-19 C),
and Central Criminal Court, the latter of which still possesses records of
earlier date than its reorganization in 1834.

•JO SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
B. The Court of Chancery (and its Departments).
The Records of the English Chancery on its judicial
side l fall into two classes, the records of the Court as a
Court of Equity and as a Court of Common Law.
(a) Chancery Proceedings in Equity.
The gradual and obscure development of the Court
of Equity makes it a matter of uncertainty from what
period to date its records, but these can certainly be dis
tinguished in or before the reign of Richard II. From
this reign there is an unbroken series of Chancery
Proceedings, growing more and more complex as time
went on.
The constitution and establishment of the Court itself
are clearly distinguished from those of the Courts of
Common Law, and the Chancery Records are associated
with the following functionaries.2
(i) The Masters to whom matters were referred for
report and who had the custody of all documents and
property connected with each suit.
(ii) The Six Clerks to each of whom certain cases
were assigned and under whose names the records are
still arranged.
(iii) The Registrars who were concerned with the
decrees of the Court.
(iv) The Accountant - General (now Paymaster-
General), who dealt with the Suitors' Funds from 1726
onwards. The records may be roughly divided into five classes :
Bills and Answers, Depositions, Affidavits, etc., Masters'
Reports and Documents, Accounts, and Decrees. In
addition to these there are the Registrars' Minute Books,
1 For the Secretarial activities of the Chancery, see above, p. 34.
2 Most of these are still in existence, but the Six Clerks were replaced
by the Clerks of Records and Writs now a department of the Central
Office of the Supreme Court of Judicature.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 7 1
and the Six Clerks' Cause Books and Bill Books, which
form a species of index to the records.
The subjects with which these documents deal are
very numerous, and the Chancery Records are specially
important for every aspect of social and economic history.
Among the earliest matters on which appeal was made
to the Chancery was the enforcement of verbal contracts,
and frauds of various kinds, for the redress of which the
process of the Common Law Courts was insufficient.
From the first, also, the Chancery took cognizance of
trusts, and, therefore, of all questions relating to chari
table endowments, marriage settlements, etc. ; similarly it
was concerned with actions on accounts. In addition to
these, fresh business continually fell into the hands of
Chancery as new circumstances arose, through legislation
or economic and political developments.
From the middle of the 17th century a great collection
of Documents began to accrue as unclaimed Exhibits ' in
various suits and these will some day form a new and
copious source of contemporary information.
Classified List of Chancery Proceedings in Equity.
Chancery Proceedings (R. II->).
Chancery Depositions (Eliz.->).
Awards and Agreements (1694-*-).
Affidavits2 (161 1->).
Registers of Affidavits (1615-1746).
Decrees and Orders (1545-5-).
Decree Rolls (1535-5-).
Docquets of Enrolled Decrees (1535-^).
Depositions, Town3 (1535-*).
Depositions, Country4 (1 558-1 714).
1 Documents of the Chancery Court and Chancery Masters.
2 Most of these have been scheduled for destruction. Though con
taining incidentally matters of historical interest they are not a profitable
source of reference, but the Registers are of more practical use than the
originals on file.
3 Arranged alphabetically.
4 Afterwards included in Proceedings.

72 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
Depositions, Unpublished (J. I— Vict).
Petitions— Lord Chancellers' Petition Books (1756— &•) ; Ordinary and
Appeal Petitions (1774-=-) ; Charity Petitions (1836-1845-9-).
Registrars' Minute Books (1630-9-).
(b) Chancery Proceedings on the Common Law Side.
Chancery, as a Court of Common Law, has a con
temporaneous existence with the Chancellor's Court of
Equity. Gradually, as the latter developed, it appeared
that certain cases within the jurisdiction of the Chan
cellor could and ought to be settled by Common Law.
These were not cases which came within the equitable
consideration of the Chancellor because the Common
Law had failed to find a remedy. They were suits com
menced by a writ, not a petition, and the forms of
Common Law were observed throughout. The records
date back to the beginning of the reign of Edward I.
The causes dealt with by this procedure included
pleadings on writs of Scire Facias to repeal letters patent,
etc. ; also an interesting class of cases relating to re
cognizances, including those made under the Statutes
Merchant or Staple.
The records generally issued from the Petty Bag
Office. The history of the Common Law Side of Chancery
has received little attention, but considerable historical
information may be obtained from this source. The
records themselves are classified simply as " Chancery
Common Law Pleadings," after the ancient title, Placita
in Cancellaria.1
Classified List of Chancery Common Law Proceedings.
Originals.1 Chancery (P.B.O., Tower and Rolls Chapel Series)— Proceedings
on Writs of Scire Facias, etc. (E. I -a-).
1 In three series extending from the reign of Edward III to that of
Queen Victoria.
2 Cf. D.K. 4 Report, Appx. (II), p. 113, and above, pp. 35-36.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 73
Inrolments. Chancery — Common Law Proceedings, Remembrance Rolls (Eliz. —
G.III).
Lord Chamberlain's Department — Recognizance Rolls1 (H.VIII —
G.III).
C. The Exchequer (and its Departments).
The judicial records of the Exchequer fall info three
groups 2 : (i) The records of Revenue causes, (ii) the
records of Common Law causes, (iii) the records of
Equity causes.
(i) The jurisdiction of the Exchequer in Revenue
causes is concerned with all matters arising between the
Crown and the taxpayer, or between the Crown and its
accountants. The traditional procedure was known as
the Cursus Scaccarii, a combination of Common Law
and Equity forms.
(ii) The jurisdiction of the Exchequer of Pleas began
from the end of the 13th century to compete with the
Common Law Courts, in spite of the efforts made to
restrict its activities to causes in which the King or an
Exchequer official was concerned.3
(iii) Although possessed of some equitable powers
derived from the Cursus Scaccarii, the Court of Ex
chequer did not assume a general equitable jurisdiction
until Tudor times. This equitable jurisdiction was
transferred in 1842 to the Court of Chancery. Appeals
on the Equity side lay to the House of Lords, and on
the Common Law and Revenue sides to the Court of
Exchequer Chamber.
A description of the Revenue Records of the Ex
chequer has been given above under the heading of
Administrative Proceedings (Accounts).
1 See above, p. 36.
2 W. S. Holdsworth, History of English Law, Vol. I, p. 198.
3Madox, History of the Exchequer, Vol. I, Ch. VI.

74 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
Classified List of Proceedings of the Court of Exchequer.
Court of Exchequer i— Miscellanea (13-15 C.).
Exchequer of Pleas— Jews' Plea Rolls (3 H. Ill— 15 E. I) ; Miscel
laneous Books (i6i6-») ; Plea Rolls (H. III->).
Exchequer (K.R.)— Ecclesiastical Documents2 (H. Ill— J. I) ; Entry
Books of Proceedings on Trials of the Pyx (1603-5-) ; Exchequer
Proceedings (H. Ill— Anne) ; Memoranda Rolls (1216-*) ; Mis
cellaneous Books (13-19 C.) ; Special Commissions and Returns
(Eliz.->); Bills, Answers, and Depositions (Eliz.->) ; Decrees
and Orders B (Eliz.-^) ; Depositions 3 (Eliz.->) ; Reports and
Certificates (1648-s-).
Exchequer (K.R., Revenue Side)— Miscellaneous Papers in Revenue
Cases (18 C).
Exchequer (L.T.R.)— Memoranda Rolls (H. III-s-).
Exchequer (T. of R.)— Miscellaneous Books (14-16 C).
Exchequer (A.O.)— Proceedings and Misc. Bks.4 (H. VIII— Ed. VI).
Exchequer (F.F. and T.)— Plea Rolls (P. and M.— G. III).
3. Ordinary Courts of Local Jurisdiction.
Generally, none of the records of these purely local
courts were transmitted to the repositories of the central
courts for custody, and the records mentioned below
must be regarded as a fragmentary and casual series.
It must be remembered, however, that even the records
of the King's Court were only extracted from the justices
with some difficulty ; and a great part of the proceedings
in Eyre or on Assize is missing, both for the earlier and
later periods. Similarly, although a certain portion of
the records of the proceedings of the Forest Eyres has
been transmitted into the Chancery and Exchequer, these
records are more rarely found in the later mediaeval
period, while from the 16th century onwards, they seem
1 For Court Rolls of Crown Manors or other Franchizes deposited,
see below, Special Collections and Departmental Records.
2 Transcripts of proceedings in various courts relating to ecclesiastical
matters, and of documents touching possession of Church lands and tithes.
s In several series.
4 Decrees, orders, and depositions of the Court of Augmentations.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 75
to have been retained by the Chief Justices in Eyre,
whose criminal jurisdiction, however, had already fallen
into disuse.
Specimens of other local judicial records, especially
for the coroner's courts, may be found amongst the Public
Records. Transcripts of others, such as County and
Hundred Courts, are occasionally found amongst the
County Placita (now described and classified as "Tran
scripts of Records "). The most numerous records of
local jurisdictions, those of the manor courts and other
franchizes, are dealt with below under " Seignorial Juris
dictions ". Classified List of Local Judicial Records.
{a) Coroners' Courts.
Chancery— Miscellanea (Transcripts of Records).
King's Bench (Crown Side) — Coroners' Inquisitions (1748-67) ; Coro
ners' Inquisitions on Prisoners (1747-5.) ; Indictments (13-19 C).
Records of Justices Itinerant, etc. — Coroners' Rolls (H. Ill — H. V).1
{b) Forest Courts.
Chancery — Forest Proceedings (C. I.) ; Miscellanea (Forests), (John —
H. VIII) ; Miscellanea (Transcripts of Records) ; Swainmote
Court Rolls (1 548- 1 639).
Exchequer (K.R.)— Forest Proceedings (H. Ill— C. I).
Exchequer (T. of R.)— Fore'st Proceedings (H. Ill— C. II).
Palatinate of Chester — Forest Rolls (1 270-1 503).
Duchy of Lanes. — Forest Proceedings (H. Ill — G. III).
Special Collections — Court Rolls 2 {passim).
{c) County and Hundred Courts.
Chancery — Miscellanea (Transcripts of Records).
King's Bench (Plea Side) — Writs and Returns (Ancient).
Special Collections— Court Rolls {passim).
{d) Inferior Courts of Record.3
Chancery — Miscellanea (Transcripts of Records).
King's Bench (Plea Side) — Miscellaneous Books ; Writs and Returns.
Special Collections— Court Rolls {passim).
1 Ed. Selden Society. 2 Swainmotes, woodmotes, etc.
3 e.g. Borough Courts, including Staple Courts, Courts Merchant, Courts.
of Piepowder, Stannary Courts, Courts of Survey, Courts of Liberties, etc.

76 select classified list of
4. Palatinate and Duchy Courts and Seignorial
Franchizes.
The various honours, liberties, or sokes, which have
at one time or another exercised an independent jurisdic
tion, would include several that no longer possess any
such rights. Amongst these there are still several sokes
or liberties which have a separate existence.1 There are
still more, however, whose special jurisdictions have
lapsed, or are represented only by an Inferior Court of
Record, or an archaic Manor Court. None of the above,
including the royal Honour of Peveril, have usually been
regarded as palatinates. That title is generally reserved
for the great honours annexed to the Crown, or resumed
in later times, excluding the exceptional jurisdictions of
the lords marchers.
It will be seen, from the classified lists which follow ,
that few records of these jurisdictions are now preserved
in official custody.
Classified List of the Judicial Records of Palatinate and
Duchy Courts.
{a) Principality of Wales2 — Decrees, etc. (A.— W. IV) ; Docket Rolls
(H. VIII— W. IV); Fines (E. VI— W. IV) ; Miscellanea" (H.
VIII— W. IV); Pleadings (W. Ill— W. IV) ; Plea Rolls3 (H.
VIII— 1830) ; Prothonotaries' Papers 4 (H. VIII— 1659) ; Ruthin
Records6 (E. Ill— C. I).
1 For the whole subject, see Webb, Parish and County, 313 -f?-
2 See Public Record Office, Lists and Indexes, No. XL. ; List of Re
cords of the Palatinates and the Principality of Wales, 1914, Introduction.
3 See Public Record Office, Lists and Indexes, Nos. IV. and XL.
The mediaeval records of the Justices of North and South Wales are in
corporated in the General Series of Assize Rolls, etc.
4 For these and similar records in the preceding class, see 1912 Re
port, p. 43, and Appx., p. 157 sq.
5 Now transferred to Special Collections, Court Rolls. For the later
portion of this Series, see 191 2 Report, Appx., p. 146 sq.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 77
{b) Duchy of Cornwall.
Early records were not preserved at the Duchy Council Offices in
London, as at the Duchy of Lancaster, but were deposited in
the Exchequer Treasuries at Westminster, and were merged in
the contents of those repositories, afterwards transferred to the
Public Record Office {see above, p. 47, n. 8). For the fate of
the records of the ancient Stannary Courts, see 191 4 Report,
Appx., p. 69. For the Departmental Records still preserved at
the Duchy Offices, see 1914 Report, Appx., p. 1731.
{c) Palatinate of Chester '—Calendar Rolls (E.I 1 1— H. VIII); Causes,
Papers in (H. VII— W. IV) ; Certiorari, Returns on (H. VI—
C. II) ; Coroners' Inquisitions (E. III->) ; Crown Books (Eliz. —
W. IV) ; Decrees and Orders (Original and Entry Books), (Eliz.
— G. IV) ; Depositions (16 C.-s-) ; Eyre Rolls2 (E. I— W. IV) ;
Fines, Feet of (E. I— W. IV) ; Forest Proceedings3 (H. Ill—
H.VII); Gaol Files, Writs, etc. (E. Ill— W. IV) ; Indictment
Rolls4 (E.I— H.VII); Mainprise Rolls (E. Ill— H. VIII) ;
Miscellanea 6 (E. II— W. IV) ; Outlawry Rolls (E. IV— E. V) ;
Pleadings (H. VIII— G. IV) ; Pleadings on Paper (Eliz.— G. Ill) ;
Plea Rolls— Chester " (H. Ill— W. IV) ; Prothonotaries' Papers 6
(H. VIII— 1659); Quo Warranto Rolls4 (E. Ill— H.VII) ;
Rule Books and Minute Books (Eliz.— W. IV).
{d) Duchy of Lancaster7 — Affidavits, Reports, Certificates, Orders,
Petitions, etc. (Eliz. — 1800); Assize Rolls (E. Ill) ; Bills and
Answers, Depositions, etc. (H. VII-5-) ; Decrees and Orders
(E. IV-a-) ; Decrees (Draft), (H. VIII— G. I) ; Depositions, Ex
aminations, etc. (Eliz. — G. II) ; Miscellanea (14-18 C).
1 See Public Record Office, Lists and Indexes, No. XL. ; List of
Records of the Palatinates and the Principality of Wales, 1914, Introduc
tion. 2 See Public Record Office, Lists and Indexes, Nos. IV. and XL.
3 See also Exchequer (T. of R.), Forest Proceedings in Cheshire ;
Public Record Office {Lists and Indexes, No. IV.) ; Chester Eyre Rolls
{Lists and Indexes, No. XIV.) ; Duchy of Lancaster, Forest Proceedings.
4 Including Flint ; see Public Record Office, Lists and Indexes, No.
IV. 6 Proceedings of the Sessions and Exchequer of Chester.
6 For these and similar records in the preceding class, see First
Report of Royal Commission on Public Records, p. 43, and Appx. (II),
p. 157 sq.; (Ill), p. 131 sq.
7 For Courts of Great Barmote (Mineral), see below, p. 103.

78 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
Palatinate of Lancaster (Clerk of the Crown) — Assize Rolls 1 (H.VI-*) ;
Coroners' Inquisitions (C. 1 I — G. IV) ; Indictments, Writs of
Assize, etc. (H. VI— H. VIII) ; Indictments, etc. (H. VIII—
W. IV) ; Minute Books (Crown Office), (J. II-*).
Palatinate of Lancaster (Prothonotary) — Feet of Fines, Concords,
etc. (1362— W. IV) ; Fines, Enrolments of2 (Eliz.— W. IV) ; Plea
Rolls (H. IV-*); Remembrance Books (W. Ill— G. II) ; Ses
sional Papers3 (H. VIII-*).
Palatinate of Lancaster (Chancery) — Answers (E. IV-*) ; Appearance
Books (1641-1703) ; Bill Books (E. IV— 1734) ; Bills (H.VII-*) ;
Decrees and Orders, etc. (H. VIII — 1784); Interrogatories,
Depositions, and Examinations (Eliz.-*) ; Replications, Demur
rers, Exceptions, etc. (1601— *).
Palatinate of Durham 4 (Clerk of the Crown) — Indictments (1713-*-) ;
Indictment Books (1753-*) ; Minute Books (1770-84).
Palatinate of Durham (Prothonotary) — Declarations and other Plead
ings (C. II-*) ; Fines, Feet of (E. VI— 1834), Judgment Rolls
(H.VII).
Palatinate of Durham (Chancery) — Affidavits (Registrars'), (1657-*-) ;
Bills, Answers, etc. (Registrars'), (1576-*); Commissions, Inter
rogatories, and Depositions (Registrars'), (1560-*); Halmote
Court Books (1349-1619) ; Interrogatories and Depositions (Cursi
tors'), (1673-1768); Orders and Decrees, Entry Books of (Regis
trars'), (1633-*); Orders, Decrees, and Reports (Original),
(1613-1778); Significavits (1700-65).
In addition to the above the Bishopric of Ely was
virtually a palatinate by reason of the well-defined
Jura Regalia enjoyed by the bishop.5 Moreover, these
liberties were resumed by Act of Parliament, like those
of the Bishopric of Durham, the records being scheduled
for transmission to the Public Record Office, with those
•For early Eyre and Assize Rolls of County of Lancaster, see
General Series of Eyre and Assize Rolls (P.R.O.), Lists and Indexes, IV.,
1894. 2 Before 29 Eliz. the Fines are enrolled on the Plea Rolls.
3 These contain Original Issues, Affidavits, and other pleadings in
Common Pleas suits at Lancaster.
4 For these records, see Reports of Royal Commission on Public
Records (1910-1919).
5 Webb, op. cit. p. 310 sq.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 79
of Durham, under the Public Record Office Act of 1838.
This removal has not yet been carried out.1 In the mean
time the records are well kept, and are accessible, an
excellent catalogue having been prepared by the Epis
copal Registrar.2 As matters stand, they are practically
in the nature of local records, and will be mentioned as
such below.8
Classified List of the Records of Courts of Seignorial
Jurisdiction.4
Chancery — Miscellanea5 (13-15 C).
Chancery Masters' Documents 6 (14-18 C).
Exchequer (various Departments).7
Palatinate of Durham — Halmote Court Books (14-17 C).
Honour of Peveril — Pleadings s (17-19 C).
Departmental Records — Ecclesiastical Commissioners' Court Rolls
(13-19 C.) ; Admiralty, Greenwich Hospital, Court Rolls
(13-19 C).
Special Collections — Court Rolls9 (13-17 C).
State Papers (Domestic and Supplementary).10
1 See 1912 Report, Appx. (II), p. 15 ; 1914 Report, Appx. (II), p. 142 ;
and 19 1 9 Report, p. 20.
2 A. Gibbons (1891) ; see 1914 Report, Appx., p. 39. 3 P. 179.
4 Including franchizes annexed to the Crown lands and other franchizes
temporarily in the possession of the Crown. The latter class of records is
represented by deposits or exhibits, chiefly in connexion with feudal in
cidents. The complementary records should be found still in local
custody. They include many different types.
6 Chiefly transcripts of records returned for the information of superior
courts. 6 Some of these have been placed in the General Series (Special
Collections) ; others are still amongst these Documents which are not
open to inspection. {See 1912 Report, Appx. (II), p. 24, and 1914 Re
port, Appx. (II), p. 134.)
7 Numerous Court Rolls inrolled.
8 No early records of this Court have been transmitted into official
custody. The existing records are of purely local interest.
9 Including the series formerly preserved in the Duchy of Lancaster
and Palatinates of Chester and Wales. Those for the Palatinate of Ely
are still outstanding. {See Public Record Office, Lists and Indexes, No.
VI.) 10 Occasional specimens.

80 select classified list of
5. Courts of Civil and Canon Law.
Although the Probate and Divorce Court Acts of 1857
and 1858, supplemented by the Judicature Act of 1873,
consolidated most of the divergent jurisdictions in eccle-/
siastical causes, the ancient jurisdiction of the Admiralty
and Ecclesiastical Courts is still represented by a dis
tinctive procedure, and copious records based upon the
practice of the Civil and Canon Law respectively.1
A. High Court of Admiralty.
In the early mediaeval period the exercise of maritime
jurisdiction was closely supervised by the Crown, so
that records of cases during this period must be looked
for amongst the records of the Chancery and Courts of
Common Law. Eventually, a separate court to deal
with piracy and other maritime cases was established,
and, in time, became known as the High Court of
Admiralty.2 The period of its greatest expansion was
during the reign of Henry VIII, when separate records
began to be kept. Its jurisdiction consisted (besides
commissions of Oyer and Terminer for piracies, etc.) of
ordinary or Instance and Prize jurisdiction respectively.
Appeals in Instance causes went to the High Court of
Delegates, and from the latter to the House of Lords.
Now they go before the Judicial Committee of the Privy
Council.
B. High Court of Delegates.
During the mediaeval period the ecclesiastical courts
administering Canon Law were quite distinct from the
King's Court. A whole " hierarchy of courts " arose
1 See below, pp. 134 and 164.
2 The Court of the Lord High Admiral or his deputy had customary
jurisdiction defined in the reign of Richard II (Selden Society, Select
Pleas in the High Court of Admiralty, Vol. I, Introduction).

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 8 1
to deal with ecclesiastical causes, and final appeal lay
to the Papal Court. After the Reformation, while the
organization of the ecclesiastical courts remained the
same, the King replaced the Pope in cases of appeal.
For this purpose the High Court of Delegates was
created in 1533, and maritime causes were annexed to
its jurisdiction in the reign of Queen Elizabeth.1 In
1832 this Court was abolished,2 and its jurisdiction passed
to the new Judicial Committee of the Privy Council,3 but
most of its records were transferred to the Public Record
Office from the Admiralty Registry.
C. Ecclesiastical Courts.
The extent and nature of ecclesiastical jurisdiction
are described in the report of the Ecclesiastical Courts
Commission in 1883 (Historical Appendix); but it has
undergone considerable change since then. Testa
mentary and matrimonial causes were or could be
transferred from the Prerogative and Peculiar Courts to
the civil courts of Probate and Divorce from 1857, and
those jurisdictions were merged (by the Judicature Act
of 1873) in the High Court of Justice. These changes
have led to a considerable dispersal of the records. As,
however, the metropolitan records are not in State
custody, no classification of their contents will be at
tempted here, but the existing courts with their reposi
tories have been noticed in another part of this work.
Reference may also be made to the valuable materials
for this purpose in the Second Report of the Royal Com
mission on Public Records.* The procedure of the Courts
Christian is illustrated by many documents amongst the
Public Records, especially in the series of Chancery and
1 8 Eliz., c. 5. 2 2 and 3 William IV, c. 92.
3 3 and 4 William IV, c. 41.
4 1914 Report, Appx. (II), 91 seq. 199 seq.
G

82 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
Exchequer "Ecclesiastical Documents" and the "Signi-
ficavits " amongst the Chancery Files.1
Classified List of Records of the High Courts of
Admiralty and Delegates.
A. High Court of Admiralty.2
{a) Instance and Prize Records — Examinations (i 536-1 749); In
terrogatories (1546-1733); Libels, etc. (1519-1814); Sentences
(1643-*) 5 Instance Papers (1629-*) ; Assignation Boob
(1671-*); Act Books (1524-1786); Prize Papers (1636-*)^,;
Letters of Marque (1549-1815).
{b) Prize Appeal Records — Appeal Papers (1689-*) ; Sentences
1672-*) ; Assignation Books (1689-*); Acts (1689-1813).
{c) Proceedings in Vice-Admiralty Courts (1636-*).
{d) Oyer and Terminer Records (1 535-1834).
(e) Miscellanea (1547-*). B. High Court of Delegates.
Assignation Books (1650-1829); Examinations (1559-1735); Sen
tences (1 585-1757); Processes (copies of Proceedings), (1609-
1834); Acts (1538-1756); Cause Papers (1600-1834); Case
Books (1796-1834); Miscellanea (1636-1837).
C. Privy Council Office.3
Appeals (Papers, etc.), (1834-*).
6. Special Jurisdictions.
The Courts included in this division are those which
for some time exercised a jurisdiction independent of the
Courts at Westminster, exclusive of the Palatine juris
dictions which have been mentioned elsewhere.
A. Household Courts.
(a) The Palace Courts (Marshalsea, Verge, Palace and
Green Cloth). — The old Household Court (Placita Aulse)
was established as a Court of record under James I,
1 Trans, of Royal Historical Society, 3rd Series, Vol. VIII., p. 113.
2 There are many gaps in the series of these records, which comprise
numerous diplomatic documents. {See above, p. 29.)
3 See 19 1 4 Report, loc. cit

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 83
with the title of the Court of the Verge,1 this again was
reconstituted as the Palace Court in 1 630.2 The pleadings
in the Marshal's Court date back to the 13th century and
those of the Verge to the reign of James I. These Courts
were abolished in 1849.3
The Board of Green Cloth had practically superseded
the Marshal's Court for domestic purposes since the 16th
century, the Courts of Record above mentioned being
chiefly occupied with litigation carried on by local suitors.4
With the records of these Courts are associated those
transferred from the Marshalsea Prison. The surviving
records of the Board of Green Cloth are partly in private
custody, but a few will be found amongst the records of
the department of the Lord Steward of the Royal House
hold. Others of more importance seem to have been
removed and are now in the Bodleian Library.
(b) Court of Chivalry. — From the reign of Richard II
this Court has been merely the Earl Marshal's Court of
Honour for deciding questions of precedence and pedi
gree, especially the right to bear arms. Its functions
are exercised by the Chapter of the Officers of Arms
sitting in the Heralds' College, where the records are
preserved.5 (c) Court of Claims. — The various claims to perform
services, etc., at royal coronations were heard on these
occasions. It was by nature irregular and occasional,
and its proceedings are incomplete. Their interest is
chiefly heraldic and genealogical. Some records chiefly
1 21 James I, c. 23. 2 Pat. 6 Car. I, Part 9, No. 2.
6 12 and 13 Vict, c. 101.
4 Like the Courts of Conscience, etc., prior to the County Courts Act,
1846. •
6 The records of the Officers at Arms are regarded as being in their
custody as a professional corporation. The same claim is made by the
Household Troops as a matter of privilege.

84 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
in the nature of precedents are preserved in the custody
of the Lord Great Chamberlain at Westminster Palace.1

B. Courts Martial.
Like the Ecclesiastical Courts, the Courts Martial
occupy a somewhat anomalous position, having no re
lationship with the Common Law of the land.2 Their
procedure most nearly approaches that of the Admiralty
Court and the Courts of the Earl Marshal.3 The
authority for these courts was defined by statutes,4
and their jurisdiction is now supervised by the War
Office. In the case of Naval Courts Martial, the pro
ceedings have always been regulated by the Board of
Admiralty which succeeded to the office of Lord High
Admiral in 1689, and the records of the Naval Courts
Martial have also been preserved with the Admiralty
Records. On the other band, the decisions of the Military
Courts Martial have always been submitted to the
Sovereign by the Secretary of State for War, for approval1
and confirmation ; but the records have always been in
the custody of the Judge Advocate-General, in whose
office the surviving records were found by the Royal
Commission on Public Records.6
1 1914 Report, Appx. (II), p. 167. The proceedings of the Court of
the Lord High Steward are included among the records of the House of
Lords. 2 See Anson, Law of the Constitution (Crown), II, 182 and 186 n.
(3rd ed.).
3 See p. 29 n. and 1914 Report, p. 49 ; Appx. (II), p. 166 ; Appx. (Ill),,
p. 26. *cf Acts of 13 Car. II, c. 9, and 29 and 30 Vict., c. 109.
6 These date from the reign of Charles II, see Second Report of Royal
Commission on Public Records, Appx. (Ill), No. 21. They have now been
transferred to the Public Record Office. Some use seems to have been
made of these records by Captain H. James for his Collection of Cases
(1820).

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 85
C. Statutory Courts.
(a) Court of Requests. — This court was established
in the reign of King Henry VII for the relief of poor
debtors but was chiefly used by privileged suitors. It
was virtually abolished in 1641.1 For a description of the
procedure of the Court, reference should be made to the
authorities mentioned in the footnote.2
(b) Court of Star Chamber. — This Court was tradition
ally established in 1487 3 for dealing with local disturbances
and discontent. It was abolished in 1641.1 Practically
only the subsidiary proceedings have survived. For the
procedure of the Court reference should be made to the
authorities mentioned in the Introduction to the work
given in the footnote.4
(c) Court of Wards and Liveries. — This Court was
established in 15406 to administer the feudal Wardships
of the Crown and a year later6 it was empowered to
take cognizance of Liveries of Seisin.7
(d) Court of Augmentations. — This Court was erected
in 1535 8 to administer the estates of the dissolved monas
teries. It was dissolved in 1546, and reconstituted to
avoid conflict with the ordinary jurisdiction of the Ex
chequer.9 The new Court was abolished in 1554.10 In
the reign of Elizabeth a compromise was effected by
1 16 Car. I, c. 10. It was revived in 1660.,
3 Sir Julius Caesar, The Ancient State, etc., of the Court of Requests
(1596) ; Select Cases in the Court of Requests, ed. I. S. Leadam (Selden
Society) : Introduction.
3 3 H. VII, c. I.
4 Select Cases in the Court of Star Chamber, ed. I. S. Leadam
(Selden Society).
032H.VIII, c. 46. 633 H.VIII, c.22.
7 See Thomas, Handbook, p. 311 sq. 8 27 H. VIII, c. 27,
•Pat. 38 H.VIII, p. 5, No. 45- 10 J Mar-, c. 10.

86 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
which the Court became a department1 of the Exchequer,
dealing specially with the audit of the Land Revenue.
Its records are now classified with those of the Court
of Exchequer. (e) Court of General Surveyors. — This Court was
erected by an Act of 1541 2 for the administration of the
Land Revenue of the Crown. The Court was dissolved
by proclamation in 1546,3 and by Act of Parliament in
1 553-4 Thenceforth it was partly merged in the Aug
mentation Office of the Exchequer, but its main functions
were continued in the Office of Woods, Forests, and
Land Revenues, replacing the Surveyors-General of
Woods6 and of the Land Revenues.
(/) Court of First Fruits and Tenths. — Like the Courts
of Augmentation and General Surveyors, this Court,
which was erected in 1540,6 was dissolved by Queen
Mary,7 and, though revived in the next reign,8 became
practically a department of the Exchequer.9 In later
times it has been associated with the statutory authority
charged with the administration of Queen Anne's Bounty,10
which has still the custody of records.
(g) The Court of High Commission for Ecclesiastical
1 Augmentation Office. See Thomas, F. S., History of Public Depart
ments, p. 95 sq.
2 33 H. VIII, c 39. 3 Pat. 38 H. VIII, Part 5, No. 45.
4 7 Edw.VI, c. 2.
" As to the loss of these records, see Third Report of the Commission
on Woods, Forests, etc. (1787-*), p. 25. For further details of the
records, see Thomas, Handbook, pp. 266-7, and for the records still pre
served in the Office of H.M. Woods, etc., see 1914 Report, Appx. (II), p.
248 sq. 6 32 H. VIII, c. 45. 7 2 and 3 Ph. Mar., c. 4.
8 1 Eliz., c. 4.
9 Office of First Fruits and Tenths.
10 2 and 3 Anne, c. 20. The Office of First Fruits and Tenths was
abolished by the Act of 1 Vict., c. 20, and the records were deposited in
the Bounty Office, whence most of them have been transferred to the
Record Office.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 87
Causes.1 — As to this court, see the authorities given in
the Appendix. Its constitution somewhat resembles that
of the Court of Delegates. Besides the records men
tioned by various writers, some proceedings have been
preserved as returns to writs of Certiorari.
(h) The Council of the North. — Established in 1537,
and remaining in force till 1641. Much information as
to its powers and procedure has been recently discovered,
but no official records survive.2
(i) The Council of the Lord President of Wales and the
Marches.3 — Established probably before the reign of
Henry VII, and exercising an extensive jurisdiction
from the next reign to 164 1. It was revived in 1660.
Classified List of Records of Special Jurisdictions.
{a) Household Courts.— Marshalsea Court— Plea Rolls (E. I— H. IV).
Court of the Verge— Plea Rolls (J.— C. I).
Board of Green Cloth— Ld. Stewards' Records, Misc.Bks.(i598-i8i5).
Palace Court— Plea Rolls (1629-1849) ; Plaint Books (1686-1849).
Court of Chivalry— Chanc. Misc. Bdle. 6; S.P. Dom, 154, 185, 217
(R. II— C. I).
Court of Claims — K.R. Misc. Book, No. 2, Lord Chamberlain's Re
cords ; Lord Great Chamberlain's Records (H. Ill — G. V).
{b) Courts Martial. — War Office — Judge Advocate-General's Records
(C. II-*).
{c) Statutory Courts. —
Court of Star Chamber— Proceedings (H. VII— 1641).
Court of Requests— Proceedings, Misc. Books, 1-208 (H. VII— C. I).
Court of Wards and Liveries— Pleadings,4 etc. (H. VIII— C. I).
Court of General Surveyors — Proceedings,6 etc. (H. VIII).
Court of Augmentations— Proceedings, etc. (H. VIII— Eliz.).
Court of First Fruits and Tenths— Plea Rolls (H.VIII— J. II).
1 G. W. Prothero, Select Statutes, etc. : H. Gee and W. J. Hardy,
" Documents, etc., of English Church History ".
2 See R. R. Reid, Royal Historical Society Transactions (N.S.), XX.
3 See C. A. J. Skeel, The Council of the Marches of Wales, and Trans.
Cymmrodorion Soc, 1916-17 ; cf. 1912 Report, Appx. (II), p. 149 sq.
4 "Miscellaneous Books" {e.g. Nos. 84-113, 241, 244, 514-561).
6 cf. Miscellaneous Books (A.O.) Nos. 106, 130-133, 313B.

88 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF

IV. MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS.
In accordance with the structural plan of classification
adopted in this work, the present section contains docu
ments which cannot be classed in any one of the preceding
sections. From another point of view, such documents
may be regarded as not having an official origin ; that is
to say, they were not composed for the purpose, and
therefore in the form of Diplomata, Accounts, Surveys,
etc. Many of these miscellaneous documents were prob
ably deposited in the courts or with the officials them
selves ; others were compiled for the purpose of elucidating
the contents of the records. Of this nature are numerous
Lists or Indexes and similar compilations, together with
a quantity of semi-official memoranda. Finally, the
origin of a considerable proportion of these unusual
forms can be accounted for in connexion with the for
feiture of estates to the Crown or its debtors and
accountants. It would be difficult to compile a com
prehensive list of these miscellaneous records, but the
documents classified in the following list can be clearly
distinguished. There are, of course, others which have
no historical purport or interest. No attempt has been
made to indicate the precise distribution of these docu
ments ; but they appear to occur less frequently amongst
Central than amongst Local Records and most noticeably
amongst the Miscellanea of the Chancery and Exchequer,
the " Exhibits " of the Court of Chancery,1 and the State
Papers2 and Departmental Records in the shape of
" Inclosures ".

1 e.g. Chancery Masters' Documents and Six Clerks' Records.
2 e.g. State Papers Supplementary.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 89
Classified Types of Miscellaneous Records.
{1) Documents subsidiary to records.1
(2) Semi-official or private compilations connected with the elucida
tion of records.2
(3) Semi-official or private compilations unconnected with the custody
of records.3
(4) Original compositions or transcripts of a literary nature.4
1 Notes, Memoranda, and Reports other than those constructed
according to definite formulas.
2 Lists, Indexes, and Tables, but some of these are used as Nominal
Lists {see pp. 54-55).
3 Genealogies and political notes : Exhibits in Chancery suits and
Archives of forfeited estates, etc.
4 Histories, treatises, poems, diaries, etc.

PART II
LOCAL RECORDS

PART II.
A SURVEY OF LOCAL RECORDS.
I. Public Records in Local Repositories.
A. Descriptive Note.
Although by the provisions of the Public Record Office-
Act of 1838, reinforced by the Order in Council of 5 th
March, 1852,1 all the judicial and administrative records
of England and Wales were placed under the charge of
the Master of the Rolls, many of these have never been
transferred to the Public Record Office, and, in most
cases, there has never been any intention of removing
them from the local repositories. The records in ques-
are therefore still preserved in various provincial re
gistries or branches of the central courts or departments
in London.2 In addition to these, the documents pre
served in the ordinary Courts of Local Jurisdiction will
have to be considered here.
Some of the above records, such as those preserved
in the registries of the High Court of Justice, have merely
an official, legal, or personal interest, and, in most cases,
they are not preserved for more than a few years after
date.3 Others, however, are of early date and consider
able historical interest.
1 1912 Report, p. 3 sq., and Appx. (II), pp. 1-3.
z 1914 Report, p. 5 sq., and Appx. {ll),passim.
a 1914 Report, Appx. (II), pp. 133, 142, and Public Record Office
Rules and Schedules, 1877-1913, pp. 208, 210, 508.
(93)

94 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
The records of Special and Ordinary Courts of Local
Jurisdiction are less directly under the control of the
central authorities. These records are not actually of
much historical value, though County Courts and Coron
ers' Courts have some interest in connexion with the
earlier history of those ancient institutions.1 These
courts are enumerated in the Classified List that follows.
The most important of the local judicial records are,
undoubtedly, to be found amongst the municipal (Inferior
Courts of Record) and county (Quarter Sessions) records,
although both series are unfortunately incomplete. The
records of the local ecclesiastical courts and various
statutory committees or trusts will be referred to else
where.2 It was originally intended to compile a list of the
local authorities under the respective control or super
vision of certain Government Departments in an Ap
pendix, but although this is a subject of considerable
interest, the constitutional theory is sufficiently stated in
textbooks, whilst the official practice could scarcely be
ascertained without a formal inquiry, being probably
recorded only in departmental memoranda. Moreover,
it will be evident from the Reports of the present Record
Commission, that the Departments interpret these consti
tutional precedents in their own way.3 It will be seen that
Departments only have been included in the table printed
in the Appendix referred to ; but these appear to be the
most important for the purpose in view. Some of them
have jurisdiction over important and semi-independent
1 County Courts are nominally under the control of the Treasury, and
Coroners under that of the Home Office. Revising Barristers hand
over their records to the local authorities, by whom they are incorporated.
Police Court records are under the control of the Home Office, presumably.
2 See below, Sections II, and V to VII, inclusive.
3 cf. 1912 Report, Minutes of Evidence, Q. 1383; 1914 Report,
Minutes of Evidence, Q. 6852.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 95
branches in the metropolis,1 but only the local branches
have been noticed here. Amongst the Departments not
included in the list are a few which have some responsi
bility, legal or moral, for the custody of Local Records.2
The whole question of the actual responsibility of the
Departments for the safety and accessibility of their out
lying records is an important one for historical students,
and it may even concern the interests of the State, as
lately demonstrated in the course of the proceedings of
the Coal Mines Commission.3
B. Classification of the Records.
The whole of the local records preserved in these
Courts of Justice, Registries, or Public Departments
could doubtless be classified in detail on the system
adopted here in the case of other types of local records ;
that is to say, as Diplomatic Documents, Administrative
and Judicial Proceedings, and Miscellaneous respectively.
Such a detailed classification, however, cannot be at
tempted owing to the bulk of the records and the
general absence of official lists. Reference may be made
to the brief summaries of some of these collections in the
1914 Report.4
1. District Registries of the High Court of Justice.'
District Probate Registries.
1 1914 Report, Appx. (II), pp. 88-89.
2 e.g. The Treasury (County Court records) and other Departments,
e.g. in respect of the Public Record Office Acts of 1877 and 1898; as
to the Office of Works, the Patent Office, and the Registry of Friendly
Societies, see 19 14 Report, s.v.
3 Evidence, 6th March, 1919. e.g. the observations made by the
Chairman on the records of Inspectors of Mines.
4 Vol. II, Part II ; cf. 1919 Report, Part II, Appx. v.
5 Under the control of the Central Office of the Supreme Court of
Judicature and the Probate, Divorce, and Admiralty Division of the High
Court of Justice respectively. For their distribution, see the Law List.
As a rule only the Probate Registries contain early records.

96 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
2. Outstanding Records of Palatine Jurisdictions.1
Palatinate of Lancaster.2
Palatinate of Durham.3
Palatinate of Ely.4
3. Statutory Registries.1'
4. Public Departments.8
Home Office.7
War Office."
Admiralty.9 Board of Customs and Excise.10
Office of H.M. Commissioners of Woods, Forests, and Land
Revenues.11
Board of Agriculture and Fisheries.12
1 The records of the ancient Palatinate of Chester and Flint are not
included here, these having been transferred to the Public Record Office
with the records of the Principality of Wales in 1855. As to those of the
Duchy of Cornwall, see 1914 Report, Vol. II, Part II, p. 173.
* cf. 1914 Report, Vol. II, Part II, Appx. iii, (8) and Appx. iv, (3).
3 Ibid.
* See the printed Calendar (A. Gibbons, 1891), 19 14 Report, Appx.
(II), p. 142, and cf. above, p. 78.
6 e.g. District Register Offices of Births, Deaths, and Marriages, and
various industrial registries. As to these, see 1914 Report. For another
class of local statutory records, see below, p. 149.
6 Only collections of historical interest have been noticed here. For
the rest, see 1914 Report, pp. 16-32, and Appx. (II), pp. 88-89 > and 1919
Report, Appx. (II), v.
7 Records of the Inspectors of Mines, Factories, etc., also Police Court
Records {see below, p. 104, and 1914 Report, Appx. (II), pp. 114-115).
8 i.e. Records preserved in Home and Foreign Commands, in Ordnance
Factories and Military Schools and Hospitals. For a Summary List of
these, see 1914 Report, Appx. (II), pp. 214-224.
9 In the Dockyards, Marine Barracks, Schools, Hospitals, and other
depots or institutions {see ibid., loc. cit. pp. 229-236).
10 The Customs House Records at the Outports are indicated (ibid.,
pp. 237-248). 11 Some records relating to forests, mines, and Crown Lands (Windsor,
New Forest, Wales, and Monmouth) are still preserved by local officials
{ibid., pp. 250-251).
12 The Board is concerned chiefly as a distributing department and
central repository for certain local records such as Inclosure and Tithe
Awards and Maps. The records of Fishery Boards or Committees should

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 97
Board of Inland Revenue.1
Local Government Board.2
General Post Office.3
Ecclesiastical Commission.4
The records preserved in the above local repositories
may be roughly classified as follows : —
{a) Diplomatic Documents :
Warrants, etc. ; Deeds ; Wills ; Inquisitions ; Correspondence ;
Order Books ; Reports ; Returns ; Certificates.
{b) Administrative Proceedings :
Accounts ; Surveys ; Inventories ; Rentals ; Plans ; Muster Rolls ;
Description Books ; Establishments ; Registers of Births, etc.
{c) Pleadings in Local Courts (with subsidiary records) :
Courts Martial ; Manor Court Rolls ; Forest Court Rolls ; Mineral
Court Rolls, etc.
{d) Miscellaneous Records.
II. Statutory Authorities and Trusts.
A. Historical Note.
The useful though obscure part played by various
statutory bodies in the evolution of our local government
presumably be under its control {see 1914 Report, Appx. (II), pp. 63-66, as
to other records under the control of this Board, including the branch
Ordnance Survey Office at Southampton).
1 Besides official papers relating to recent taxation, records of the
Special Commissioners of Income Tax and possibly Commissioners of
Land Tax may occasionally be found here {cf. 19 14 Report, Appx.,
p. 127, and 1919 Report, Appx., p. 97).
2 Presumably the local archives of this Board are in the custody of the
District Inspectors, whose reports should be preserved at Whitehall since
1875. For records preserved in the Poor Law Unions, see p. 99 sq., 1914
Report, Appx. (II), p. 93, and 1919 Report, Appx. (Ill), p. 29.
3 Official matters of importance are reported and noted in the central
office, but the district archives may contain information of topographical
interest {see 1914 Report, Appx. (II), pp. 193-194).
4 This Commission does not regard itself as a Government department.
Most of the ecclesiastical records which it has taken over have been
transferred to London. Some have been allowed to remain in the hands
of bishops and chapters {see 1914 Report, Appx. (II), pp. 32-34, and 1919.
Report, Appx. (II), p. 72). H

98 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
has not yet been described by reference to their con
temporary records.1 The constitutional and legal history
of the whole group has been dealt with in textbooks on
local government and in commentaries on the respective
statutes ; 2 but in one work only shall we find a compre
hensive sketch of the constitution and functions of these
local statutory authorities, past or present. Indeed we
are only able incidentally to form a connected theory as
to their relations with the central government and the
probable nature of such of their activities as should be
recorded in official documents. Of the documents them
selves, their nature, extent, and custody we have no
adequate indications, and yet their historical value is
not only considerable, but will increase with the lapse of
time. As it is we have waited too long for the information
that could have been furnished by the records of Com
missions of Sewers and other bodies whose archives have
a very precarious existence. The business transacted by
the district Pensions Committees and the actual results
of these and other remedial schemes are recorded only in
local archives which are under no official supervision or
control and are for the most part in grave danger of
destruction as soon as their immediate purpose has
been served.
The future historian of our national institutions will
be prepared for the devolution of central government
into local channels, for in certain directions this move
ment may be traced back to the mediaeval period. The
employment of Commissions of inquiry as a link between
1 An adequate account of these bodies is indicated by the contents of
Book IV, ch. 6, of Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Webb's great History of English
Local Government, a chapter which has not yet been published ; but cf.
1919 Report, Appx. (Ill), p. 13.
''¦e.g. Redlich and Hirsfs, Local Government in England, II, 237 sq. ;
A. L. Lowell, Government of England, II, 129 sq., and Anson, Crown, II
(2), 30 sq. For the older constitutional theory, see Toulmin Smith's, Local
Government and Centralization.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 99
the central and local administrations is an expedient
as old as Western Civilization itself, and is not con
fined to our own national history.1 From the mediaeval
inquisitions there is only a short step to the Special
Commissions2 of the Tudors and Stuarts, which are
succeeded in turn by the Parliamentary Committees
and Royal Commissions of the Georgian and Victorian
eras.8 The Royal Commission may in fact be regarded as
a persistent type of the local authority ad hoc. In
some instances no traces of its activities remain,4 but in
others they are still in evidence after several centuries
of hard usage.5 The history of Commissions of Sewers
remains to be written and a later group of Commissions
still exercise unrecorded functions,6 but whilst the prog
ress of land drainage can be studied only in local records,
the operations of other statutory bodies are to some ex
tent controlled and recorded in central Departments of
the Government. In some cases, indeed, the temporary
Commission or Committee has become a permanent
Board with the establishment, functions, and regulated
le.g. the Carolingian inquisitions; cf. Formula Book, Part II, p. 3.
2 Formula Book, Part II, and Royal Historical Society, Camden Third
Series {Stiffkey Papers), Vol. XXVI, p. 21.
3Cf. 1914 Report, Appx. (II), pp. 98-100. Besides Committees of
either House, local authorities might be expressly erected by statute as in
the case of incorporations of Poor Law Guardians.
4 S. and B. Webb, English Local Government {Parish and County),
p. 151. 6 The Commissions of Sewers dating from the 13th century in some
cases, and generally from the middle of the 16th century. 19 14 Report,
Appx. (II), pp. 98-101,' 166.
6 The Land Tax Commissioners and the special Commissioners for
Income Tax. Since 1835 the records of the former have ceased to be filed
with the Clerks of the Peace. Definite provision was made for their safe
custody by Acts of Parliament in 1780 and 1880. Commissioners are
appointed for each county ; cf. 1919 Report, Appx., p. 64.

IOO SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
archives of a central Government Department.1 In other
cases it has retained its local character under conditions
which render records inaccessible and their state pre
carious.2 Following the trend of democratic government in
dicated by the Poor Law Amendment and Municipal
Corporations Acts of 1834 and 1835, and the Clauses
Acts of 1845 to J847, a fresh crop of local authorities
sprang up in the Victorian era.3 These comprise a large
number of Boards or Committees whose authority was
derived from various Public Statutes or from the Private
Bill legislation of the 18th and 19th centuries.4
The effect of the appointment of these later statutory
authorities has been to gradually diminish the control of
the central Departments over various matters connected
with local administration, and incidentally to complete
the decentralization of the records. During recent years
these new administrative bodies have increased in num
bers and importance, their appointment being regarded
as an effective means of carrying out the provisions of
certain statutes.5
The constitution of these Committees is either laid
down by statute, or is set forth in rules made by central
or local authorities. Examples will be familiar in the
case of Old Age Pensions and National Health Insur
ance Committees, or the Compensation Authorities for
Public House Licences. Some of the rules will be found
1 e.g. the Charity Commission, Board of Agriculture, etc., Local
Government Board, and Board of Education.
* e.g. the various Improvement Commissions.
3 Especially under the Poor Law Amendment, Public Health, and
Local Government Acts.
4S. and B. Webb, Parish and County, p. 151. For instances, see
Index to Local and Personal Acts (1801-99), S-V- Local Government.
5 Such as the Drainage Boards, Burial Boards, Distress, Pensions,
Insurance, and Sea Fisheries Committees, etc., referred to in the Table
below.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS IOI
in the Statutory Rules and Orders ; others are regarded
as purely departmental or local. The Committees decide
questions of fact or expediency, and the records of their
proceedings are kept and presumably retained by the
clerks ; unless, as in the case of the War Pensions Com
mittees, the local authority, town clerk, etc., acts in
that capacity. The actual responsibility of the central
Departments in the matter is somewhat vague. In the
case of the Compensation Authorities, the levies are merely
paid over by the Department to the local authorities,
and the Statutory Rules are made by the Justices in
Quarter Sessions. To the pre-war Committees there
must now be added a larger number of local authorities
organized during the war for the purpose of administer
ing emergency legislation, or Orders 1 dealing with such
matters as Food Production or Distribution, War Pen
sions, and Civil Liabilities.
Besides these ad hoc committees, there are Joint and
separate Committees of County or District Councils and
other related bodies.2 Other local authorities of statutory
origin will be mentioned below in connexion with the
records of the County and the Parish.
We are also concerned here with the subject of Statu
tory Trusts, including the custody of the records of
certain charities and extinct corporations.
1 The respective authorities for their appointment will be found in the
official compendium to the Defence of the Realm Act.
2 Such as the four Statutory Committees of the County Council under
Section 28 (2) of the Local Government Act of 1888. These and other
Committees have, to some extent, an independent position, since their
accounts are separately audited by statute ; but their records are pre
sumably summarized or ultimately deposited with those of the County or
District Councils. It does not follow, however, that the County Records
will be permanently preserved, especially as in some cases it is desirable
to save space by extensive " weeding ". For this aspect of the matter,
see the official Schedules, p. 312, where records of Watch Committees
are recommended for destruction.

102 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
The history, distribution, and classification of English
local charities is a subject that cannot be adequately
treated here, but the existing sources of information for
the subjects of the Trusts, and such descriptions of the
records x as are available, clearly show their antiquity
and historical interest. At the same time many of these
Charities are intimately connected with certain towns or
parishes, and the surviving records are frequently 2 to be
found amongst the municipal or parochial records. The
distinctive Trust Records included in the present section
are those scheduled in schemes made by the Local
Government Board or Charity Commissioners, under
Sections 7 and 8 of the Municipal Corporations Act of
1883.3 The so-called Turnpike Trusts are classified here as
Turnpike Road Boards. The surviving records, how
ever, are more elusive, owing to the extinction of these
Trusts since the Highways and Locomotives Act of 1878.4
There are other Trusts of a public or semi-public
nature, but these relate for the most part to public insti
tutions, and will be described in another Section.5
1 Public Record Office, Lists and Indexes, X, a Return of Proceed
ings of the Commissioners for Charitable Uses under the Acts, 39 Eliz.,
c 6, and 43 Eliz., c. 4. For the local distribution of these and other
Charities, see the Reports of the later Charity Commissioners, and the
works mentioned in the Introduction.
2 Many others have been filed as exhibits in Chancery, and are there
preserved. 3 For a list of these (to 1900), see Report of the Local Records Com
mittee (1902), Appx., p. 242.
4 For further information on Turnpike Trusts, under the General
Turnpike Acts, 1772-1822, and down to the Highway Act of 1862, see
S. and B. Webb, The Kings Highway, and 19 19 Report, Appx. (Ill), p. 33.
6 Below, p. 145.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 103
Select List of Statutory Authorities and Trusts.1
Commissions, Committees, and other Boards.2
Commissions of Sewers, Drainage Boards, and River Conservancies.3
Barmasters of Courts of Great Barmote.4
Commissioners of Land Tax.6
Commissioners of Income Tax.6
Improvement Commissioners (Paving, Harbours, Docks, Piers, Quays,
Canals, Bridges, Inclosures, etc.).6
Boards of Conservators and Local Fishery Committees.'
1 For further information, see Returns made under Sections 9 and 58 of
the Local Government Act (1894), and other Reports of the Local Govern
ment Board, Board of Agriculture arid Fisheries, etc. ; also " Statutory
Rules and Orders," and the " Index to Local and Personal Acts ".
2 Including those appointed under Letters Patent or Royal Warrants ;
those elected or appointed under various statutes ; and such as act under
the authority of certain Government Departments. A few individual
" authorities " are still found, as in the case of " Overseers of the Poor,'' and
many more are now obsolete, though their records should have survived.
3 For local authorities concerned with Drainage or Embankments, see
Reports of Coast Erosion Commission (1 908-1 911), and the 191 4 Report
(Appx., pp. 98-100). Minor Drainage Boards were constituted by the Act
of 1861, and other local authorities under Local Acts or Commissions,
or Trust Deeds. The procedure is governed by the Sewers Act of 23
Henry VIII, c 5, and the Land Drainage Act of 1861.
4 These are Inferior Courts of Record, the records of which should be
in the custody of the Stewards or of the Duchy of Lancaster Office. The
Barmasters have records in their custody (1919 Rep., Appx., p. 66 sq.).
s^See above, p. 99, n. 6.
6 Some of these have disappeared as the result of recent legislation,
and their place is being taken by District and Municipal Councils, or the
Committees subsidiary to them, while the powers of Land, Inclosure, and
Town Commissioners are now exercised by Government Departments.
Some special authorities act under powers derived from Charters or Local
Acts or Provisional Orders made under the General Pier and Harbour
Acts of 1 86 1, etc. Road Boards can be constituted under the Local Go
vernment Act of 1 894.
7 Under the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Acts (1861-92) and the
Sea Fisheries Regulation Act (1888). These are under the supervision
of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries.

104 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
Incorporations and Boards of Poor Law Guardians.1
Education Committees.2
Highway Boards.3
Assessment Committees.4
Watch Committees.5
School Boards.6
Hospital Boards.7
Sanitary Boards.8
Burial Boards.9
Public Utility Service Boards.10
1 Under the Local Government Act of 1894, these are associated with
the Rural District Councils. In earlier times they were the acting Sani
tary authorities. Some of the 640 Boards of Guardians now existing
should have records going back to 1834, and some Poor Law Incorpora- ,
tions to a much earlier date. Reports and other information as to Poor
Law Unions should be preserved by the Local Government Board, since
1871. {See 1919 Report, Appx. (Ill), pp. 29-30.)
2 e.g. the Joint Committees appointed by the County and Urban Dis
trict Councils.
3 Under the numerous Highway Acts, 1772-1822 {see above, p. 102,
n. 4). 4 Committees of Boards of Guardians for revising the assessment of
Poor Rates by the Overseers {First Report of Royal Commission on
Local Taxation, p. 15).
6 These are the police authorities in boroughs under 5 and 6 Wm. IV.,
c. 76, S. 86. In counties the powers of the Justices have been transferred
to a Joint Committee since 1888.
6 Associated with the earlier statutory history of public education.
Since 1902 these have been under the control of the Board of Education,
and cf. above, Education Committees.
7 Joint Boards or Committees under the Public Health Acts, the Local
Government Act (1894), and the National Insurance Act (191 1).
8 Including Port Sanitary Authorities and Drainage or Sewerage Boards
under the Public Health Acts (1848-75), the Local Government Act (1894),
and various Local Acts. The records of the Local Sanitary Boards,
1848-71, are apparently lost in most cases.
9 Under the Burial Acts (1852-85) and Local Government Act (1894).
10 i.e. Water, Gas, Tramways, and Electricity Boards under the Local
Government Act (1894), Metropolis Water Act (1902), and Local Acts.
To these may be added such services as fire brigades, scavenging, con
servancy of open spaces, etc.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 105
Pension and Distress Committees.1 .
Compensation Authorities.2
Child Welfare Committees.
Food Production and Distribution Committees.
Labour Employment Bureaus.
B. Description of the Archives.
Although the origin and functions of these Statutory
Authorities and Trusts are well defined, very little in
formation unfortunately exists as to the records now or
formerly in their custody, Generally the custodian of
the records in question was the Clerk to the Board, or
the Secretary to a Commission or Committee. In the
case of Commissions of Sewers and Turnpike or Town
Trusts, and Port Authorities, etc, the records were in
the custody of the clerk who was usually a practising
solicitor. No provision was made in the. Local Govern
ment Act of 1888 for the transfer of such records to the
County Councils, nor were they reclaimed by the
Government as the property of the Crown, and as a
natural result of this oversight, they have remained in
the private possession of various firms of solicitors or
their successors. In a few cases the records have been
recovered by the County Councils.3 It would seem
that a like procedure exists in the case of the more recent
Statutory Authorities, such as Old Age, Insurance,
le.g. Pension Committees and Sub-Committees under the Old Age
Pensions Act (1908) ; District Committees under the National Health In
surance Act (191 1); Distress Committees under the Unemployed Work
men Act (1905), and Naval and Military Pensions, and Civil Liabilities
Committees and Local Committees under the Acts of 191 5.
2 Under the Act of 1910 ("Statutory Rules and Orders," 48-53).
The records relating to the collection and distribution of the levies are kept
by the Government Department concerned (Customs and Excise). The
administrative records are presumably kept by the local committees.
3 1 91 4 Report, Minutes of Evidence, Q. 6499, passim.

106 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
Compensation, and War Pensions Committees, which,
though controlled or audited by central Departments or
County and District Councils, retain the custody of
their administrative records.
Records relating to local institutions may have come
into the hands of Royal Commissions or Parliamentary
or Departmental Committees of Inquiry.1 In this case
there is very small chance of their survival.
In the case <$f Charitable Trusts, much information,
together with many abstracts of the records, have been
preserved by the Charity Commissioners, but not all
these Trusts are of a public nature. Moreover, the
tendency has been for the government of Charitable
Trusts, and the custody of their records, to fall into the
hands of the local Borough and District Councils.
In the metropolitan area, special conditions naturally
obtain, and statutory bodies like the Metropolitan Water
Board, the Thames Conservancy, and the Port of London
Authority, assume the importance of central Departments,
though they are none the less Statutory Authorities
within the scope of the present section. The records of
such bodies are naturally extensive and they are some
times carefully and even skilfully kept.2
It follows from the foregoing observations that the
position of these records depends greatly on the survival
or extinction of the Authority or Trust to which they
refer, and this forms perhaps the best basis for their
classification. The nature of the records themselves is comparatively
simple and, as far as can be ascertained from collections
that have survived or are accessible, they comprise the
following elements : —
1 As to this, see Reports of the Municipal Corporation Commissions,
1835 and 1880.
2 1914 Report, Appx. (II), p. 196. As to records of various extinct or
merged Committees now in the custody of the London County Council,
see 1919 Report,. Appx. (Ill), pp. 6-8.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 107
Inquisitions and Returns.1
Surveys.2 Assessments.3
Reports.4Accounts and Vouchers.
Correspondence.
Minutes.6 Orders.Memoranda.
Diaries and Common-place Books.
Official Instruments.6
Title Deeds.7
Plans.8Law Papers.
It will be seen that these documents vary in character
according to the date and functions of the several
authorities. It should be noted that in some cases
few records will be kept, on the ground that matters
of importance are recorded in the archives of the
Government Departments concerned with the subject.
In no case, apparently, is there any established procedure
with regard to the custody, production, or disposal of
these records, nor have they been described, as a class,
in any published work of reference.9
1 Of jurors by precepts of Commissioners of Sewers and Mineral
Courts. 2 Of highways, etc.
3 For various rates made by Statutory Authorities.
4 By the Board to the Government or to the Board by its officers and
others. 6 Of proceedings of Boards or Committees.
6 Including original Commissions (Letters Patent), Awards, etc., or
various diplomatic documents, in the case of Trusts.
'Ancient deeds of various kinds, especially in connexion with Chari
table and Town Trusts.
8 Of roads, bridges, canals, etc.
9 The best account will be found in Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Webb's,
English Local Government. The most comprehensive list is that con
tained in the Annual Local Taxation Returns, but these have not been
published later than March, 19 14.

108 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
III. County Records.
A. Historical Note.
The county, like the parish, has survived as an his
torical tradition, but the ancient hundred 'has left no
definite traces of its administrative activities. Besides-
the parish and the hundred, the county also included
certain towns not yet wholly self-governing. Seignorial
franchizes were either coequal with counties, like the
palatinates and marcher shires, or were more or less co
extensive with hundreds and parishes, like the feudal
lordships and manors. All the above historical units
have contributed to the existing local archives, but those
of the parish are described below under that title,1 while
the family muniments of- lords of manors and other
ancient franchizes are separately described below as
private documents.2 Similarly all town records have
been grouped together elsewhere, whether the town it
self is of municipal status or otherwise ; but, in any case,
the records of Urban and Rural County Districts do
not come within the present jurisdiction of the County
Councils.3 A few other unappropriated records remain to be
considered. Those which relate to the offices of Lord-
Lieutenant and Custos Rotulorum and to the proceedings
of the County Justices in Quarter Sessions are in the
custody of the Clerk of the Peace, and these do not in
clude the judicial records of the boroughs. But there is
no assurance that the records of the Justices in rural
1 Below, Section V. 2 Below, Section VII.
3 This makes the omission of their supervision by the County Council
under Sec. 17 (9) of the Local Government Act of 1894 all the more re
markable. By virtue of Sec. 17 (7) of the Act, District Councils are pos
sessed of public records for the proper custody of which no provision is
made by the Act.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 109
Petty Sessions are properly cared for.1 Again, two re
presentative county officers, the Sheriff and the Coroner,2
have retained the custody of their official records, like
the " Single " and " Double " justice of the peace. How
ever, since the historical relations of the Sheriffs with
the Exchequer were interrupted by the judicial reforms
of 1833-4, the former of these collections is represented
only by the formal and subsidiary documents in the
custody of the Under-Sheriffs. Those in the possession
of the Coroners are of more importance, but they are
occasionally found in the custody of the Clerk of the
Peace, who also files copies of the inquisitions, etc., in
criminal causes.3
The records of the ecclesiastical authorities of the
county (so far as this concides with the diocese) will be
described elsewhere.4
In addition to the normal county units, the "ridings "
and " parts " of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire respectively,
the new county divisions of Suffolk and Sussex, and
the liberties of Ely and Peterborough, we have to take
account of the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.
The Isle of Wight and the Stilly Isles are not ad
ministrative counties in the ordinary sense ; the former
has no separate county records, but the latter has an
autonomous local council with modern records, ap
parently of no historical interest.5
' 'As to the functions of the Justices in general or special Petty
Sessions and the nature of the ensuing records, see below, p. 111.
2 But under the Act of 11 Hen. VII, c. 15, the Custos Rotulorum
was to supervise the Sheriffs' records. As to those of the Coroners
{Second Report of Royal Commission on Public Records, Appx., p.
143 sq.). 3 Under a recent Act the Magistrates' Clerks are no longer bound to
send copies of Indictments for this purpose, and the permanent record of
such cases is likely to be eventually lost.
4 Section VI.
"Under Sec. 49 (1) of the Local Government Act of 18.88 {Report
of Local Records Committee (1902), Appx., p. 18.

IIO SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
The State Records of the Channel Islands and Isle of
Man should, perhaps, be included above with the out
lying public records ; but they can be more conveniently
described with the Records of England's sister states
in the second volume of this work.1
The Seignorial Records of the ancient palatinates have,
for the most part, been transferred to the Public Record
Office, and are described above as Central Archives.
Those not yet transferred are mentioned above in Sec
tion I. It does not appear that the general condition of
the county records of Lancashire, Durham, Ely, Yorkshire,
Northumberland, or Cheshire is affected by these pala
tine jurisdictions, since, from the 16th century onwards,
the authority of the Crown and its local officers had been
established by special legislation.2 At the same time all
these liberties were either reserved to the Crown or re-
granted, and, like the great northern estates forfeited in
1715, they have remained, to some extent, outside the
ordinary civil government of the counties.3
The County Records now in the custody of the Clerks
of the Peace comprise the Quarter Sessions Records,
with the addition of the administrative records of the
County Councils under the Local Government Act of
1888. The former class of records dates back to the
middle of the 16th century and the latter to 1888, though,
under the Act referred to, certain functions formerly
1 First Report of Royal Commission on Public Records, Minutes
of Evidence, p. 74, and Second Report, Appx. (II), p. 72 sq. With these
are preserved (as in Scotland and Ireland) the Parish Registers, under an
Act of 1910.
2 27 Henry VIII, c. 24. As to these, see S. and B. Webb, The
Parish and the County, p. 310; Hodgson's Northumberland, Part II,
Vol. I, and the recent History of Northumberland, Vol. VIII.
8 Thus the local records of the North Riding of Yorkshire and those
of Durham may be supplemented by the seignorial and ecclesiastical re
cords of the regality and peculiar of Hexhamshire in the possession of the
Archbishop of York and Lord Allerdale respectively.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS III
discharged by the Justices and Clerk of the Peace have
been transferred to the County Council and its clerk,
who practically acts in a dual capacity.
The origin of the office of Justice of the Peace may
be traced back, at least, to the beginning of the reign
of Edward III, and their proceedings are regulated by
successive statutes down to the year 1545, when the
, constitution of the Quarter Sessions was remodelled.1 In
addition to the General Sessions there might be Special
5essions, supplemented later by the Petty Sessions, ap
peals from which were heard at the Quarter Sessions.
From the Tudor period onwards the functions of the
"Single" and "Double" justice become of increasing
importance, and the Petty Sessions for trying minor
offences without a jury or the Special Sessions for
licensing alehouses, diverting highways, etc., must have
been associated with a considerable mass of records.2
These were in the custody of the Clerk to the Magis
trates, and most of the early records have disappeared
owing to the fact that the clerks to the magistrates are in
almost all cases practising solicitors.
As early as the 14th century it seems to have been
the duty of the Justices' Clerk (afterwards Clerk of the
Peace) to keep the records,3 and the Justices were to see
that this was done.4 The appointment of a Custos
Rotulorum and the deputation of the custody of the re
cords of the Quarter Sessions to a Clerk of the Peace in
1 For these enactments, see the Record editions of the Statutes of the
Realm and Rolls of Parliament; Lambard's Eirenarcha; Burn's Justice
of the Peace; Beard's Justice of the Peace ; and B. H. Putnam's Statute
of Labourers, Part I, ch. ii.
3 S. and B. Webb, English Local Government and The Kings High
way. 3 Rot. Pari., Ill, 85 b. Viz. "Garder les recordes & proces
avantdictes ".
4 Ibid., i.e. to place the records " en bone and seure garde "

112 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
the reign of Henry VIII,1 suggests that a wholesale
destruction of the mediaeval records had taken place from
want of individual responsibility. The measure is also
in keeping with the appointment of a Clerk of the Assize
during this period.2 However, with the exception of
the rolls in official custody,3 unearthed by Miss B. H.
Putnam, no records of the Quarter Sessions seem to
have survived before the year 1547. The duty of
the Clerk of the Peace in respect of the custody of the
records continued to be recognized down to 1888, when
the Clerk of the Council was associated with him for
this purpose, the two offices being habitually filled by
the same person. Although the preservation of the
judicial records of Quarter Sessions is not explicitly
enjoined by statute, the obligation may be assumed. In
the case of documents deposited a statutory direction is
usually forthcoming.4
It is, unfortunately, only too apparent from the re
turns to the inquiries made in 1800, 1837, and 1902, that
a very large percentage of the Quarter Sessions Records
1 27 Hen. VIII, c 24 ; 37 Hen. VIII, c 1 ; cf. 34 and 35 Hen. VIII,
c. 14, requiring the Clerk of the Peace to transmit to the King's Bench
transcripts of Indictments, etc., in cases of murder and felony.
2 See First and Second Reports of the Public Records Commission
under " Assize Records ". These " Circuit Records " ceased to be trans
mitted to Westminster after the accession of Henry VII.
3 Described in E.H.R., vol. xxix, p. 482, etc.
4 Under various Statutes since the 17th century documents in the
nature of declarations or certificates have been filed with the Clerk of the
Peace. Third Report of Royal Commission on Public Records, p. 10
{cf. 1902 Report, Appx. VIII). By the Parliamentary Documents Deposit
Acts (7 Wm. IV and 1 Vict., c. 83 ; cf. 8 and 9 Vict., c. 20, S. 9) the Clerk
of the Peace was required to take into his custody documents deposited
in connexion with schemes for railways, canals, harbours, waterworks, etc.
Another copy being deposited with the parish clerk (England). Access
to these documents was to be given to applicants paying fees on a fixed
scale. As to the supervision of County Records by the Local Government
Board, see Report of Local Records Committee (1902), p. 11.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 113
filed since the Act of 1545 perished through the neglect
of their statutory custodians.
B. Description of the Records.1
The nature of the Quarter, Sessions Records is briefly
indicated in the 1902 Report.2 Further information is
furnished by the 1800 and 1837 Reports, and various
printed calendars or lists of Sessions Records.3 From
these sources it can be ascertained that certain types
of records are found in every county. The Session
Records, in the form of rolls or files of pleadings and
subsidiary documents, form one class, and the Session
Books, containing Minutes and Orders, etc., another.
The registers or inrolments of documents deposited by
statute or custom are entered in books, or the originals
are filed in bundles.* There is also a class of precedent
books and a residuum of miscellaneous documents.
If all the Quarter Sessions Records had been carefully
preserved in every county, a series of inestimable value,
both for national and local history, would have been
available to-day. As it is, a complete series could only
be formed by examples taken from several counties.
The distribution of the surviving types of records as
indicated by the 1800 Report is instructive. The
Sessions Books, being more convenient for reference,
are the best preserved, whilst the actual records of the
Sessions, in the shape of files of indictments and sub
sidiary records, are usually neglected. Amongst the
registers, those relating to game preservation, the Parlia
mentary Poll Books, the duplicate Land Tax Assessments,
1 For a more detailed description of these records in the 1 7th century,
see 1919 Report, pp. io-ii.
2 Especially Appendix xii, a valuable compilation, made under the
supervision of Sir Henry Maxwell Lyte.
3 See 1 9 19 Report, Appx., pp. 1-13.
4 See the 1800 Report, pp. 261-303. I

114 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
/
and the Memorials of Annuities are fairly well preserved.
Documents filed since 1837 are of topographical rather
than historical interest.
The subjects of historical interest that are elucidated
by these records include the following : —
1. Generally : the political, constitutional, ecclesiasti-j
cal, economic, social, and local history of the country.
2. Specially : inclosures of Common Fields, local and
public taxation, prices and production of corn, flax, hemp,
etc., rates of wages, Friendly Societies, mines, quarries,
railways, rivers, canals and bridges, highways, game |
licences, inland shipping, insolvent debtors, names of
freeholders, jurors, constables, licensed victuallers, house
holders, aliens, printers, Roman Catholics, Dissenters,
office holders, the militia, recruiting for army and navy,
magistrates and deputy lieutenants, coroners' inquests,
county buildings (gaols, etc ), maps and plans, savings
banks, lunatics, vagrants, gypsies, paupers, discharged
soldiers and sailors, highwaymen, riots, smuggling, play
houses, state trials, elections, billeting, public health.
The above subjects are not represented in every
county collection, the Middlesex Records being by far the
most complete in this respect. It should also be noted
that Quarter Sessions were held in the more important
towns, and that in such towns the records may be found
in the custody of a separate Clerk of the Peace.1
The County Records are usually arranged in two main
series : (1) the older records received from the office of
the Clerk of the Peace, and still in his official custody ;
(2) the records of the County Council, dating from 1888,
in the custody, usually, of the same official, in his other
capacity of the Clerk to the County Council. It will also
be found that iiKthe case of the modern County Council
Especially since the Municipal Corporations Act of 1882; but in
many towns Quarter Sessions were held by recorders as early as the 1 6th
century.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 115
Records these may be preserved in the several depart
ments of the County Surveyor, Treasurer (or Account
ant), Medical Officer, Director of Education, Land Agent,
or Agricultural Secretary, Controller of Licences, and
the Inspectors of weights, measures, food and drugs,
etc., besides the Police, Chief Constable, and the Clerk
to the Visiting Committee of Lunatic Asylums. The
records of the general business of the Council are, how
ever, in the custody of its Clerk, who usually obtains
possession of such of the older records of the above de
partments as are worthy of preservation.
It will be found that the records of the County Trea
surer and Surveyor date from a much earlier period.
It is also interesting to find that many titles amongst the
Sessions and County Records are represented in the
archives of the American States, formerly British Colon
ies.1 The records in the custody of the Clerk of the Peace
fall into two groups of judicial and administrative records,
but this classification would, strictly speaking, exclude
certain types of records deposited or otherwise acquired,
and, therefore, a structural classification of these records
may be attempted here.
Classifed List of County Records.2
1. Diplomatic Documents.
Writs and Precepts.
Minutes and Orders.3
Commissions of the Peace.
Certificates (Sacrament, Gamekeepers, etc.).
Oaths (Officers') and Declarations (Tests).
Petitions (Paupers).
Bonds (etc.), (Office Holders, etc.).
Deeds (Title).
1 Illinois Historical Collections (ed. C. W. Alvord), Vol. XII.
In the custody of the Clerks of the Peace and Clerks to the County
Council. 3 Originals and Entries.

Il6 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
Deeds (Registered).
Wills (Registered).
Articles of Friendly Societies.
Letters.
Passes (Vagrants).
Licenses (Al'ehouses, etc.).
State Papers (Militia, etc.).
2. Ministerial Proceedings.
(a) Accounts — Treasurers' ; County Works ; Land Tax Assess
ments ; Rates ; Miscellaneous.
{b) Surveys — Inclosure Awards ; Turnpike Road Awards ; Plans of
Bridges, Canals, Railways, Roads, etc. ; Navigation, etc,
Papers.
{c) Nominal Lists — Registers or Lists of Papists and Nonconformists ;
Alehouses and Publicans ; Gamekeepers ; Ships ; Bounties ;
Paupers, Debtors, Lunatics, and Convicts ; Jurors ; Free
holders (Poll Books) ; Friendly Societies ; Traders (under
various Acts) ; Meeting Houses and Chapels ; Hearths ;
Persons using Hairpowder; Servants.
3. Judicial Proceedings.
{a) Sessions Records 1 — Writs, Indictments, Presentments, Convic
tions, Informations, Depositions, Examinations, Bonds, or
Recognizances ; Inquisitions (Coroners') ; Orders and Cer
tificates ; Jury Panels ; Names of Ministers ; Estreats of
Fines ; Proceedings in Appeal Cases.
{b) Session Books.2 4. Miscellaneous.
Maps and Plans, etc., officially deposited.
Personal and other documents (casually deposited).
IV. Town Records.
A. Historical Note.
The towns whose records are included in the following
survey fall into two classes : (1) The existing corpora-
1 The usual form is that of a year-file of original records wrapped in
a parchment cover so as to resemble a roll or bundle.
2 These are Entry Books of Orders and decisions of the Justices,
some of which are not found on the Sessions File. With these are entered
many administrative orders, precepts, and certificates, etc.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 117
tions, whether county or non-county boroughs ; (2) Urban
and Rural Districts which include former corporations,
now disfranchised, as well as towns which have never
been incorporated.1
It is important to note that the distribution of historical
records is not indicated by the political or economic
position of the borough. Some boroughs which have
enjoyed a parliamentary franchise for many centuries
have never possessed any records, and ancient cities
which have been surpassed in wealth and population by
modern industrial- centres usually possess a rich store of
documents. Again, while many small country towns
have jealously guarded their muniments for centuries,
some modern county boroughs have lost the bulk of their
ancient records by fire or water, theft, or mere neglect.
In some cases, indeed, even county boroughs have no
early municipal history and therefore no historic records.
This diverse distribution of the records is to some
extent due to the effects of certain Acts of Parliament
during the 19th century, notably to the Municipal Cor
porations Acts of 1835, 1882, and 1883, and the Local
Government Acts of 1888 and 1894. The Act of 1835
was based upon the Report of a Royal Commission2
which dealt with the status and property of nearly three
hundred parliamentary boroughs established by charter
or prescription. More than a hundred of these were
disenfranchised by the Act ; but their records, though not
protected by the Act, still remained in the nominal
custody of the old governing bodies. Moreover, in many
towns the former judicial and administrative procedure
1 In a few cases the town has ceased to be reckoned even as a parish.
2 1835-9. It is possible that some Borough Records were dispersed
by the Commissioners themselves. We know that Town Records were
deposited with the Commissioners in connexion with the Reports of 1835
and 1 880. As the official archives of both Commissions have disappeared,
further particulars are not forthcoming.

Il8 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
continued in force till the Report of the Municipal
Corporations Commission in 1880 recommended its
abrogation. The Acts of 1882 and 1883, however, made
some provision for the records which had thus become
derelict, by placing them in the official custody of the
existing local authority. This authority was in most
cases a Sanitary Board or Improvement Commission, but
as no provision was made for requiring the existing
records to be handed over by their custodians (who
doubtless claimed a vested interest in them), nothing
passed to the new authorities. In any case, most of the
records that are known to have been in the possession of
the disfranchised boroughs have been deliberately or
wantonly dispersed since 1883.1
It is true that the Act of 1883 provided 2 for the creation
of "Town Trusts," in certain cases, under "Schemes"
to be prepared by the Local Government Board or Charity
Commissioners ; but comparatively few of these schemes
have been issued.3 Even where Schemes have been made,
the schedules are quite general and vague in their
descriptions, the records do not appear to be inspected,
1 A list of the corporations disfranchised in 1835 and reconsidered in
1880 is printed in schedules to the Municipal Corporations Act of 1883;
also in an Appendix to the Report of 1880. From one point of view
English towns might be classified according to their inclusion in or ex
clusion from these schedules. On the other hand the 1835 Report was
not completed and the belated Report of 1880 only increased the existing
confusion in respect of the custody of municipal records. The list of
towns investigated in the 1902 Report is also incomplete. Again, in any
given period these towns might be classified in relation to the form of
Government, for this necessarily indicates the character of the records,
whether of Quarter Sessions, Inferior Courts of Records, Manor Courts,
Town Councils, Town Commissioners, and the like.
2 Sections 7 and 8.
3 A list to date is printed in Appendix XIII, of the Report of the
Committee on Local Records (1902), a further list is printed in the 1919
Report, Appx. i.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 1 19
and their position must be regarded as somewhat
precarious.1 The Local Government Acts of 1888 and 1894 com
pleted the disintegration of the disfranchised boroughs
which were absorbed by Urban or Rural Districts, in
company with many small but historic and richly docu
mented towns administered by Urban, Rural, or Parish
Councils.2 B. Description of the Records.
The Classified List of typical Town Records printed
below has been compiled from the Reports mentioned in
the footnote.3 None of these is entirely adequate
to the purpose, since none affords a complete list of ex
isting boroughs having records, and it is not within the
scope of any to include systematically the extinct boroughs
where records may have survived. The later Reports
also include many recent incorporations, which have no
accumulation of records. On the occasion of each Re
port a number of towns failed to make any returns, and
those that were made vary greatly in value. \
1 In some cases, however, they are carefully watched by local anti
quaries. In other cases where the records are believed to be missing they
are to to be found in the lawful possession of the lord of the manor, for a
large proportion of the reputed boroughs of England and Wales enjoyed
that position by prescription only.
2 As to the position of Urban and Rural Councils in respect of the
custody of Local Records, see Macmorran on the Local Government
Act of 1894, p. 136.
3 The Historical Manuscripts Commission (1870, etc.) ; the Municipal
Corporations Commission (1835-9 and 1880); the Public Records
Commission (1837), and the Local Records Committee (1902). A list of
towns is appended which has been derived from the above Reports ;
also from the Report of the House of Commons' Committee on the
promulgation of the Statutes (Dec, 1796) ; from a Return (H.C. 448) of
1870, and from T. Carew's " Historical Account " (1755). The Report of
the Parliamentary Committee on Public Records (1799-1800) does not
notice the town records.

120 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
Except in a few cases, where a town possesses a good
modern calendar, the reports of the Historical Manu
scripts Commission still afford the fullest available in
formation as to the records : but the archives inspected
on behalf of that Commission are but a small minority,
and, though copious extracts of the most interesting
documents are given, the reports fail to supply the place
of a Summary List. There is no guarantee that the list
of records is exhaustive, and supplementary reports were
frequently made necessary by subsequent discoveries or
recoveries of documents not in municipal custody at the
time of the earlier report. The want of a uniform scheme
of classification is also apparent, though in the later Re
ports a better method obtains, and kindred records receive
a certain degree of arrangement. But in many cases the
documents are either described in the order in which
they were produced for inspection, or roughly grouped
according to their format, as "volumes, deeds, rolls,
bundles, and miscellaneous records". The inspectors
were interested chiefly in the sources for political history
and biography, and thus charters, deeds, letters, and
state papers received far more attention at their hands
than other documents which have real value as local re
cords. The judicial records of the boroughs are notably
affected in this way, being often ignored or insufficiently
described.1 The reports of the Municipal Corporations Commis
sions of 1835-9 and 1876-80 are chiefly valuable as afford
ing a list of boroughs and as a guide to the various
1 e.g. " Proceedings in the Law Courts " is an inadequate description
of records where a town possesses Quarter Sessions, Court of Record,
Court Leet, etc ; cf. also " Sessions rolls in large numbers," " Several
Court Books belonging to the 15 th, 16th, and 17th centuries," while the
phrase, "Rolls, after 1648, not examined," suggests the possibility of
serious omissions. These records seldom receive more than cursory
notices. Similar objections applies to the information about judicial
records supplied to the 1902 Committee.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 121
records which may at some time have existed in any
given borough. These Reports mention existing courts,
guilds, local customs, and charities, but they are not to
be relied upon for obsolete courts and franchises ; and
as they do not deal systematically with any records (ex
cept charters and accounts) in connection with the con
stitution of the borough they give a limited view of the
town archives. It is unsafe to infer from them the
existence or the extent of any series of records except in
¦particular cases. The Reports are founded upon actual
i "inspection, and the date of earliest entry in the town
register or guild roll is sometimes given.
In the 1837 Report the form of the returns is governed
by the scheduled queries1 of the Commissioners, con-r
sequently a more definite system of classification is
observable. Comparatively few towns, however, are
dealt with, and the method of classification adopted has
serious drawbacks. In the first place, documents sub
sequent to the Revolution are positively excluded. In
the second place, the inquiry takes special note of the re
cords which may be useful in illustrating general or local
history, and thus many documents of real interest may
have escaped mention.2 At the same time, the Report
contains some valuable information, though it relates to
a comparatively small number of towns of note.
1 These make special mention of individual classes of records, and are
therefore highly instructive in estimating the results of the returns.
2 The Town Clerk of a Devonshire town (Tiverton) writes : " The
only documents of antiquity I have are merely the records of proceedings
of quarter sessions of the corporation, of trustees of some charities, and
proceedings of commissioners of town improvement, but none of these
tend to illustrate general or local history " ; cf. also Totnes, Tregony,
and others. Morpeth : " Nothing tending to illustrate general or local
history ; merely old deeds and grants to chantry priests, very ancient . . .
throw no light whatever on local or public history". Hereford: "No
ancient records or manuscripts in the archives of the corporation of this
city that will be useful in illustrating general or local history ".

122 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
The returns published in the 1902 Report are also
very incomplete, and are confined to county and non-
county boroughs.
The publications of local societies contain many speci
mens of town records, and these have been occasionally
described by historians and antiquaries, but few adequate
lists have been compiled.
Four classes of Town Records are of almost universal
occurrence. These are of the usual structural character,
but the subject-matter is quite distinctive.
1. Diplomatic Documents, including both royal and
local types of Charters, Deeds, and other instruments,1
with official and private correspondence. Many of these
documents relate to Guilds, Charities, or Trusts and
other local institutions.2
2. Administrative Proceedings, which comprise docu
ments relating to regulations for the government of the
town,3 its extent, trade, finance, etc. These documents
1 Amongst these are many Wills ; but the formal inrolment of wills
in Hastings and other popular courts must be regarded as a judicial act.
2 For lists of towns with Guilds, see Webb, op. Cit, Vol. I, pp. 27gsg.
The records of Guilds, Hospitals, Almshouses, and Schools include such
types as Charters, Deeds, Accounts, Extents, Register Books of Minutes
and Ordinances, etc, Lists of Names, etc. These records have been
fairly well preserved as title deeds of town property.
3 These are, next to the Charters, perhaps the most universal and
characteristic of town records, though, on account of local variations both
of name and of contents, they present the greatest difficulty for the pur
pose of classification. It is not uncommon to find that the book, or series,
containing the minutes and orders of the municipal body may contain
also Presentments of Jurors, lists of Officials, Oaths (municipal or
statutory), Accounts, Letters, Proclamations, Enrolments of deeds, Wills,
and all kinds of memoranda. Where copious records remain of a wide
variety of local activities and franchises {e.g. Plymouth, Yarmouth) there
are usually separate series of books and rolls for Minutes and Orders, As
semblies, Accounts, Copies of Letters, and other enrolments. Again, the
above memoranda are occasionally preserved on files instead of being
entered in books (as at Hereford), or in bundles of loose papers (as at

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 1 23
again emanate both from the municipal corporation and
the various bodies associated with it
3. Judicial Proceedings corresponding with the various
jurisdictions exercised t>y the town, whether these per
tain to an ancient city with the status of a '* County
Corporate," or to a smaller borough with its " Inferior
Courts of Record," or even with Manorial Courts only.1
4. Miscellaneous Documents which have been casually
deposited or which do not directly concern the adminis
tration of the town.
In the Classified List that follows an attempt has been
made to include all series of records typical of the
various aspects of administration of English towns with
out regard to their individual origin or status. It will,
perhaps, be found that the existence in certain towns of
special types of records is due to their exceptional posi
tion, geographical or political, at some period of their
history. Instances of such collections occur in the case
of the communal records of the Cinque Ports ; the
Aldeburgh and Stratford-on-Avon), or in portfolios (as at Melcombe and
Sandwich). Between the extremes the usage varies in accordance with
the corporations' powers and peculiarities. Thus all kinds of memoranda
are contained in the series among " Minutes and Orders "
1 As to the general significance of these courts, see, Webb, Local
Government, Vol. II, p. 339 sq. The distribution of Quarter Sessions and
Courts of Summary Jurisdiction is given in the Law List and Home
Office Returns. For Coroners' Courts, see 1914 Report, Appx. (II),
pp. 143-162. For Inferior Courts of Record, see ibid., pp. 97-98 and
163-164, and 1919 Report, passim. For special Courts, such as Ad
miralty, Law Merchant, and Pie Powder, see 19 19 Report, passim, and
Webb, op. cit, Vol. I, p. 359. The condition of the judicial records is
generally unsatisfactory ; for example, the records of recognizances under
the Statute of Merchants (1283) and Statute Staple (1353) in the shape
of Registers or Rolls of Proceedings must have been kept in a large
number of towns indicated by statute or charter, but the proportion that
has survived is insignificant. Generally, the distribution of records in
"Counties Corporate" is unequal, and the existing records assimilate to
the borough rather than to the county type.

124 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
Orphan Books of Bristol and other cities ; the Water-
bailiffs' Books of several towns on the East Coast ; the
Customs Records of Chester ; the archives of the Eastland
Merchants of York and the Ostmen of Newcastle-on-
Tyne ; the records of Carlisle horse-fair, London Bridge
House, and the Lincoln " Dyke Tolls ". In other cases
the prevalence of certain classes of records may be due
to social and economic causes as well as to the circum-j
stance of their exceptional preservation.1 Finally, in
other cases many unusual records 2 have probably been
casually deposited or withdrawn from their normal
custody. Classified List of Town Records.3
i. Diplomatic Documents.
A. Royal and Official Documents.3
Charters, Writs, Letters Patent, and other Instruments under the
Royal Seals ; Official or semi-official Letters.
B. Local and Municipal Documents.4
{a) Seignorial Charters and Grants.5
{b) Deeds, Leases, Conveyances, Covenants, Indentures,6 Oaths,
Wills, Orders, Petitions, Correspondence.
{c) Cartularies, Custumals, Letter Books, Inrolments of Wills, Coucher
Books, or Registers of Leases.
2. Administrative or Ministerial Records.
A. Minutes and Orders, Memoranda, and Register Books.
1 e.g. Guild Records at Preston, Beverley, Stratford-on-Avon, etc.
2 e.g. Parochial Records in many towns : the process of custody is well
seen in the case of the Vestry Records of Westminster or the City Church
wardens' Accounts in the Guildhall.
3 For further references to illustrative documents, see above (B). Lists
of Boroughs now or formerly in the possession of records are printed in
the 1919 Report (II), p. 48 sq., and below, Appendix B.
4 Including those relating to Guilds, Fraternities, Grammar schools.
Chantries, Hospitals, Almshouses, Colleges, Conventual bodies, and Trusts,
6 i.e. of temporal or spiritual lords.
0 Mayors' and Apprentices' Indentures.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 125
{a) Of Municipal Councils or Courts.1
{b) Of various Local Bodies or Institutions.2
B. Accounts. {a) Of Municipal Authorities.'
{b) Of various Local Bodies.
C. Extents.4 Surveys, Rent Rolls, Maps, some Terriers and Inventories, Par
ticulars of Property.
{a) Of Town Property.5
{b) Of Property of various Local Bodies or Institutions.6
D. Nominal Lists.'
List of Town Officials, etc. (Mayors, Bailiffs, Jurats, Freemen,
Burgesses, Jurors) ; Innholders' Recognizances ; Licensed Victual
lers ; Sacrament Certificates ; Apprentices' Rolls.
3. Judicial Records.
{a) Writs, Warrants, Presentations (Jurors, Constables).
{b) Pleadings and Proceedings, Coroners' Inquisitions and Rolls, Court
1 The following notes and variants occur : Assembly books ; Annual
Register ; Bench book (Kingston-on-Hull) ; Book of Constitutions of weekly
meetings ; Book of Record ; Burghmote books ; Convocation books ;
Coucher books (Richmond, York) ; Cross book (Cambridge) ; Dormont
book (Carlisle) ; Doomsday-book ; Ledgers ; Old Lockt book (Leicester) ;
Register books ; Wardmote book ; Year book ; Court books ; General and
Petty Court book (Ipswich) ; Court Leet book (Bridgewater) ; Leet book ;
Orders at Court Leet (Higham Ferrars) ; Hundred Court book ; Admiralty
and Shipway books (Cinque Ports) ; Cutthorn books ; Session Minute book.
2 This includes Guild Ordinances and Regulations and Minute books
and rules of various societies.
3 These are locally known as Accounts of Chamberlains, Mayors,
Bailiffs, Water Bailiffs, Receivers of Rent, Keepers or Governors, Sheriffs,
Treasurers, Port Books, Books of Amerciaments and Estates, Rolls of
Murage, Subsidies and Tolls are also included here.
4 The rolls and books may contain other matters besides extents. At
Axbridge the extent book is called The Stentar, and at Launceston As-
session of Lands.
s In many cases Manorial. 6 See above (B).
7 It is often difficult to draw a distinction between " Nominal Lists "
and Accounts or Extents (lists of tenements, etc.), and even some groups
of Diplomatic Instruments. Thus Sacrament Certificates, from the point
of view of form, might be regarded almost as Diplomata ; but they have
been included in the present arrangement under Nominal Lists, as they
are only valuable in this connexion.

126 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
of Admiralty Proceedings, Assize of Bread and Ale Proceedings!!
Depositions, Process of Withernam, Guild Merchant Proceedings
Gaol Deliveries.
{c) Corporation " Diaries," Sessions Books, Minutes, Manor Court
Rolls, Enrolments of Wills, Amerciaments, Recognizance Books.
4. Miscellaneous.
{a) Semi-official and Literary MSS. ; Legal Note Books ; Chronicles -
Local Histories ; Pedigrees ; Treatises, etc.
{b) Private Correspondence and other Documents unconnected with
the Local History. V. Parish Records.
A. Historical and Descriptive Note.
The Parish, the oldest administrative unit in England,
has both a civil and an ecclesiastical aspect. It is
concerned with its own civil government and with the
up-keep of the Church. The latter part of its functions
has existed with certain modifications to the present day,
but on its civil side it has undergone much alteration.1
The statutory organization of the parish as a unit of
civil administration took place principally in the 16th
century. The disintegration of the existing administrative
system during the Wars of the Roses may possibly have
caused the parish, in some cases, to take up functions
formerly exercised by the manor, and legislation may
thus have only confirmed practices already established.
In any case, the majority of Parish Records which have
been preserved appear to date from this period. There
are, however, certain important exceptions, especially the
Churchwardens' Accounts, which in some instances date
from the 14th century.2 These accounts are of a very
miscellaneous nature and occasionally they are intermixed
with Constable's Accounts and parish memoranda.8
XE. Jenks, English Local Government, pp. 21, 24.
* e.g. Accounts of St. Michael, Bath (Somerset Archaeological Society,
1878). 3 J. C. Cox, Churchwardens' Accounts, p. 323.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 12/
Besides the Churchwardens' Accounts, certain " Books
of Records"1 are found, dating from the 15th century.
These books contain Leases, Wills, Memoranda, etc., and
occasionally the constitution of the parish.
Like the municipal muniment room, the parish chest
became the depository of all sorts of important documents,
Wills, Leases, Manorial Records, etc. These are of all
dates.2 Another rather scanty set of records, the Constables'
Accounts, introduce the question as to the position of the
constable in the mediaeval parish. He is usually re
garded as the servant of the manor, but a writ of 1252
provides for the appointment of one or two constables
by each township.3 If the township and parish are
simply different aspects of the same organization, then
the constable would have been a parish officer, unless
indeed the communal administration has been overborne
by the activities of the manor. In any case, from the
16th century onward, the Constable's Accounts, if
extant, are often found among parish documents.
With the legislation of the Tudor period the position
of the parish became clearer and the number of its records
increased. The distinctive name of the parish assembly,
the Vestry, now first came into common use.4 The
Vestry, however, apparently remained what the parish
meeting had been ; a primary assembly in the South ;
in the North frequently a body nominated by the various
townships composing the parish.6 Vestry minutes are
found as early as the middle of the 16th century.6
1 These are specially found amongst records belonging to city parishes
(E. Freshfield). 2 There is a deed dated 1287 in the Parish Chest at Tavistock (R. N.
Worth, Calendar of Tavistock Parish Records).
3 J. Ritson, The Office of Constable, ed. 18 15, p. 15 a, 18.
4 Webb, History of Local Government {Parish and County), p. 39.
5 e.g. Ribchester, see T. Smith and J Short's, Parish of Ribchesterr
pp. 160-163. 6 e.g. Steeple Ashton, see J. Toulmin Smith, The Parish, p. 492.

128 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
The functions of the Vestry are numerous. In con
junction with the minister, it chose the churchwardens
(who, by the Act of 1601, were ex officio overseers of the
poor). The clergyman usually appointed the parish
clerk, the appointment of the sexton and beadle often lay
with the Vestry.1 The Vestry selected the names of
persons to serve as parish constables, which selection,
was approved and confirmed by the justices of the peace.2
The Vestry also appointed the inferior officers, and in
1555 the appointment of the Overseers of the Highways
was placed in its hands.3 The Vestry further sanctioned
the making of rates, Church rates, road rates, etc., and it
audited the accounts of the various officers above
mentioned. The Vestries again sometimes concerned
themselves with inclosures and other details of land
administration,* and were, of course, responsible for the
records connected with these functions. They were also
to provide the register books for the Parish Registers. !
B. Distribution of the Records.
During the 17th century and the early part of the 18th
century, select or "close" Vestries increased, but there
were no very marked changes in their functions and
powers. A great mass of Parish Records accrued during
this period. The Act of 14 Charles II, made it obli
gatory on the Overseers of the Highways to submit to
the parishes those accounts which had hitherto been
audited by the Vestry as a matter of custom; and the
General Vestries Act of 18 18, made it obligatory on all
Vestries to keep those minutes which many of them had
1 Phillimore, Ecclesiastical Law, II, pp. 507, 511, etc,
3C. J. Cox, Derbyshire Annals, I, 105 et seq.
3 2 and 3 P. and M., c. 8.
4 G. L. Gomme, Literature of Local Institutions, pp. 20 et seq. ; cf.
Mr. Sidney Webb in Third Report of Public Records Commission, Minutes
of Evidence, Q. 7157 sq.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 1 29
kept for over two hundred years. Meanwhile the miscel
laneous documents accumulated. " Deposited " documents
of the period include Indentures of Apprenticeship,
Inclosure Awards, etc., while among strictly parochial
documents are included Sacramental Certificates, Mar
riage Licences, Briefs authorizing collections,1 and so
forth, as well as deeds of educational or charitable
endowments. The latter may be reckoned as either
civil or ecclesiastical documents, according to the nature
of the trust.
During the 19th century the number of deposited
documents was increased by the Maps, Plans, Specifi
cations, etc., deposited in accordance with the Parlia
mentary Documents Deposit Act of 1837,2 and by the
introduction of railways. The Drainage Act of 1861,3
directed that plans of the proposed works should be
deposited in some public place, which place might be the
parish chest, and in 1897 the Military Manoeuvres Act
also declared that orders under this Act should be
deposited for a given time in a public place.
Despite these orders, however, the general importance
of the Parish Records diminished in the 19th century.
The new Poor Law of 1834 substituted Boards of
Guardians for Vestries as the administrators of Poor
Relief. In 1868 Church rates were abolished, leaving to
the Vestry the power to make only a voluntary rate for
Church purposes. In 1872 the parish constable disap
peared. Finally, in 1894, the Local Government Act
stripped the rural Vestries of all their remaining powers
of civil administration, handing these functions over to
the newly formed Parish Councils. The Vestries re
tained only their ecclesiastical powers, ie. the right to
appoint churchwardens, to make voluntary rates, and to
audit the Churchwardens' Accounts and the Accounts of
1 See below, " Classified List "- 2 7 W. IV and 1 Vict., c. 83.
3 24 and 25 Vict., c. 133.
K

130 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
Ecclesiastical charities. The Parish Councils, on t he other
hand, lost certain powers belonging to the old Vestries,
e.g. all authority over Highway Administration, but they
gained various other powers, such as that of appointing
overseers of the poor, the management of allotments,
etc. ; the Council was bound to keep minutes of its pro
ceedings and had power over previous non-ecclesiastical
records; but as a rule these records, and those of the
present Vestries, remained as previously provided, i.e. in
the hands of the incumbent and churchwardens.1 In
Non-Metropolitan Urban Districts the former arrange
ments continue. In London the Act of 1899 enabled the
London Borough Councils to take over the powers of all
elective Vestries.2
The distribution of these records and the extent to
which they have survived seems to be entirely a matter
of chance. The best series of records, as a whole, appear
to have belonged to some of the London parishes. Like
municipal records, the records of parishes have in many
cases gone into private hands. Some have been deposited
in municipal collections ; and others again have passed
into the collections belonging to the archdeaconries in
1 56 and 57 Vict., c. 73, S. 17 (7), (8), (9). As to the custody of a
divided parish, see S. 38 (3). The custody of the Registers of Baptisms
and Burials and of Marriages is decided by the Acts of 52 Geo. III., c.
1 46, S. 5, and 6, and 7 W. I V, c. 86, respectively. It has been decided by a
leading case (Lewis v. Poole, 1898, I Q.B. 164), that the custody of Tithe
Apportionment Awards can be provided for by the Parish Council with the
consent of the County Council, and this probably applies also to Inclosure
Awards, etc. The Vestries Act of 181 8 practically placed all parish
documents, except the Parish Registers, in the custody of the incumbents.
The custody of Vestry documents is presumably given by S. 19 (4), of
the Local Government Act of 1894 to the Parish Council. As to the
access of parishioners to the records, see Section 58 (4),' (5).
2 62 and 63 Vict., c 14, S. 4. The Metropolis Management Act
of 1855 had dealt already with these records. The most important col
lections are probably those now in the custody of the Westminster City
Council.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 131
which the parishes are included ; but the main repository
for these records is the parish chest in the charge of the
incumbent or the Vestry clerk. Unhappily, however,
the loss of parochial records is very great and it is to be
feared that it still continues. In comparatively recent
years a hundred parish registers are said to have dis
appeared, but until a thorough examination has been made
of the parish chests throughout England neither the losses
nor the value of the surviving records can be estimated.1
List of Parish Officers.2
Churchwardens.3 Parish Clerk.
Constables.4 Vestry Clerk.
Surveyors of Highways.5 Herdsman.6
Overseers of the Poor. Aleconner.
Sexton. Scavenger.
Beadle. Classified List of Parish Records.7
1. Ecclesiastical Records.8
{a) Administrative Records : —
Registers of Baptisms, Marriages, and Deaths.9
Records relating to Ecclesiastical Charities.
1 See 1 91 9 Report, Appx. (Ill), p. 591. One obvious cause of loss
is that records relating to parish business ceased to have any immediate
authority or value. Another is due to the treatment of the records as the
personal property of the respective officers, especially when these were
required to provide the book in which parish accounts or assessments were
recorded. 2 In parishes which exercised considerable communal functions {e.g.
Cottenham and Kidlington) this list would be considerably enlarged.
3 Also acting as Overseers of Poor. >
4 Also known as " Tithing-men " or " Headboroughs "-
5 Commonly known as " Way-wardens ".
6 Commonly known as the " Hog-ward " or " Neat-herd ".
7 Including, in certain cases, Borough or District Councils {cf. Section
33 of Local Government Act (1894)).
'Under the Local Government Act of 1894 (56 and 57 Vict., c. 73,
S. 17 (8)), which supersedes the Vestries Act of 181 8 in some respects.
9 The earliest form is that of a General Register. With the above are
found Registers of Banns or Bann Books. The earliest Registers include
many notes of extraneous matters.

132 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
{b) Documents deposited by Statute or Custom 1 : —
Tithe Apportionment Awards and Plans.
Inclosure Awards.
{c) Documents casually deposited or acquired 2 : —
Briefs, Indulgences, Inventories, Licences, Certificates, Wills,
and documents connected with the Process of the
Ecclesiastical Courts.
Documents connected with Tithes, Glebe-lands, Manors, etc.
2. Civil Records.3
{a) Administrative Records connected with the functions of the fol
lowing parochial officers or local authorities : —
Churchwardens. *
Overseers of the Poor.5
Surveyors of Highways.6
•The classes of records mentioned here are deposited under the
Tithe Acts (1836-91) and Inclosure Acts (1801-45), the former of
which, however, permit of the method of custody being varied. These
Acts again seem to conflict with the Vestries Act of 1818 (58 Geo. Ill,
c. 69, S. 6).
2 These, like most of the earlier records, are usually in the custody of
the incumbent. 3 Under the Local'Government Act (1894), S. 17 (8), cf. the Vestries
Act (1818). 4 See Report of Local Records Committee (1902), p. 11, and Biblio
graphy oj Mediceval Economic History, pp. 121-122. These records are
in the form of the well-known "Accounts," dating from 1349. Perhaps
" Church-rate Books " should be placed here.
5 These records include, besides the well-known " Rate-books," such
series as Assessments, Accounts, Receipts, and Disbursements, Valuation
Lists, and others. For a good collection of these records, see " Shropshire
County Records," Meole Brace. Other titles will be found below, under
the head of Documents Deposited. The records of Boards of Guardians
or Incorporations of the Poor are, of course, of a Departmental nature
(Local Government Board).
6 See S. and B. Webb, The Kings. Highway (p. 33). This depart
ment also furnishes several series of records, dating from the 16th century,
such as Accounts, Disbursements, and Assessments. The duties of the
Surveyors are elucidated by the County Records.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 133
Constables.1Parish Councils.2
Vestries.3 Local Boards or Committees.4
(b) Documents deposited by Statute or Custom.5
Indentures of Apprenticeships, Lists of Apprentices and
Orders.
Certificates of Settlement, etc6
Orders of the Justices in Sessions.
Boundary Agreements.
Inclosure and Tithe Apportionment Awards and Maps.7
Plans of Roads, Railways, Waterworks, etc.
Agreements and Documents relating to Rental of Allotments.
Trust Deeds.
Public Health By-Laws. «
1 e.g. Disbursements of the Constables. Very few records of this
nature have hitherto been noted. Probably these, like the " Sextons'
Books, '' may be regarded as vouchers to the Churchwardens' Accounts.
But see Hist. MSS. Com. ioth Report (Much Wenlock), and cf. Cox,
Derbyshire Annals, p. 2 1 sq.
2 Or Parish Meetings. The Meetings of Urban or Rural District
Councils are included under this head. The series should apparently
include such official documents as Appointment Books, Attendance Books,
Minute Books, Letter Books, Order or Precept Books, and Original Cor
respondence. Certain related documents, which may be found here, are
noted below amongst " Documents Deposited ".
3 Including the well-known " Vestry Minutes ". As to other records
(such as Order Books, Memoranda, etc.), in the custody of Vestries or
Parish Meetings, see Report on Local Records, p. 1 1.
4 Especially those formed under the provisions of the Municipal Cor
porations Act of 1883. Amongst the documents which may be classified
in this series are Orders of the Charity Commissioners, lists of recipients
of charitable funds, Schemes and Schedules of Charitable Trusts, Accounts,
etc. 5 These include documents deposited under the Parliamentary Docu
ments Deposit Act of 1837, and the Railway Clauses Consolidation Act of
1845 1 but) besides these, many documents usually deposited with clerks
of the peace from a much earlier date may be found in parish chests.
6 These should form an extensive series from 1698 to 1834. Other
certificates to be found relate to vagrants, bastardy, apprentices, burials in
woollen, sacrament, highways.
7 See above, 1 {b).

134 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
{c) Documents casually deposited or acquired.1
Court Rolls and Manorial Accounts.2
Deeds, Leases, and Wills.
Inventories.
Accounts. Correspondence.
Terriers and Rentals.
Documents relating to Guilds and Charities.
VI. Church Records.3
A. Historical Note.
In the mediaeval period many of the powers exercised
by ecclesiastics were derived from the Papacy; allegi
ance was owed to the Pope as well as to the King, and
appeals in matters ecclesiastical were ultimately brought
before the Roman Curia.4 In other ways the Church
presented a dual aspect. It was a temporal magnate with
secular affairs and estates to manage. It was also a
spiritual authority directing the spiritual life of the
country and presiding in the courts Christian,6 whose
procedure differed greatly from that of the Royal Courts
of Justice. Such facts will be very relevant to an at
tempted classification of ecclesiastical records, and we
shall find that the series that have survived present some
important variations from those of the secular authorities.
After the Reformation and the consequent changes
made,6 the foreign authority was swept away and the
1 It would seem to depend on a variety of circumstances whether
these documents are now preserved in ecclesiastical or civil custody.
' cf. W. A. Fearon, Hampshire Registers, p. 114 (East Meon).
3 Including the records of Religious Bodies generally.
4 The claims of the Papacy, however, as is well known, were frequently
disputed by the Crown, with varying success.
6 For a history of the Courts, see Bishop Stubbs, Historical Appendix
to 1883 Report of Commission on Ecclesiastical Courts, and Holdsworth,,
History of English Law. Cf. also Taunton, Law of the Church, and
Phillimore, Ecclesiastical Law.
6 John Lely, Church of England's Position from the Statutes;
Prothero, Documents.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 1 35
Crown became the ultimate source of appeal. By the
19th century the judicial functions of the Church were
on the decrease, and many were then abolished or re
vised and some transferred to the civil authorities.1 The
administration of ecclesiastical estates was reorganized
under the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.2
From the middle of the 16th century there are also
Catholic, and from the 17th century Protestant Non
conformists, to be considered.
After 1 598 the Roman Catholics in England were under
the control of an Archpriest, who, in 1623, was given the
rank of Vicar- Apostolic. At the Restoration four vicari
ates were formed, which seem to have been served by
mission-priests from Douai and other English Colleges
abroad. The form of Church government adopted by the
various denominations of the Protestant Nonconformists
was a system of local and central committees meeting
periodically, but the relations of these organizations with
the records in their custody will be referred to below.3
B. Description and Distribution of the Records.
(1) Metropolitical, Diocesan, Capitular, and Archidia-
conal Records.4
Before turning to an examination of the records it
may make for clearness to note in passing some of the
powers exercised by ecclesiastical authorities. Leaving
aside their temporal functions of administering large
secular estates, we seem to discern a twofold division in
the spiritual powers of archbishops or bishops. There
are those that belong to their order and those that be
long to their office. In the former, such as ordination;
1 53 Geo. Ill, c. 127 ; 20 and 21 Vict., c 77 and c. 85.
2 6 and 7 Wm. IV, c. 77 ; see 1919 Report, III, p. 44 sq., for records
under their control.
3 P. 140. 4 For Parish Records, see above, p. 126.

136 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
they could be assisted only by suffragans. In the latter,
two aspects are again apparent.1 On the one hand is the
power of administering the province or diocese; this
includes instituting to benefices, issuing of various
licences, conducting visitations, etc. On the other hand
is the power of holding courts,2 both of First Instance
and Appeal, of granting marriage licences, and dealing
with testamentary matters. The archbishop or bishop^
could delegate all, or any, of the powers belonging to his
office to a Vicar-General or a Suffragan3; in practice,
the judicial powers were delegated to an Official Prin
cipal, Ordinary, Commissary, or Surrogate,4 leaving the
administrative side for the Vicar-General where one was
appointed. The powers of an archdeacon ranged from a simple
right of inspection and inquiry as the bishop's vicar to
the exercise of a concurrent jurisdiction with that of the
bishop himself, usually limited to his archdeaconry. By
ancient custom he had the right of examining persons to
be ordained and of inducting persons instituted. The
official functions of archdeacons were codified and
regulated by an Act of 1837.
Mention must also be made of the jurisdiction of the
Peculiars, which appears to have originated in some
seignorial right, and was exercised by many ecclesiastics5
1 cf. Gibson, Codex Juris Anglicani, Intro, xxii, and p. 986, where
the processes are classified as voluntary and contentious respectively.
2 The Provincial Courts for Canterbury were the Court of Audience,
Prerogative Court (testamentary), and Court of Arches ; for York, the
Court of Audience and the Chancery Court. The ordinary Court of the
Diocese was the Consistory Court.
3 Suffragans were assigned statutory provisions by 26 H. VIII, c. 14 ;
amended, 1888 and 1898.
4 In some cases the functions of a Vicar-General and Official Principal
were combined in the office of the Chancellor.
D i.e. by the higher clergy and also by rectors of certain parishes and
members of Cathedral Chapters, the jurisdiction was usually confined to
testamentary cases, and was limited to their own dioceses by later Ecclesi
astical Commissions.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 137
and by the Crown, either in person or by the appoint
ment of an official. Sometimes the lord of the manor
had power of granting probate in the manorial court.
The powers of the Chapter covered the administration
of secular estates, and during voidance of the See, of the
diocese or province.
If each of the above authorities had produced a
separate series of records representing the different
aspects of their separate functions, or even if each
authority possessed one separate repository, the classi
fication of the records would have proved a less
difficult task. In fact, the provincial records of
Canterbury and York1 cannot be sharply distinguished
from the diocesan ; nor will the surviving collections
of either class of records be found in a single re
pository. The older records, before the establishment
of a registry,2 were stored in the episcopal palace or
the cathedral, and traces of such practice exist to-day
when we find the records in many of the dioceses
distributed between the registry, the palace, and the
cathedral, either by prescription or arrangement with the
Dean and Chapter.3 The records of archdeacons may
be found in an archidiaconal or an episcopal registry, or
even among the archives of the Dean and Chapter.4 The
Reformation produced new repositories, those of the
Court of Faculties and the Vicar-General's Court,6 while
1 The records of the Provincial Courts of Canterbury are kept apart
from the Diocesan Records ; yet those of York are preserved in the same
registry. The archiepiscopal registers of Canterbury contain both pro
vincial and diocesan business.
2 25 H. VIII, C. 21. 3 e.g. in London and Exeter.
4 There is a general lack of uniformity as to the custody of these re
cords. They should be best preserved where the archdeaconry is that of
the cathedral town or where there is a separate registry {cf. 1902 Report,
Appx., p. 118 et seq., and 191 9 Report {passim).
"cf. 1914 Report, Appx. (II), p. 101. These courts are, in effect,
registries.

138 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
the records of the High Court of Delegates passed inta"
State custody. The legislative changes of the 19th
century have created the Principal and District Probate
Registries. These should have absorbed all records
relating to testamentary and some for divorce matters,
and, therefore, include some records of Peculiars. In
numerous instances, however, non-testamentary cases
have been brought into the civil registries, whilst testa
mentary matters are included amongst those in ecclesiastic ;
cal custody. These discrepancies are being gradually
adjusted by official arrangement.
Turning in more detail to the contents of these various
repositories it will be seen that a classification of the re
cords according to form can only be made on paper, as
it cuts across the existing distribution and arrangement
Yet such an attempt is at least worth making because it
will give the best survey of the material to be dealt with.
The three broad divisions of Diplomatic, Adminis
trative, and Judicial Documents made in other sections
of this work are therefore retained as far as possible
with sub-divisions to denote the temporal and spiritual
aspects of the records.1
Dealing first with spiritual matters, instruments
emanating from the archbishops will not be found in a
separate register or confined to the registers of their own
provinces, and the same observation may be made in
respect of papal and episcopal instruments. The Ad
ministrative Records include Act Books2 and other
records analogous to temporal records. Under the head
1 In some cases {e.g. York), an attempt is made to distinguish between
spiritual and temporal matters in early rolls.
2 Chapter Act Books may be compared with Minute Books of Corpo
rations and contain important matters relating to temporal administration.
In so far as they are a day book they also reflect the spiritual activities and
are therefore given both under spiritual and temporal.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 1 39
of Judicial Records, the Court Books form the most
important series.1
The Visitation Records of archbishops, bishops, and
archdeacons in respect of cathedrals, monastic houses,
churches, and parishes, are of a distinctive, judicial, and
administrative character, and are classified accordingly.
In connexion with spiritual jurisdictions generally it
is important to remember that on the vacancy of a See or
of the primacy, the work was carried on, during voidance,
by an official appointed by the archbishop (or the
capitular body of the metropolitical see during voidance),
and his acts were entered as a general rule, not in the
register of the diocese to which he was appointed, but in
the provincial or capitular register. There were, how
ever, exceptions to this practice.
Among Temporal Records are classed all those dealing
with the management of secular estates and with the
relations with the central government. Such instruments
are entered on the register. Episcopal and Capitular
Records include muniments of title and records of temporal
administration. The archdeacon would appear to have
no such records; for records of estates apart from his
office we have apparently to go to the Chapter archives.
(2) Roman Catholic and Protestant Nonconformist
Records. Since, as was stated above, the English Roman
Catholics were administered from abroad,2 the records
must be sought for chiefly among the English Colleges
abroad. There are some in this country consisting
chiefly of correspondence 3 and baptismal and other
1See 1832 Report on Ecclesiastical Courts and Archdeacon Hale's,.
Precedents and Proceedings in Criminal Causes (147 5- 1640).
"Information is preserved in the Archiepiscopal collection at West
minster. 3 Some have been dealt with by Hist. MSS. Commission (4th Report,.
Appx.), and in publications of the Catholic Record Society ; see also 1902
Report, Appx., p. 253, and 1919 Report, Appx., p. 86.

140 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
registers. Monastic Records of the first Province are
now scattered.1 Those in England are in the possession
of the Crown and in public and private collections and
with the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, and a few survive
among the records of the Dean and Chapter of new
foundations (1541). The 17th century legislation pro>
duced new series of records 2 for both Catholic and
Protestant Nonconformists, but these will be found either
in central archives or amongst County, or Municipal, or
Diocesan Records.
The most important class of record kept by the
Protestant Nonconformists may be regarded as the
Minute Books, in which all details of administration and
discipline were usually entered.3
The central authority of each of the principal denom
inations, namely, the Society of Friends, the Independents
(Congregational Union), the General Baptists' Assembly,
the Unitarians (British and Foreign Unitarian Associ
ation), the Moravians (Provincial Elders Conference), the
Presbyterians (General Synod), and the United Methodist
Free Churches, possesses a repository for its records.
Generally speaking, each church or meeting keeps its
own records, and for some denominations there are also
1 It would be useful to know to what extent these Orders have brought
back their muniments to this country ; these would supply valuable
materials for the religious history of the post Reformation period. The
Benedictines and others have documents of a definitely official character.
For the nature of some of these records, see J. Morris, S.J., Troubles of
vur Catholic Forefathers, Ser. i, p. i et seq.
2 e.g. Schoolmasters' Certificates from Act of Uniformity, 14 Chas. II,
Sacrament Certificates from Test Act, etc. New statutory oaths were
constantly prescribed. Cf. R. G. Usher, Royal Historical Society, 3rd
Series, Vol. VIII, on "Classis " records.
3 Their position in the state has been the subject of legislation, and
thus records relating to them under various statutes will be found both in
public and local archives. Common instances are licences of meeting
houses found among Quarter Sessions as well as Consistory Court Records.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS I4I
records of District and Connexional Committees. These
are frequently placed in the custody of local Noncon
formist Colleges. Trust deeds and similar documents
are often in custody of solicitors or of banks.1 The
publications of the various historical societies of the
denominations should be consulted as well as the 1902
Report. There is a National Council of Evangelical Free
Churches and also a number of Missionary Societies
whose records should be of importance, besides lesser
bodies of Nonconformists, such as Plymouth Brethren
and Bible Christians and the Free Episcopal Churches.
For the records of Dutch and French Huguenots in
England, see the publications of the Huguenot Society.
(3) The records of the Jewish community are briefly
described in Bibliotheca-Anglo-Judaica — the section on
MSS. sources of Anglo-Jewish history — (Anglo-Jewish
Historical Exhibition Publications, No. 3). An important
collection at Bevis Marks Synagogue carries the records
of the community back to 1664 with a few earlier deeds
of 1657 relating to the purchase of a cemetery. The
Minute Books of the Board of Deputies begin in the
17th century and form almost a complete series down
to modern times.
Classified List of Ecclesiastical Records.
1. Diocesan and Archidiaconal Registries and Cathedral Archives.
1. Diplomatic Documents : —
{a) Secular.2
{b) Ecclesiastical.3
1 Enrolments are frequently found in the Chancery Close Rolls or in
the Decree and Order Books of the Court of Chancery. Notices also
occur amongst the Chancery Masters' Documents.
2 Royal, seignorial, and private charters, deeds and other documents
similar to the muniments of title in private collections. They may be
found as originals, but are commonly entered in registers or cartularies.
3 These, whether originals or inrolments, can be distinguished
as to their source, as papal, metropolitical, episcopal, etc. The most

142 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
2. Administrative Documents : —
{a) Accounts.1
{b) Official Proceedings.2
numerous and most typical forms are the episcopal instruments, i.e.
ordinances, constitutions, regulations, commissions, injunctions, mandates,'
and monitions, indulgences, pardons, protections, recommendations, dis
pensations, denunciations, licences, faculties, certificates, testimonials.
letters of confraternity ; articles of visitation ; articles of inquiry ;
interrogatories ; grants of advowson, of obits, chantries, union and parti-
tion of benefices, appropriations ; letters dimissory, ordinations, letters
of orders, collations and presentations, consecrations, institutions, installa
tions and inductions, prohibitions, inhibitions, relaxations, requisitions,
sequestrations ; nominations to offices, appointments, oaths for ad
mission, subscriptions, suspensions, notifications of elections ; wills,
probates, letters of administration, marriage licences, bonds, affidavits,
etc. ; petitions, appeals, protests, briefs, answers, libels, remonstrances,
complaints, declarations, citations and depositions, fiats, caveats, cautions,
sentences and awards ; articles of faith, letters, pastoral and private.
Papal instruments include bulls, letters, writs, rescripts, commissions,
privileges, mandates, exemplifications, ordinances, and various licences;
the metropolitical types include letters, mandates, commissions and facul
ties. In the capitular collections are found also patents of registrars,
oaths of admission to chapter elections ; installations are characteristic.
The archidiaconal instruments, if we may distinguish such, are documents
under seal of the archdeacon's court, and similar in type to those of the
bishop, but less numerous, e.g. inductions, monitions, licences and school
masters' and other certificates. There are no types specially characteristic
of Peculiar jurisdiction.
1 Secular Accounts include : assessments of taxation, subsidies,
scutages, levies, returns of taxations, acquittances, balance sheets, proc
tors' taxed bills, rolls of payment, rolls of allowances and accounts of ad
ministration ; lists of salaries and pensions, pittances, returns of commis
sioners as to glebe houses, tallies and bills ; household accounts, bailiffs'
and manorial accounts, and travelling expenses. Amongst Ecclesiastical
Accounts, may be mentioned Commissioners' and Treasurers' Accounts,
rolls of obedientiaries and vicars choral, priory rolls, fabric rolls, court fee
books and tables of fees ; procurations, synodals, accounts of keepers of
shrines, oblations, obits, accounts of subsidiary bodies, almshouses, chan
tries, etc.
2 Among Secular Proceedings we find various acts and compilations
in the shape of act books, registers, or other precedent books which
include proceedings of royal officials and others. Amongst the Ecclesi
astical Proceedings are episcopal registers, act books, institution and

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 143
{c) Extents, Inventories.1
{d) Nominal Lists.2
3. Judicial Documents : —
{a) Relating to Secular Jurisdictions.3
{b) Relating to Ecclesiastical Jurisdictions.4
ordination books, chapter act books, convocations books, sealing books,
and proceedings of vicars choral, etc. The earlier episcopal registers
sometimes resemble cartularies {e.g. at Salisbury). There are sometimes
separate registers of temporalities. The term register is usually applied
to the episcopal act books, and documents received are entered as well
as documents issued. Business relating to temporal estates is often found,
and wills and probates and proceedings at visitations occur.
After the Reformation, some classes of instruments usually form
separate series, e.g. the institution and ordination books ; books of
wills, administrations and faculties ; presentments, depositions, and alle
gations as well as marriage bonds, banns, subscriptions, and obits. A
register may approximate to a precedent book or formula book. After
the Reformation, official commonplace or memoranda books are frequent,
containing proclamations, narratives of important occurrences, addresses,
etc. 1 Among Secular documents there are divers kinds of surveys, rent
als, feodaries ; maps, plans, perambulations, etc. ; valuations, etc. On
the Ecclesiastical side, terriers, tithe awards, apportionments, and plans ;
surveys of churches ; inventories for probate ; inventories made at visi
tations, e.g. of plate, goods, ornaments, relics, catalogues of books, muni
ments, etc
2 Lists of Secular and Ecclesiastical persons, including tenants, vil
leins, mayors, bailiffs, widows, etc. ; bishops and incumbents, chapter
members, vicars choral and choristers, benefactors, churchwardens, etc,
' drawn up at visitations ; also of qualified surgeons, physicians, school
masters ; midwives ; recusants, nonconformists, communicants, and ex
communicated persons ; meeting-houses, monastic houses, hospitals ;
mortuary rolls, returns of penances, transcripts of parish registers,
etc. 3 Exemplifications, transcripts or notes of pleas in royal courts ; Local,
Manorial, and Borough Court Rolls, Court Leet Records, etc.
4 Copies and transcripts of proceedings in the Roman Curia ; awards,
proceedings before delegates, briefs, warrants, commissions, and other
subsidiary records. Consistory court books are preserved as a single or
double series for criminal and civil cases ; correction books, of causes
ex officio, defamation and various offences against morals and discipline : In
stance Books of actions between parties in marriage and testamentary causes,
and tithe disputes. The subsidiary books are registers of allegations,

144 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
4. Visitation Records.1
5. Miscellaneous : —
{a) Records of a public nature.2
{b) Various. II. Records of Nonconformist Bodies.
1. Roman Catholic : —
{a) Ecclesiastical.3
(b) Monastic.4
2. Protestant Nonconformist Bodies D : —
{a) Society of Friends and early religious sects.
{b) Baptists and Methodists, and later, Nonconformist Bodies.
depositions, and of many other instruments. Original instruments are
enumerated under Diplomatic Documents. The archdeacon's Consistory
Court Records are similar to the bishop's.
The Records of Peculiars depend on the nature of the jurisdiction.
Probate Records are the most common.
1 They may be summarized as commissions and mandates to visitors
and officials, inhibitions of inferior jurisdictions, articles of inquiry in form
of originals or entered in registers and books, returns, answers, depositions,
resulting orders and injunctions, numerous certificates and nominal lists.
For parishes there are churchwardens and sidesmen's oaths, admissions
and presentments, transcripts of registers, etc., and many inventories.
Copies of Visitation Records were often kept by monasteries and par
ticular churches if of importance.
2 The 1 800 Report notices many records of this class. The collection
of such records at Westminster is still of considerable importance.
3 Bulls, briefs, petitions, etc., relating to Roman Catholic mission :
orders, regulations, letters relating to colleges, persons, etc. Chapter
Records, memoirs, diaries, epitaphs, reports, etc. Extracts from rentals,
registers, baptismal, etc. Nominal lists — obituary, of imprisoned secular
and regular priests, presidents of institutions, students, writers, etc. Ad
missions of regulars. Attestations to pilgrims. Visitation books and sub
sidiary papers. Treatises, extracts, narratives, histories of institutions and
persons. Controversial writings. Correspondence.
4 Monastic Records of similar general type to Capitular, comprising
muniments of title, Chapter Records, obedientiaries, fabric rolls, mortuary
rolls, lists of obits, etc., but there are no Judicial Records except Manorial.
There is usually a large miscellaneous collection. Modern collections con
tain fewer records of temporal side, and much of a personal nature.
0 See 1902 Report. The collections contain correspondence ; baptismal
and other registers, accounts, books of proceedings, minute books, and
nominal lists. Registers of births, etc., have been partially collected, and
placed at Somerset House. See Registrar-General's Report (1912).

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 145
VII. Muniments or Collections of Literary Institu
tions, Learned Societies, Academic, Professional
or Trading Corporations, and Private Individuals.
A. Historical and Descriptive Note.
This section includes certain local records that were
defined by the Local Records Committee in 1902 as being
of a " semi-public nature," as well as others of a " private
nature," a distinction which is not always helpful to the
student of history.1 The records of central authorities
and ecclesiastical and municipal corporations have been
separately dealt with in former sections. Again, various
public institutions, such as 'municipal libraries and
museums, are either in the nature of public trusts or are
actually municipal departments. Besides these, a con
siderable number of libraries and museums have been
established by academic and other corporations, or
learned societies, for public or private use.2 To the
above may be added some collections which have not.
hitherto been recognized as potential sources for the
economic and social history of this country.3
The scope of the present section will be seen from
the Classified List given below. The selection of the
documents is necessarily an arbitrary one, as no general
survey or classification of the contents of the existing
collections has hitherto been attempted. It will be
evident, however, that these documents can be roughly
1 One of the problems of historical research is to account for docu
ments dispersed in divers custodies. Thus records relating to Church
Estates and Livings under the Commonwealth are to be found in the
British Museum, Bodleian, Lambeth, and Sion College Libraries, as well
as in the Public Record Office (1919 Report, Appx. (Ill), p. 82).
2 Such as university and college libraries or muniment rooms.
8 Such as Friendly Societies and trades of public utility, e.g. railway,
canal, water, lighting companies, etc. These may, perhaps, some day
possess the same value as the records of the town guilds, which have now
been mostly absorbed in the town records or acquired by various collectors.
L

146 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
grouped in two divisions, according to their ownership,
by a governing body or by the head of a family re
spectively. The first of these divisions includes certain types
which have been in existence for several centuries,1
whilst others are of comparatively recent date.2 No
clear distinction can be made between the several kinds
of institutions, corporations, and societies in respect of
their archives, and the description of such as appear to
be of historical value can only be provisional.3
It will be seen from the Classified List that certain
corporations and institutions or societies approach some
what closely the position of the statutory authorities
previously dealt with.4 Thus, scientific and literary in
stitutions generally are affected by a series of enactments
dating from the middle of the 19th century.6
Libraries and museums, which form part of the same
1 e.g. university colleges, hospitals, and almshouses, so far as they
can be regarded as private corporations.
2 e.g. most of the " public utility " and trading corporations.
5 The conventional classification of corporations as " sole " or " aggre
gate," "ecclesiastical" or "lay," "eleemosynary" or "civil," does not
immediately affect the character of the archives. It is difficult, in practice
to distinguish between corporations and companies, whether commercial
or industrial, "chartered," "joint-stock," or "regulated". At the same
time, these bodies were closely associated with the guilds or societies
which preceded the modern trusts.
4 Amongst literary institutions the valuable contents of the Royal
Institution and other central archives are well known ; but there are
others outside the Metropolitan area, such as the Royal Artillery Institu
tion at Woolwich, which have also acquired documents of public interest.
As to the increasing importance of local museums, as repositories of
historical sources see Bibliography of Mediceval Economic History,
pp. 40 seq.
"Especially the Acts of 1843, l85°> ^S2, 1854, 1890, 1891, 1908.
The Schools of Science and Art hereby provided for are not included, as
there is no evidence that their records have, or will acquire hereafter, any
historical value.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 147
group, have been similarly provided for by legislation.1
It will also be observed that the distinction between the
above institutions and the group of so-called " Learned
Societies " is a somewhat fine one,2 and the conventional
list of these societies includes "Institutes" or "Institu
tions," "Associations," "Clubs," and "Schools". At
the same time, some of these societies perform functions
similar to those of the mediaeval guilds in connexion
with the protection or advancement of their respective
interests or the discipline of their own members.3 The
group is a large one, but the great majority of the societies
concerned with various branches of science have not
, seriously interested themselves in the original sources
for the history of those studies.4 There are also a large
number of modern societies concerned with religious,
educational, charitable, philanthropic, or humane objects,
including the enforcement of existing legislation. The
importance of their archives may be considerable; but
we have seen that the more influential bodies are central
in respect of their establishments.5 The most interesting
1 In 1891, 1892, and 1901, but parish libraries were regulated by
legislation as far back as 1708. Commissioners were appointed under
the Public Libraries Act of 1855.
2 As to the status of these societies, see the Acts of Parliament re
lating thereto from 1843 to 1908 and the Classified List below. The
great central professional societies have actually a statutory position, and
their archives have, to some extent, the force of records {cf. 1914 Report,
Appx. (II), pp. 169 seq.).
3 These functions are exercised by central societies (including the
Stationers' Company, Trinity House, etc.), which are regulating bodies ;
but there are many local societies representing coroners, clerks of the
peace, the legal, medical, and other professions, as well as the friendly
societies at large and the so-called trade protection societies. Notaries
and scriveners may be mentioned here.
4 In some cases valuable documents have been casually acquired.
The archives of the older societies are, in some cases, of considerable
value. In the present day there is a tendency to adopt historical methods
of research in dealing with the earlier history of scientific study.
5 For lists of these societies, see London and County Directories :
cf. Urkund-wesen der Europaischen Staaten (1913), pp. 225 sq.

148 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
of all these types for students of archives are naturally
the Historical and Archaeological Societies, a select list
of which has been printed elsewhere.1
The charitable institutions of early foundation have
either survived the dissolution of the colleges and guilds
at the Reformation,2 or have been established since by
public or private benefactions. Some colleges, hospitals,
"God's houses," almshouses, and guilds possess valuable
muniments, which have been described by the Historical
Manuscripts' Commission or by local historians. In
formation as to these records has also been preserved
by the Charity Commissioners, whose archives include
MS. Reports on Charities omitted from the printed Re
ports or founded since their issue. In the archives of
this central Commission numerous original deeds or
inrolments are preserved, besides accounts and corre
spondence relating thereto.3 The modern hospital is an
academic as well as a clinical institution, and in some
cases it possesses important documents of scientific in
terest and even manorial title-deeds, in addition to its
domestic archives.4 Probably, however, there has been
a tendency for the records of religious colleges and urban
hospitals or guilds to fall into the hands of the local
ecclesiastical and municipal bodies.
Academic, professional, and trading Corporations have,
as the common object of their existence, the furtherance
of their respective interests. They differ, however, inr
degree as repositories of historical archives.
1 H. Hall, Bibliography of Mediaeval Economic History (Appx.).
2 37 Hen. VIII, c. 4, and 1 Ed. VI, c 14.
3 For details, see the 1914 Report, Appx., p. 31, and Minutes of
Evidence. For guides to the local records, see Introduction.
4 Provincial hospitals are not usually of such early foundation as the
Metropolitan institutions, nor are they probably possessed of valuable
records. Their administrative archives, however, should be of historical
as well as scientific interest ; cf. St. Bartholomew's Hospital (Ed. N. Moore).
The records of the Royal Universal Dispensary for Children (dating from
1707) are deposited in the Public Record Office.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 149
Naturally the older universities, colleges, and schools
are richly endowed with historical sources which are to
be found both in their libraries and muniment rooms,
and these collections are among the most important of
our Local Records. Their public nature is frequently
assumed, but although their property and policy have
been regulated by statute, while they are closely re
lated in other respects to charitable trusts, the public
have not access to their records as a matter of right or
custom.1 Professional or trading corporations, on the other
hand, are more independent of statutory control, but
probably possess, with a few notable exceptions, less
extensive and continuous collections of records owing to
inevitable vicissitudes. The records of great professional
corporations, like the Inns of Court, are of a quasi-
academic nature and the most important of these
collections are found in the Metropolis.
Amongst the trading companies are some which
occupy a quasi-statutory position ; but their importance
is mainly due to their position in the Metropolitan area.
Thus Lloyd's, which now comprises a chartered Corpo
ration, an Exchange, and a Shipping Registry, and which
is possessed of some interesting records, has no provincial
counterpart herein. On the other hand, the Metropolitan
Records may at any time be removed to one of the home
counties, as in the case of the Metropolitan Water Board,2
which, however, is a statutory authority. The Bank of
England3 and the London Stock Exchange occupy a
1 Access to this class of documents is facilitated by the description of
their contents in printed lists.
2 For a description of these, see 1914 Report, Appx. (II), p. 196.
3 A large repository of documents belonging to the Bank of England
has been established at Barnes. Amongst its activities on behalf of the
Government the Bank formerly maintained an Audit Office, where
duplicates of the records of the Accountant-General of the Court of
Chancery were preserved from 1726 to the Judicature Act of 1875.

150 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
unique position in a group of trading companies which
are widely distributed. Reference has been made else
where 1 to the national consequence and public nature of
these records, but this observation does not apply to the
provincial bodies, although their muniments will be of
considerable interest to future students of economic
history. A valuable collection of documents relating to
Banking has been brought together in the Museum of
the Bankers' Institute (St. Clement's Lane, E.C.).
It should be remembered that valuable contributions
to economic and social history are derived from the
records of trading companies, some of which have come
into the State archives or public institutions,2 whilst
others are still in custody of the existing corporations.3
The Public Utility Companies are merely dis
tinguished from the last-named owing to supervision
exercised by the State and the possibility of an eventual
devolution of ownership. Amongst these the most not
able records are those of the older railway companies
and collieries; but many original colliery records have
been preserved in official custody in connexion with
Chancery suits.
The historical muniments or collections in the pos
session of private individuals must be regarded as wholly
unrestrained by any form of State control. At the same
time it is well known that they may include Judicial
Records, State Papers, and Local Records which have
been improperly acquired by the present owner or his
predecessors in title. In some cases documents thus
1 See Introduction, p. xviii, and below, pp. 172-174.
2 Among the records of so-called expired Commissions, e.g. the Royal
African Company ; among the Treasury Records, and among a vast
assortment of exhibits known as the " Chancery Masters' Documents ".
Others {e.g. Stationers' Company), have been deposited in the Public
Record Office.
3 See above, pp. 97-107, for another aspect of these corporations.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 151
misappropriated J have been recovered by the State, but
in other cases no action has been taken and numerous
Public Records have been sold out of the country, being
not only a loss in themselves but also diminishing the
value of the remainder of the official series.2 Again
great losses have been incurred through the destruction
of the contents of private muniment rooms by fire or
negligent custody. Even where the documents have
survived they are usually unarranged and undescribed,
and they are frequently inaccessible to students except
under irksome conditions. On the other hand in some
cases owners are remarkably generous and helpful, and
individual manuscripts are occasionally deposited in some
public library for the convenience of students.
It has been noted under the head of correspondence
preserved in official archives that a considerable quantity
of family papers have been acquired by forfeiture of
estates, or by voluntary deposit or sale. Many other
papers of this description have been destroyed amongst
the miscellaneous records of the Courts of Justice, weeded
out from time to time.3
Private collections may be conveniently distinguished
as " inherited " and " made " collections respectively.
The latter are far less numerous than the former and are
of unequal value. In course of time most of them are
absorbed by public institutions.
Inherited collections are normally composed of two
elements; (a) Manorial Records and title-deeds; (b)
family letters and papers. A third element consisting of
JThe removal of State Papers by Secretaries of State and other
Ministers was clearly forbidden since the reign of Queen Elizabeth and
these were sometimes recovered under a royal warrant. Ministers abroad
were strictly required by their instructions to leave all papers in the archives
for their successors ; cf. 1919 Report, Appx. (II), p. 37.
2 The judicial authorities in later times have had no exact knowledge
of the nature or value of archives or of the conditions of their custody.
3cf. H. Hall, Antiquities, etc., of the Exchequer, p. 92.

152 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
documents of a public or semi-public nature may or may
not be present.
Though many Manorial Records have been trans
ferred to the State archives and to several public
institutions, an untold number is still preserved in
family collections. As these title-deeds passed with
the land from one holder to another, families, whose
connection with an estate is of comparatively recent date,
may possess records illustrating the history of the district
for several centuries. Records of various types of manors
are also to be found, from the liberties, honours, or fiefs,
formerly in the possession of the baronage or religious
houses, down to the single manor, which was often
co-terminous with the parish or township.
These collections not only illustrate the local environ
ment of the family and of the community, but they
also form an invaluable source for the study of economic
and social history.
Diplomatic documents seem to form the bulk of the
manorial class, most collections being especially rich in
these ancient deeds,1 frequently dating from the 12th
century. The Administrative Records 2 include manorial
surveys and extents, bailiff's accounts, customaries of
manors, and maps showing the distribution of land in
the manor, and forming in many cases valuable supple
ments to the earlier written surveys and extents. The
Judicial Records are represented by the rolls of the
manor courts.3
Among the family papers the principal types are
private letters, marriage-settlement deeds, and other
legal documents of a personal character, copies of wills,
1 Including charters, confirmations, demises, final concords, releases,
quitclaims, bonds, leases, certificates, wills, letters, corrodies, etc.
2 In this class are also found rentals, inventories of stock, lists of
holdings and tenants, etc.
3 Courts baron and court leets.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS I S3
inventories, household accounts, pedigrees, memoirs,
diaries, accounts of travel, and other documents of a
literary character.
The documents of a public or semi-public character
to be found in private collections are chiefly those ac
quired by members of the family in their capacity as
heads of departments of State or as holding administra
tive offices in central or local government ; consequently,
/they may include almost any type of document.
It will be evident from the foregoing remarks on the
nature and distribution of these sources, and from the
subjoined " Classified List," that no comprehensive or
definite classification of the several types can yet be
attempted. This is due partly to their inaccessibility
and partly to lack of arrangement and description. The
following scheme of classification must therefore be re
garded as quite provisional and as strictly limited to the
more accessible types.
Classified List of Local Archives of a Semi -Public
or Private Nature.
i. Institutions, Societies, and Clubs.
Scientific and Literary Institutions.1
Societies " : —
Learned Societies.3
1 See above as to the several types and their close relationship with
societies and other bodies.
2 These are not classified on any intelligent plan in the Directories,
and include some societies which, though not regarded as "Learned,"
have an intimate knowledge of certain local records {e.g. the " Commons'
and Footpaths' Preservation Society "). They also include academies, few
examples of which occur in this country. The suppressed " Corresponding
Societies" (1793- 1820) are of historical interest, and a few stray archives
have been preserved amongst official records ; they were ostensibly Friendly
Societies. The true " Secret Society " has no use for documentary records.
3 Including scientific, literary, historical, archaeological, economic, and
philosophical societies, with some of a more practical nature, such as
agricultural, horticultural, and photographic societies, and the freemasons.

154 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
Professional Societies.1
Religious and Charitable Societies.2
Industrial and Provident Societies.3
Clubs 4 :—
Social.
Political. Industrial.
Charitable Institutions.6 2. Corporate Bodies.
Academic Corporations ° : —
Universities. Colleges.Schools.
1 Including the legal, medical, teaching, actuarial, engineering, and
other professions.
2 Including educational schemes. The records of the early religious
societies are of considerable historical value {cf. Andrews and Davenport,
Report on Minor London Archives (1908)). The registration of all
charitable collectors under a recent statute should eventually assist to
define the status of the whole class.
3 As to industrial and provident societies generally, see the regulating
Acts passed between 1891 and 1898, and the rules respecting Approved
Societies made under the National Health Insurance Act (191 1). Such
bodies as land societies are really trading companies. The position of
Chambers of Commerce is at present uncertain, but these successors of
the old merchant guilds may soon obtain a statutory authority.
4 The distinction between a club and a society is not always apparent,
but the former is more directly regulated by statute. As to this, cf. the
1914 Report, Appx. (II), p. 103. A few clubs should possess archives of
historical interest.
5 For their titles, see local directories and histories, and especially the
Victoria County Histories.
6 Corporations of ancient date do not necessarily possess archives of
historical value, while some of recent date have acquired valuable collec
tions. For a description of these local records, see Gross, Sources and
Literature, the 1800 Report on Public Records, the Reports of the His
torical MSS. Commission, the printed Catalogues (especially for Cambridge,
by Dr. M. R. James), the publications of the Oxford Historical and Cam
bridge Antiquarian Societies, and the Standard Histories of Eton, Win
chester, etc. Some schools should properly be classed as charities, whilst
others are State estabhshments. It is not known whether any records of
early National Schools have been preserved by the Board of Education.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 155
Professional Corporations' : —
Legal.Medical.
Artistic. Scientific. Industrial.
Trading Corporations or Companies * : —
Chartered Companies.3
Banking and Insurance Companies.4
Statutory Companies.6
Private Companies.6 3. Private Individuals.7
Inherited Collections.
Made Collections.
1 These are closely allied to the Academic Corporations, and are not
easily distinguished from the professional societies. Thus the Inns of
Court are quasi-academics whilst the Law Society and Medical Colleges are
governing bodies with statutory powers. Herein they resemble the great
mercantile companies. Descriptions of the archives will be found in the
1914 Report, in the " Histories " of individual corporations, and in printed
catalogues. The most important collections are Metropolitan, but the
importance of the provincial organizations is increasing.
2 It has been noticed previously that some institutions, societies, and
professional corporations are of a commercial nature ; also that " Public
Utility " companies are here separately described.
3 The more ancient of these companies being, for the most part, ex
tinct, their records may be found amongst official or private collections,
though, in a few cases {e.g. Hudson's Bay Company), they are in the
custody of surviving corporations.
4 Regulated by the Companies Act (1908), {cf. the 1914 Report,
Appx. (II), pp. 42, 168). Bankers (like solicitors) have been credited
with the storage of many documents of historical interest belonging to
former customers. The archives of notaries and scriveners should be of
considerable social and economic interest.
6 Regulated under Acts of Parliament from 1843 to 1908. For a
description, see the 1914 Report, Appx. (II), p. 168.
6 These are also registered under the Act of 1908 (8 Ed. VII, c. 69,
S. 121(2)). 7 As distinguished from corporate bodies, institutions, or associations.
The sub-division suggested here is useful in tracing the provenance of
the records. It should be noted, however, that the " made " collections

156 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF
B. Distribution of the Muniments of Institutions,
Corporations, and Private Individuals.
The ethics of the custody of unrelated records;,
have been discussed elsewhere (Introduction). In
connection with the above " Classified List " it is
important to observe that, although in most cases
the muniments of institutions and corporations are
confined to a conventional series of official records, in
some a great variety of documents is found, and, there
fore, no general distinction can be made between these
and the muniments of private individuals which may
include documents of the same nature as those preserved
by corporate bodies. In both cases the collections may
contain Public or Local Records. The former will in
clude State Papers and Departmental Records, together
with various administrative and judicial proceedings.
The Local Records will include records of County,
Town, Parish, Ecclesiastical, and Statutory Authorities.
Records of many corporations or institutions will also be
found in the possession of private individuals.
On the other hand we have seen that many muniments
of a private nature have found their way into official or
public collections.1 We have also seen that the collections
of private individuals have been variously acquired,
some having been handed down from one generation to
{excluding the stock of antiquarian booksellers) are relatively few in number,
though some {e.g. J. E. Hodgkin and A. Morrison) are of importance. It
may be generally assumed that these collections contain more or less
isolated documents. Private collectors have often bequeathed original
documents and extensive transcripts or notes to public or private institu
tions. At the same time, their activities, though instrumental in saving
many documents, have exercised a demoralizing effect upon the official
custody of local records. There is the further danger of the loss of
national records by sales to foreign institutions or collectors, an increasing
practice and one which has hitherto been permitted with impunity {see
above, p. 151).
1 Above, pp. 1 51-152.

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS 157
another, whilst others have been acquired by purchase,
gift, or loan, and even by the removal of official docu
ments for convenience of reference.
The structural classification of the documents is as
follows : — i. Diplomatic Documents.1
Public Records.2
Local Records.3
Official or Family Muniments.4
2. Administrative Proceedings.5
Public Records.6
Local Records.7
Official or Family Muniments.8
¦For the several classes of "Diplomatic Documents," see Formula
Book, Part I.
2 The official instruments found here are chiefly originals, but inrolments
are also met with, causing gaps in the official archives. Official cor
respondence is met with to a still larger extent.
3 Chiefly correspondence ; ' also charters, cartularies, and other title-
deeds of municipal and ecclesiastical corporations and trusts.
4 Chiefly royal and- private charters and other instruments or title-deeds,
with correspondence ; but almost every form of " Diplomatic Document "
occurs in the great academic collections.
5 For the several classes of these proceedings, see Formula Book,
Part II. We are concerned here with minutes and orders, etc., of local
institutions, accounts, surveys, and nominal lists, with various miscellaneous
forms. 6 Especially Departmental Records. Many Exchequer or Chancery
accounts and surveys found in local collections are possibly merely duplicates
or subsidiary to the official records.
7 Especially accounts, establishments, and plans ; but specimens of
other kinds of Administrative Records are to be found in the larger
collections, such as the Bodleian Library.
8 The types found are to some extent in keeping with the nature of the
collection, where this has been kept intact; but (as noted above) the
records of many manors and of the larger business corporations are now
in other collections.

158 SELECT CLASSIFIED LIST OF ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS
3. Judicial Proceedings.1
Public Records.2
Local Records.3
Official or Family Muniments.4
4. Miscellaneous Documents.5
1 See Formula Book, Part II, and Scargill-Bird, Guide S. V.
2 The number of actual records of the Chancery, Exchequer, and Courts
of Common Law, now preserved in various institutions or in private col
lections, is inconsiderable compared with those of the special jurisdictions,
mostly abolished {e.g. the Board of Green Cloth, Council of the West, etc.).
There are also many subsidiary proceedings of the King's Court.
3 Some records of Quarter Sessions, Inferior Courts of Records, and
other records of ordinary courts of local jurisdiction, together with a still
larger number of Manor Court Rolls, are to be met with. Many others
are probably in the custody of Lords-Lieutenants or of the Clerks to
Justices of the Peace. As to Coroners' Records, see 1914 Report, Appx.
(II and III).
4 See footnotes above. As previously noted, comparatively few Court
Rolls are now in the possession of lords of manors, but many others must
have been in the custody of their stewards, and some of these may still
exist. 5 Including, generally, documents of an historical nature which cannot
be classified as diplomatic, administrative, or judicial, such as treatises
or essays, memoranda, memoirs and diaries, poems, plays, speeches, etc.,
together with indexes or precis-books and other compilations. Among
these special mention should be made of scientific treatises and other
MSS., illustrating the History of Science in relation to the History of
Civilization {cf. Transactions, R. Hist. Soc, 4th Sen, Vol. II, pp. 132 sq.).

PART III
DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH
ARCHIVES

PART III.
A DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH
ARCHIVES.
PREFATORY NOTE.
It was evidently the intention of Public Record Office
Act of 1838 that all the State archives x should be brought
into one repository; but this was never carried out.
The archives actually brought in are supposed to include
all the judicial records, except those of quite recent date ;
but the Public Records Commission of 1910 found many
early records outstanding. Similarly, some Public
Departments have transmitted all records no longer in
use (including many of small historical value), while
others have transmitted little or nothing, retaining many
documents of considerable interest. These outstanding
Judicial Proceedings, State Papers, and Departmental
Records were estimated by the Public Records Com
mission as equal in bulk to the whole contents of the
Public Record Office itself. They are classified in di
visions (b), (c), (d), (e), below.
1 For a definition of Public Records, see 1912 Rep., pp. 3-5. For
a list of the existing repositories of records (England), see below, and
Appx. A; cf. Hall, Studies, pp. 111-118. It should be noted, how
ever, that the General Register Office and the Principal Probate Registry
are administered under other Acts, while the Records of the War Office
and of the Admiralty have bee 1 primarily dealt with under the King's,
Regulations (1914 Report, Appx., pp. 275-276).
(l6l) M

1 62 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
It was not, apparently, the intention of the Act of
1838 to transfer to the Public Record Office any semi-
public Records as in Scotland and Ireland. The semi-
public Records are included in the following section,
because the tendency of public opinion would now be
opposed to their classification among private muniments.
Such records, however, though of national importance
and concern, and commonly regarded as public depart*;
ments, may be legally vested, by statute or otherwise,
in some governing body. At the same time there are
records of a purely private and local character which, in
regard of public policy or utility, have acquired a
national and central character.
It should be noted that the following list, compiled
before the War, does not include the records of Depart
ments or local authorities connected with the War. One
reason for the exclusion is that the nature and extent of
the archives was necessarily an unknown quantity ; and
even now that the Final Report of the Public Records
Commission has been presented, and some Schedules of
War Records laid before Parliament, the devolution of
most of these Departments, and the position of their
records, are equally uncertain.
The titles of the collections in question can be ascer
tained from several printed hand-lists and returns,1 from
which it will be seen that they include eight new Minis
tries (with others in contemplation), a larger number of
important Boards, Departments, and Controls, and an
infinite number of Branches, Sections, Directorates,
Offices, Bureaus, Royal Commissions, and Departmental'
Committees.2 xe.g. 3 1 st July, 1918(114), and Cd. 7855 (1915), 8256 and 8741 (1917),
the Reports of the Committee appointed to inquire into the organization,
etc., of Government Offices (1918), and the Report of the Committee ap
pointed by the Ministry of Reconstruction (1918).
" As to the position of these Commissions and Committees, see below,
p. 171.

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES 163
Apart from the distribution of the War Records, a
complete list of departmental archives, since the 17th
century, would include many that have now been broken
up, and transferred to other repositories, and still more
that have been destroyed. An attempt to trace the devo
lution of these archives has been made elsewhere,1 and
some reference to the subject will be found in another
part of this work.2 In this connexion it should be re
membered that, since the following classified list was
compiled, there has been a complete reconstruction of
the Admiralty and War Office staffs, besides large
changes in the establishments of other Bepartments.
1. CENTRAL ARCHIVES.
A. PUBLIC RECORDS.
(a) Public Record Office (Secretary, Chancery Lane, W.C.).
Records of the Royal Courts of Justice, Chancery, Exchequer and
- Wardrobe ; State Papers, Departmental Records, Records De
posited and Transcripts — nth-20th C. ; see above, Part I, and
Parliamentary Papers, Reports of Record Committees, 1 719-1842;
Reports and Publications of Record Commissioners, 1799-1919 ;
Deputy Keepers' Reports, 1840- 191 7; Scargill-Bird, "Guide";
Hall, " Studies " ; Andrews, " Guide " ; Paullin and Paxson,
"Guide"; P.R.O., "Schedules" {passim).
{b) Courts of Justice, Registries and Public Departments.3
Royal Courts of Justice (The Senior Master, Carey Street,
W.C.).
Some early records not transmitted to the Master of the Rolls.
See 1912 Rep. {passim) ; 1914 Rep. and Appx. (II, III) ;
1800 Rep., pp. 84 sq. ; 1837 Rep., pp. 11 1 sq. ; Scargill-Bird,
op. cit. ; P.R.O., "Schedules" {passim).
1 H. Hall, Studies, pp. 43 sq.
2 Pp. 38 sq. For a list of the chief Branches or Sub-departments
existing in 1912, see 1914 Rep., pp. 5-39, and Appx. (II), pp. 87-92.
3 For further information see Appendix A. Offices giving facilities
to students are indicated by an asterisk.

1 64 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHD7ES
* Principal Probate Registry (The Senior Registrar, Somerset
House).
Probate and Divorce Court Records from 1858 ; Testamentary and
some Non-Testamentary Records (various Dioceses), from 15th
century; 1912 Rep., Appx. (Ill); 19H Rep- and Appx. (II,
III); 1800 Rep., pp. 304-324 ; 1837 Rep., pp. 257-281 ; Marshall,
op. cit, p. 33.
Chancery Crown Office (Clerk of the Crown, Westminster
Palace).
Records subsidiary to the issue of the Great Seal1 ; 1914 Rep. and
Appx. (II, III); 1800 Rep., p. 96; 1837 Rep., p. 115.
* Central Criminal Court (Deputy Clerk of the Peace, Old
Bailey, E.C.).
Judicial Records from 1834 ; Quarter Sessions and Coroners' Records;
(City of London) from 1750; 1914 Rep. and Appx. (II, III);
1800 Rep., p. 244.
Ecclesiastical Courts 2 (Province of Canterbury).
* Court of Arches (1 Sanctuary, Westminster).
1800 Rep., p. 306 ; 1837 Rep., p. 263 ; 1914 Rep. and Appx. (II, III).
* Vicar-General's Office (Court of Peculiars) (23 Knight Rider
Street, E.C.).
1914 Rep. and Appx. (II, III).
* Court of Faculties (3 Creed Lane, Doctor's Commons, E.C.).
1914 Rep. and Appx. (II, III).
{c) Registries.3
* Land Registry Office (Registrar-General, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
W.C.).
Registers of Deeds relating to land in Middlesex from 1709. 1800'
Rep., p. 326 ; 1837 Rep., p. 281 ; 1914 Rep., p. 11 ; Report of
R.C. on Land Transfer Acts (1909-10) ; Second Report of R.C.
on Legal Departments (1874), P- 92-
1 The earlier records have been lately transmitted to the P.R.O.
2 The later records are preserved in the respective registries mentioned
below ; the earlier records are all preserved in Morton's Tower, Lambeth
Palace. No mention need be made here of the Benefices Act Court (1914
Rep., Appx. (II), p. 168). See also above, pp. 134-144.
3 For the statutory registries kept by various professional corporations
and local authorities, and certain official registries of the Supreme Court of
Judicature and some Government Departments, see 1914 Rep., loc. cit,
pp. 103, 168, and the Law List {passim). For the Principal Probate
Registry, see above, p. 95.

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES 165
* General Register of Merchant Shipping and Seamen (Tower
Hill, E.).
Copies or Abstracts of Ships' Books, etc., from 1835 ; Original Records
deposited from 1747; i9'4 Rep. and Appx. (II, III); P.R.O.,
" Schedules," pp. 589, 592 ; Annual Returns of Registrar-General.
Registry of Joint Stock Companies (Somerset House, W.C).
Articles of Association, etc., of Companies under Companies' Acts
(1844-1908). 1914 Rep. and Appx. (II, III) ; Annual Reports of
Controllers.
* General Register Office (Somerset House, W.C). Established
under the Registration Acts (1837-*-).
Registers (Transcripts) and Indexes of Births, Deaths, and Marriages,
from 1837; Original Registers and other records of Births;
Deaths, Burials, and Marriages, deposited from 17th century;
Census Records from 1801 ; Departmental Records, from 1837.
1914 Rep. and Appx. (II, III) ; Return of the Registrar-General
(1912); P.R.O., "Schedules," 1918.
Patent Office (Chief Clerk, Southampton Buildings, W.C).
Specifications of Inventions, etc See above, p. 1 3, and Scargill-Bird,
op. cit, p. 77; 1912 Rep., Appx. (Ill); 1914 Rep. and Appx.
(II, III).
Friendly Societies Registry (Registrar, Millbank, S.W.).
Rules and other documents relating to Societies. 19 14 Rep. and
Appx. (II, III). {d) State Departments.1
Department of the Master of the Horse (Crown Equerry,
Buckingham Mews, S.W.).
Records relating to the Royal Mews from 1702. 19 14 Rep. and
Appx. (II, III).
Lord Great Chamberlain's Office (Clerk, Westminster Palace).
Records and Transcripts relating to Coronation Claims, State Trials,
and State Ceremonies, from 1560. 1914 Rep. and Appx. (II);
J. H. Round in " Monthly Review" (June, 1902).
Royal Almonry (King's Almoner, Dean's Yard, Westminster).
Vouchers and nominal lists from 1724. 1914 Rep. and Appx. (II) ;
" Guardian," April 5, 1893.
1 The early records of the Lord Chamberlain's and the Lord Steward's
Departments have recently been transferred to the P.R.O., also those of
the Privy Purse Office. For these and other departments of the Royal
Household, see 1914 Rep., Appx. (II), pp. 7, 69, 104, 171 ; Appx. (Ill),
p. 96.

1 66 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
Duchy of Lancaster Office (Clerk of the Council, Lancaster
Place, W.C).
Some early records not transferred to the P.R.O. in 1873. 19M>
19 1 4, and 19 1 9 Reps, {passim) ; cf. D.K. 35 Rep,, p. iv sq. and
Appx. (I).
Duchy of Cornwall Office (Secretary, Buckingham Gate, S.W.).
Estate Records and State Papers from 13th century. 1914 Rep. and
Appx. (II); cf. G. R. Lewis, "The Stannaries" (1908).
* Parliament Office J (Clerk of the Parliaments, House of Lords),
Acts and proceedings of Parliament and Judicial Proceedings, from
1497. 1800 Rep., p. 66; 1837 Rep., p. 75; 1914 Rep. and
Appx. (II); 1919 Rep. and Appx. (II, III); Andrews and
Davenport, "Guide to Minor London Archives" (1908), p. 189;
Calendar of papers of the House of Lords (H.M.C. ist-i4th Reps.
and H.L., 1900, etc.).
* Privy Council Office 2 (Clerk of the Council, Whitehall, S.W.).
Registers from 1800 ; Books and Papers from 1677 * ; Transcripts of
Records and Printed Appeal Cases from 18th century. Acts
of the Privy Council (Record Commission and P.R.O. Series),
1386-1604; Acts of the Privy Council (Colonial Series), 1613-
1783 ; 1800 Rep., p. 74 ; 1914 Rep. and Appx. (II, III) ; Andrews
and Davenport, op. cit, p. 170 ; P.R.O., "Schedules," 1919.
Home Office4 (Under-Secretary of State, Whitehall., S.W.).
The records of earlier date than 1837 have been transferred to the
P.R.O., with a few exceptions, exclusive of external departments.
1912 Rep., Appx. (Ill) ; 1914 Rep. and Appx. (II, III) ; P.R.O.,
" Schedules " {passim).
Foreign Office4 (Under-Secretary of State, Downing Street,
S.W.).
The records of earlier date than 1837 have been transferred to the
P.R.O., with certain exceptions. 1912 Rep., Appx. (Ill) ; 1914
Rep. and Appx. (II, III).
1 For the records of the House of Commons, see 1800 Rep., p. 66;
1837 Rep., p. 77; 1914 Rep., loc. cit, p. 48, and Appx. (Ill), p. 73.
Practically all the early records were burnt in 1833.
2 Including the Registry of the Judicial Committee.
3 These Papers were formerly deposited in the Public Record Office,
but were not arranged or produced to the public there (1912 Rep., Appx.
(Ill), pp. 46-47 ; 1914 Rep., p. 16). They are being re-transferred.
4 Exclusive of branch records for which see 19 14 Rep., loc. cit.

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES 167
Colonial Office (Under-Secretary of State, Downing Street,
S.W.).
The records of earlier date than 1 837 have been transferred to the
P.R.O., with certain exceptions.1 1912 Rep., Appx. (Ill) ; 1914
Rep. and Appx. (II, III); P.R.O., "Schedules" {passim).
India Office (Under-Secretary of State, Downing Street, S.W.).
Records of East India Coy. (1600-1858) ; Board of Control (1784-
1858), and Secretary of State from 1858 (MS. and printed Lists).
See 1914 Rep. and Appx. (II, III).
* War Office2 (Secretary, Whitehall, S.W.).
The records of earlier date than 1850 have been transferred to the
P.R.O. with certain exceptions. 1912 Rep., Appx. (Ill) ; 1914
Rep. and Appx. (II, III) ; P.R.O., "Schedules " {passim).
* Admiralty2 (Secretary, Whitehall, S.W.).
The records of earlier date than 1837 have been transferred to the
P.R.O., with some important exceptions. 1912 Rep. and Appx.
{passim) ; 1914 Rep. and Appx. {passim) ; P.R.O., " Schedules "
{passim).
Exchequer and Audit Department (Controller and Auditor-
General, Victoria Embankment, E.C.).
The records of earlier date than 1837 have been recently transferred
to the P.R.O. or otherwise disposed of. 19 12 Rep. {passim) ;
1914 Rep. and Appx. (II, III) ; P.R.O., "Schedules" {passim) ;
cf. Scargill-Bird, op. cit, p. 376.
Treasury (Secretary, Whitehall, S.W.).
The departmental records, with a few exceptions, have been trans
ferred to the P.R.O.3 For the County Court and Wreck Registers
see 1914 Rep. and Appx. (II, III), and P.R.O., Schedules {passim)
For the Legal Departments (Treasury Solicitor, King's Proctor,
Director of Public Prosecutions, Parliamentary Counsel, and Law
Officers), see 1912 Rep. and Appx. ; 1914 Rep., loc. cit
Paymaster=General's Office (Whitehall, S.W.).
The departmental records previous to 1882 have been transferred to
the P.R.O.'1 1914 Rep., loc. cit, pp. 21, 22, 190, and D.K.
Reps, {passim) ; cf. P.R.O., "Schedules" {passim).
1 e.g. original maps formerly in the S.P.O. and P.R.O. The Crown
Agents' Department may be regarded as a branch office.
2 Exclusive of branch records for which see 19 14 Rep., loc. cit.
3 See above (Part I), p. 49, and 1912 Rep. {passim).
4 See above (Part I), pp. 49, 63.

1 68 DIRECTORY OF ENGLIS ARCHIVES
* National Debt Office (Controller-General, Old Jewry, E.C.).
Declarations and Certificates relating to Life Annuities and Tontines ;
Slave Compensation Records ; modern Financial Records. 1912
Rep., Appx. (II) ; 1914 Rep. and Appx. (II) ; cf. P.R.O., "Sche
dules," p. 602 ; Scargill-Bird, op. cit., p. 382, and D.K. Reps.
{passim).
* Royal Mint (Deputy Master, Tower Hill, E.C.).
Registers, Transcripts, Warrants, and Miscellaneous Records from the
16th century. 1914 Rep. and Appx. (II) ; P.R.O., "Schedules,"
p. 511 ; cf. D.K. Reps, {passim), and Rep. of Royal Commission
(1849).
* Office of H.M. Woods, Forests, and Land Revenue (Chief
Clerk, Whitehall, S.W.).
Records of Crown Property from 1660.1 1912 Rep. {passim) ; 1914
Rep. and Appx. (II, III); P.R.O., "Schedules," pp. 634, 635;
' Thomas, " History of Public Departments " ; Scargill-Bird, op. cit.
H.M. Office of Works,2 etc. (Secretary, Westminster, S.W.).
Title Deeds and Plans. The early Accounts and Correspondence
have been transferred to the P.R.O. 1914 Rep. and Appx. (II,
III); cf. P.R.O., "Schedules," pp. 604, 639; Thomas, op. cit;
Scargill-Bird, op cit.
* H.M. Stationery Office (The Controller, Westminster, S.W.).
Correspondence, Tenders, Accounts, and Statistics relating to official
publications from 1789. 1912 Rep., Appx. (II), p. 77, n. ; 1914
Rep. and Appx. (II, III); P.R.O., "Schedules," pp. 579.
* Board of Inland Revenue (Secretary, Somerset House, W.C).
Records relating to Taxes, Stamp Duty, Land Values, Estate Duties,
including records of Special Commissioners of Income Tax (for
Great Britain). 1912 Rep. {passim) ; 1914 Rep. and Appx. (II,
III) ; P.R.O., "Schedules" {passim), and Reports of the Board.
1 The bulk of the records has been transferred to the Land Revenue
Department of the Public Record Office. Those retained are chiefly
precedents and plans.
* cf. Scargill-Bird, op. cit, p. 391. For the evolution of this depart
ment, see F. S. Thomas, "History of Public Offices" (1846). Royal
Palaces are also administered by the Lord Chamberlain's Department and
the War Office (Tower of London).

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES 1 69
* Board of Customs and Excise (Secretary, Custom House, E.C).
Some valuable records (for the U.K.) have not been transferred to
the P.R.O.1 There are also some Excise Records.8 1912 Rep.
{passim) ; 1914 Rep. and Appx. (II, III); P.R.O., "Schedules"
{passim) ; i Andrews, Guide, II, pp. m sq.
Board of Trade8 (Secretary, Whitehall Gardens).
Departmental records from 1839. 191 4 Rep. and Appx. (II, III) ;
P.R.O., "Schedules" {passim).
* Local Government Board (Secretary, Whitehall).
Departmental records from 1834.4 1914 Rep. and Appx. (II, III) ;
1919 Rep., Appx. (II), p. no, Appx. (Ill), p. 29; P.R.O.,
"Schedules" (1917).
Board of Education (Secretary, Whitehall).
Departmental records from 1847.5 1914 Rep. and Appx. (II, III) ;
P.R.O., " Schedules," p. 466.
* Board of Agriculture and Fisheries (Secretary, Whitehall
Place and St. James's Square). (
Departmental records from 11836.6 1914 Rep. and Appx. (II, III);
P.R.O., "Schedules" {passim).
* Charity Commission (Secretary, St. James's Square).
Departmental records from 1853 and deeds, etc., relating to charities.
1912 Rep., Appx. (II) ; 1914 Rep. and Appx. (II, III) ; P.R.O.,
"Schedules," p. 415.
1 For the Departmental Customs Records in the P.R.O., see Scargill-
Bird, op. cit, p. 379. This series is distinct from the mediaeval records
•described by N. S. B. Gras in "Early English Customs System" (1918).
3 The Excise Department was transferred from the Inland Revenue in
1909, but some early records have remained at Somerset House. For the
records at the Out-ports and Excise Collections, see 1914 Rep., loc. cit,
pp. 237 sq.
3 For the distribution of the records, see 1914 Rep., Appx. (II), pp.
129 and 254. Some branch repositories have been mentioned elsewhere
(see above, Registries). The records previous to 1839 have been trans
ferred to the State Paper Office or to the Public Record Office (Scargill-
Bird, op. cit., p. 379, and Lists and Indexes, No. xxxvi).
4 Including the records of the Poor Law Commission (1834-48) and
Poor Law Board (1848-71). None have yet been transferred to the
Public Record Office.
5 Including the records of the Victoria and Albert and Science
Museums and the Geological Survey. None have been transferred.
6 Including the records of the Ordnance Survey and Kew Gardens.
None have been transferred.

170 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
Civil Service Commission (Secretary, Burlington Gardens, W.),
Departmental records from 1855. 1 1914 Rep. and Appx. (II, III);
P.R.O., "Schedules," p. 418; Annual Reports.
* Ecclesiastical Commission (Secretary, Millbank, S.W. 1).
Deeds, Court Rolls, Bailiffs' Accounts, and other Muniments relating
to Ecclesiastical Estates ; departmental records.2 1914 Rep.
and Appx. (II, III) ; 1919 Rep., Appx. (Ill), pp. 44-46; P.R.O.,
" Schedules," p. 465 ; Annual Reports.
* Metropolitan Police (Chief Commissioner, New Scotland Yard,
S.W.).
Criminal dossiers and intelligence from 1829.3 1914 Rep. and Appx.
(II); P.R.O., "Schedules" {passim).
Prison Commission (Secretary, Home Office).
Records from 1878.4 1914 Rep. and Appx. (II, III); P.R.O.,
"Schedules," pp. 559, 566.
* Board of Control (Secretary, 66 Victoria Street, S.W.).
Records of Lunacy Commissioners from 1774.6 1914 Rep. and
Appx. (II) ; Annual Reports.
* Queen Anne's Bounty Office (Secretary, 3 Dean's Yard,- West
minster).
Records from 1702.6 1914 Rep. and Appx. (II, III); cf. P.R.O.,
"Schedules," p. 160.
National Health Insurance Commission (now Ministry of
Health, Secretary, S.W. 1).
Departmental records from 191 1. 1914 Rep. and Appx. (II).
Public Trustee Office (The Public Trustee, Lincoln's Inn
Fields, W.C).
Departmental records since 1907, and private documents deposited.'
1914 Rep., Appx. (II), p. 85. Annual Reports.
1 They include examination papers. None have been transferred.
2 Many of the older records have been transferred ; others have been
left in the Cathedral churches or Diocesan Registries.
3 None have been transferred ; they are closely related with the re
cords of the Home Office and Police Courts (Bow Street), and now with
those under the D.O.R.A.
4 Some have been transferred ; but most of the earlier records have
been destroyed, probably in 1878.
6 Formerly Lunacy Commissioners. No records have been trans
mitted ; they have sometimes been confused with records of the Masters
in Lunacy. 6 The bulk of the records of the Office of First Fruits and Tenths
(Exchequer) was transferred in 1842.

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHD7ES 171
?Public Works Loan Board (Secretary, Old Jewry, E.C).
Records of economic interest {e.g. for West Indies) from 181 7. 191 4
Rep., p. 34.
Government Chemist (Clement's Inn Passage, W.C. 2).
Departmental records (recent). 1914 Report, Appx. (II), p. 89.
* Meteorological Office (Director, Exhibition Road, S.W).
Records of observations from i860. 1914 Rep., p. 36, and Appx.
(II), pp. 86, 196. Printed Reports.
Development Commission (Secretary, 6a Dean's Yard, West
minster).
Departmental records (modem). 1914 Rep., Appx. (II), p. 89.
Annual Reports.
Road Board (Secretary, 35 Cromwell Road, S.W.).
Departmental records from 1909. 1914 Rep., p. 38 ; P.R.O.,
' ' Schedules " ( 1 9 1 8 ). Annual Reports.
* Caledonian Canal Commission1 (Secretary).
Proceedings, Accounts, and Plans from 1800 c. 1914 Rep., p. 34,.
and Appx. (II).
Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 x (Secretary,
Victoria Street, S.W.).
Proceedings, Title Deeds, etc. 1914 Rep., Appx. (II), p. 84. Annual
and Periodical Reports.
* Railway and Canal Commission1 (Secretary, Royal Courts
of Justice).
Departmental records (modern). 191 4 Rep., Appx. (II).
{e) Temporary Commissions and Committees.
In the preceding division will be found a few tem
porary Commissions which have acquired a permanent
status: in most cases, however, these bodies cease to
exist within a few years, and the duration of Depart
mental Committees is still briefer. Generally Royal
Commissions are under the care of some department
of State which takes charge of the archives when the
Commission has lapsed. In many cases, however, the
archives are left to be disposed of at the discretion of the
(Secretary. Eventually the archives of these Commis-
1 These are temporary Commissions which have never lapsed ; see
Prefatory Note, below {e).

172 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
sions or Committees should be transferred to the Public
Record Office with the records of the Department to
which they were attached, but relatively few collections
have been thus disposed of.
Returns of Royal Commissions, etc., 1831, etc. (H.C. 346), (1838);
Scargill-Bird, op. cit., pp. 392-399 ; D.K. 20th and 24th Reps. ;
1914 Rep., p. 35, and Appx. (II), pp. 267, 283; 1919 Rep.,
p. 46 ; Report of Departmental Committee on Royal Commis
sions (1908). B. SEMI-PUBLIC RECORDS.1
{a) National Institutions and Central Authorities.
* Trinity House (Secretary, Tower Hill, E.C).
Records from 1610.2 1914 Rep., p. 39; H.M.C. 8th Rep., Appx.,
p. 235 ; Andrews and Davenport, op. cit, p. 177.
* Royal Hospital (Secretary, Chelsea).3
Records from 1691. 1914 Rep., p. 21, and Appx. (II), pp. 181, 221.
Bank of England4 (Secretary, Threadneedle Street).
Records from the end of the 17th century. 1914 Rep., p. 35, and
Appx. (II), p. 85.
* British Museum (Principal Librarian, Bloomsbury).
Departmental archives from 1753 ; historical documents and monu
ments (England) from the beginning of the Christian Era. 1912
Rep., Appx. (II), p. 25 ; 1914 Rep., p. 36 ; Annual Reports and
printed and MS. "Guides and Catalogues"; Edwards, "Founders ";
publications of the Palaeographical Society {passim).
Royal Patriotic Fund Corporation (1904) (Secretary, 17
Waterloo Place, S.W.).
Records from 1854. 1914 Rep., p. 38.
1 As to the significance of this title, see Report of Local Records Com
mittee, p. 22.
2 Most of the early records have been destroyed by fire.
3 The records of the governing body are referred to here ; the records
relating to military pensions are under the control of the War Office (now
Ministry of Pensions).
4 Numerous records were preserved here in connection with Exchequer
and Treasury Accounts, some of which have been transferred to the
National Debt Office, Public Record Office, and Exchequer and Audit
Department.

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES 1 7 5,
National Portrait Gallery 1 (Secretary, Trafalgar Square).
1914 Rep., p. 38 ; Annual Reports.
* Royal Institution (Secretary, Albemarle Street).
H.M.C. American MSS. (1904-9) ; Andrews, Guide, II, p. 261.
* Royal Colonial Institute (Secretary, Northumberland Avenue)..
Proceedings from 1868. See "Year Book" {passim).
* Royal United Service Institution (Secretary, Whitehall).
Proceedings from 1831. See "Journal" {passim).
* Lloyds Corporation Exchange and Registry (Secretary,
Royal Exchange, E.C).
Lists of Ships (classified) ; records of movements of Ships ; careers of
Captains ; policies and subsidiary documents. " Annals of
Lloyds' Register" (1884).
{b) Central Professional Bodies and Trade Associations.
Among the former are the statutory governing bodies
of the learned professions, including some which possess
valuable collections of historical manuscripts, notably
the Royal Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons, the
Society of Apothecaries, the Law Society, and the Inns
of Court.2 Among the latter are the central Chambers or
Associations of Agriculture, Commerce, and the Pro
tection of Trade, etc.
The various professional Institutes also occupy a
more or less central position and some have interesting
records, e.g. the Bankers Institute,3 the Royal Institute
of British Architects, and the Institute of Civil Engineers.
No mention has been made here of the central muniments
of Railway and Canal Companies or of Assurance
Societies (all of which should possess muniments of great
1 The department has also valuable documents for the authentication of
certain portraits. The collections of the National Gallery and National
Gallery of British Art, and the Wallace Collection, are not, of course, of
equal historical interest.
2 For some of the above, see 1914 Rep., Appx. (JI), p. 168.
3 The Museum (with exhibits) is in St. Clement's Lane ; the records of
the older banking houses should be of individual interest and value.

174 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
interest), because their national importance has not yet
been recognized.1 {c) Learned, Religious, and Charitable Societies.
These include the Academies and Royal Societies
devoted to the study of History or related subjects. The
Society of Antiquaries, and the Historical, Geographical,
Asiatic, Agricultural,2 Statistical, and Numismatic
Societies have important collections.3 Among the other
groups the valuable records of the Society for Promoting
Christian Knowledge and of the Society for the Propa
gation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, are well known,4
and, among others, the archives of the Anti-slavery and
Aborigines Protection Society, the British Red Cross
Society, the Charity Organization Society, the Royal
Humane Society, the Royal Society for the Prevention
of Cruelty to Animals, the National Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and the Young Men's
Christian Association, have at least a potential value.
2. LOCAL ARCHIVES.5
BEDFORDSHIRE.
Apart from the County Records and those of the two
ancient boroughs of Bedford and Dunstable, there are few
Local Records of importance. For ecclesiastical and
other purposes it is grouped with neighbouring counties.
The County Records have been carefully arranged and
1 Fortunately some early specimens will probably be found in the
collection of Chancery Exhibits, not yet arranged.
2 1914 Rep., Appx. (II), p. 301.
3 The Commons and Footpaths Preservation Society has a keen interest
in, and extensive knowledge of, many classes of Local Records (19 19 Rep.,
Appx. (Ill), p. 33).
4 Andrews and Davenport, op. cit, pp. 330 sq.
6 For the plan of arrangement and sources of information referred to
see Preface. The page references are to the Appendices of the Reports. ;'

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES 175
/
calendared, and schedules of the Bedford Corporation
Records have been printed. The publications of the
Bedfordshire " Historical Record Society " are very valu
able, see also Pomfret and Warburton's MS. collections for
Bedfordshire in the British Museum.
Public Records. — See Northamptonshire.
Statutory Authorities, etc.— For Turnpike Trust Records, see 1919
Rep., Appx. (Ill), p. 83, and D. Ballen, "Bibliography of Road-making,"
etc., p. 68 (191 4). For Bedford Level, see Northamptonshire.
County Records. — 1800 Rep., p. 261 ; 1902 Rep., pp. 14, 15 ; 1919
Rep., pp. 2 sq. ; " Bedfordshire County Records," 3 vols.
Town Records.
Bedford (T.C.). — 1835 Rep., p. 2101 ; 1902 Rep., 48 ; Bedford
Corporation Records (1883); Borough of Bedford, A Schedule
of the Ancient Charters and Muniments, 1895.
Dunstable. — 1902 Rep., p. 56, and V.C.H. Bedfordshire, Vol. Ill,
P- 349-
Luton (T.C.). — 1902 Rep., p. 64, and V.C.H. Bedfordshire, Vol. II,
p. 348.
Parish Records. — Of no special interest. A few early registers, one
printed (Hawnes). There are MSS. relating to Bedford parishes at
Woburn Abbey (H.M.C. 2nd Rep., Appx., p. 2).
Church Records — For Diocesan Records, see Lincoln, Ely, St.
Albans, and Windsor. The Archdeaconry Records are at Northampton.
¦ Nonconformity has been well represented in the County since the 1 7th
century {see V.C.H. i, 337-346).
Public Institutions — The Bedford Literary and Scientific Institute
and General Library (1830). For a full account of the famous Schools at
Bedford, see V.C.H. ii, 149-185.
Private Collections  See 18th Rep., H.M.C, Appx., p. 349. The
valuable collection at Woburn Abbey includes important State Papers of
the 18th century. (2nd Rep., Appx., p. 1.)
BERKSHIRE.
Berkshire is not an important administrative unit.
For the history of the County Gaol (since 1687), see S.
and B. Webb, Parish and County, p. 445, n. There are
military depots at Windsor and Reading. The County
Records have suffered from fire, but the muniments of

176 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHD7ES
the older burghs are of considerable antiquity. This
county forms an archdeaconry of the diocese of Oxford,
and there is no local Probate Registry.
Wellington College is of modern foundation; but
valuable records are preserved at Sandhurst. There
are old foundations at Reading, Wantage, and Walling-
ford. Most of the charities are now administered by muni
cipal trustees. The Private Collections nominally in
clude the State Papers in the King's Library at Windsor
Castle. County Records. — Reading (Shire Hall). 1800 Rep., p. 261; 1902
Rep., pp. 14-15 ; 1919 Rep., pp. 2 sq., 96.
Town Records.
Abingdon (T.C.). — 1835 Rep., I, p. 3; 1902 Rep., pp. 46/47;
H.M.C. 1st Rep., p. 98 ; and Rep., XV, 149 ; Challenor,
"Selections," 1555-1897 ; 1919 Rep., p. 22.
Maidenhead (T.C.). — (MS. Cat.). 1835 Rep.,iV, p. 2909; 1902
Rep., pp. 64-65 ; 1919 Rep., p. 25.
Newbury (T.C.). — See 1835 Rep., I, p. 89, 91-92 ; W. Money's
"History"; 1919 Rep., p. 25.
Reading {T.C.).—See H.M.C. 1 ith Rept., Appx. (VII), pp. 167-227 ;
and Schedule in J. M. Guilding's "Corporation Diaries"; 1835
Rep., I, p. in ; 1902 Rep., pp. 38-39 ; 1919 Rep., p. 96.
Wallingford {T.C.).— H.M.C. 6th Rep., pp. 572-595 ; J. K. Hedges'
"History," II, chap, vii; 1835 Rep., I, pp. 133-134; 1919 Rep.,
p. 27.
Windsor (T.C.). — 1835 Rep., p. 2933 ; Tighe and Davis, "Annals
of Windsor, I, pp. 400-403.
Wokingham (T.C.). — 1835 Rep., V, p. 2938; 1837 Rep., p. 509;
1902 Rep., pp. 74-75 ; 1880 Rep., p. 123 ; Wilts Arch, and Nat
Hist. Soc. Mag., XI, pp. 50-82; F. A. Carrington, "Ancient
State of Wokingham " ; 1919 Rep., p. 28.
Parish Records — In addition to Cox, op. cit, and the Index Society,
see J. Townsend, " History of Abingdon " ; Home Counties Magazine, I,
p. 45, and Berks Arch. Soc. Quarterly Journal, I, p. 155 (Warfield);
Berks, Bucks, and Oxon. Arch. Soc. Journal, II, pp. 13-15 (Grazeley);
Brit. Arch. Assoc. Journal, N.S., II, pp. 157-183 (Newbury). For Court
Rolls, see Berks Arch. Soc. Quarterly Journal, Vol. Ill, and Berks, Bucks,

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES 1 77
and Oxon. Arch. Journals, passim. The Pangbourne Registers
and Churchwardens' books for Abingdon have been transcribed. For
Index to Marriage Registers, see Berks, Bucks, and Oxon. Arch. Journal,
Vols. VI-X.
Church Records. — The archdeaconry records are in the Bodleian
Library (19 19 Rep., p. 95). Wills of Peculiar Courts are at Somerset
House (1914 Rep., Appx., p. 202). An important Collection is in St.
George's Chapel, Windsor (1902 Rep., pp. 116-117, and H.M.C. Various
Coll., Appx. (VII), pp. 10-43). There is a Calendar of Wills (1508-1652) in
Vol. VIII of the Index Society.
For list of Non-parochial Registers lodged with the Registrar-General,
see Berks Notes and Queries, I, pp. 21-23, and for details of Quaker
records for this county apply to the Friends' Central Office and Library,
Devonshire House, 136 Bishopsgate, E.C.
Public Institutions, etc. — Reading Public Library, see Catalogue ;
1902 Rep., p. 39. The Royal Library, Windsor Castle, contains a most
valuable collection of State Papers, including very fine Oriental and Western
illuminated MSS. (1914 Rep., II, 69 ; H.M.C. 16th Rep., p. 12 ; 17th
Rep., p. 13; 18th Rep., p. 112. For Schools, see V.C.H., Berks, Vol.
II. Almshouses, etc, are described in G. W. Wallace's "Endowed
Charities of Berks ".
Private Collections — See H.M.C. 18th Rep., Appx. (Ill), p. 349.
BUCKINGHAMSHIRE.
This county was transferred from the Lincoln to the
Oxford Diocese in 1837, and the archdeaconry records
are now deposited in the Bodleian Library. Eton Col
lege has, however, retained an important collection of
Wills, etc Many Buckinghamshire MSS. are preserved
by the Duke of Somerset at Maiden Bradley in Wilts,
and the rentals of Wycombe Manor are in the archives
of Winchester. The Cole MSS. are in the British
Museum ; the Hare MSS. will be found in the College
of Arms, and those of Browne Willis in the Bodleian
Library. Public Records. — The District Probate Registry is at Oxford.
County Records {Aylesbury). — From 1678 ; some records have been
handed over to the Local Archaeological Society. MS. Index. See 180a
Rep., p. 262 ; 1902 Rep., p. 14 ; 1919 Rep., pp. 2 sq., 94.
N

178 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
Town Records.
Aylesbury (U.D.C.). — Modern municipal documents only (1919
Rep., p. 95).
Buckingham (T.C.). — Court Baron Rolls. 1835 Rep., p. 27 ; S. and
B. Webb, op. cit, I, p. 340, n. ; 1919 Rep., p. 23.
Wycombe (T.C.). — From 13th century. See 1835 Rep., p. 41;
H.M.C. 5th Rep., XVII, and p. 554.
Parish Records. — Various records are, or were, recently preserved
in parish chests at, e.g. Aylesbury, Bletchley, Brightwell, Chalfont, St.
Peters, Winslow, and Wycombe. 1919 Rep., loc. cit. ; see Berks, Bucks,
and Oxon. Arch. Journal, Apr., 1906 ; Home Counties Mag., I, p. 252 ;
S. and B. Webb, op. cit, I, 48, n. ; Lipscombe, " History of Bucks"
{passim). Church Records.— Archdeaconry of Bucks (Oxon. Diocese). All
records prior to 1850 are deposited in the Bodleian Library, Oxford; see
Summary Catalogue, Nos. 25,579-26,120, and 1919 Rep., pp. 94 sq.
Public Institutions. — For the archives of Eton College, see Cata
logue by M. R. James (1895) ; also H.M.C. 9th Rep., X, Appx. (I), p.
349. The ancient Bucks Grammar Schools are described in V.C.H.,
Bucks, II, p. 209 ; cf. Lipscombe, " History," IV, p. 207. For the ancient
Charities of the County, see V.C.H., Bucks, Vol. I ; Ch. Com. Reps.
XVIII, XXVI, XXVII, and Lipscombe, op. cit. {passim). Records of
several institutions are still preserved locally.
For particulars of the Bedford Charities, apply to the Aylesbury
Incorporated Surveyors of Highways.
Private Collections  See H.M.C. 18th Rep., Appx. (Ill), p. .349.
For the Lees' Collection at Hartwell House, see W. H. Smyth, "Aedes
Hartwelliana,'' and V.C.H., Bucks, II, p. 294.
CAMBRIDGESHIRE.
The shire comprises two county divisions, the County
of Cambridge and the Isle of Ely, the latter being the
area of the ancient jurisdiction of the Abbot-Bishops of
Ely. There is one Lord-Lieutenant and the shrievalty
also includes the County of Huntingdon, but each county
division has a separate Clerk of the Peace. Nearly half
of the Bedford Level lies within the shire. The famous
collections of MSS. in Cambridge University and Colleges,
have been extensively described. There are only two
municipal boroughs. In the 1902 Report (pp. 242-243),'

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES 1 79
there is a list of depositories of records in Cambridge
shire. Among the Cole MSS. at the British Museum is
an important collection relating to the Town, University,
and County of Cambridge.1
Public Records. — The District Probate Registry for this county is at
Peterborough. The records of the Peculiar Court of King's College,
Cambridge, are preserved at the College.
For the Custom House at Wisbech, see below.
Statutory Authorities and Trusts. — Commissioners of Sewers. —
Corporation of Bedford Level (constituted 1664), offices in St. Mary's
Street, Ely. A few of the records are among the Episcopal Records at
Ely. See Gibbons, "Ely Episcopal Records," p. 19 ; and above, p. 78 ;
also 1837 Rep., p. 118; and 1914 Rep., II, p. 100. For other Com
missions of Sewers, etc., see 1902 Rep., Appx., p. 242 ; 1914 Rep., Appx.
(II), p. 100, and Local Taxation Returns (1913/4), Part VI.
County Records.
{a) County of Cambridge (Cambridge). — 1800 Rep., p. 263 ; 1919
Rep., pp. 2 sq.
{b) Isle of Ely (March and Ely). — Many of the Ancient Sessions
Records are at the Bishop's Palace, Ely. 1800 Rep., p. 263;
1919 Rep., pp. 2 sq. ; and A. Gibbons, " Ely Episcopal Records ".
Town Records.
Cambridge (T.C.).— 1835 Rep., IV, p. 2185 ; H.M.C. ist Rep.,
Appx., p. 99 ; 1919 Rep., p. 23 ; M. Bateson, "Cambridge Guild
Records " ; F. Blomefield, "Collectanea Cantabrigiensia " (1750).
Wisbech* (T.C.).— 1835 Rep., p. 2552 ; H.M.C. 9th Rep., XIV, and
Appx. (I), pp. 293-299 ; Walker, Neil, and Cradock, " History
of Wisbech and the Fens " (1849).
Parish Records. — Early Registers and Churchwarden's Accounts are
scanty and very few have been printed. See proceedings and publications
of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society and the Cambridge Camden Society ;
The East Anglian ; Fenland Notes and Queries ; R. Hist. Soc, Camden
Miscellany, Vol. XII.
Church Records.
{a) Bishopric Records (Ely).— 1800 Rep., p. 31 1; 1902 Rep., p.
104; 1914 Rep., II, p. 142, 308; H.M.C. 12th Rep., Appx.,
pp. 375-388; Convocation Rep., No. 498 (1916); A. Gibbons,
"Ely Episcopal Records " (1891) ; 1919 Rep., p. 29.
1 See G. J. Gray, " Index to Cole MSS.," 1912.
3 The Corporation meets in the Council Chamber at the Corn Exchange.

180 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
{b) Cathedral Records (Ely).— 1902 Rep., p. no; H.M.C. 12th
Rep., Appx. (IX), pp. 389-396 ; Convocation Rep., No. 498 (1916).
F. R. Chapman, " Sacrist Rolls of Ely " (1908); 1800 Rep., p. 334.
{c) Archdeaconry Records (Registries at Ely and Wisbech).—
H.M.C. 12th Rep., Appx., Part IX, pp. 380-381 ; Convocation
Rep., No. 498 (1916) ; 1919 Rep., p. 30.
Public Institutions.
Cambridge. — {a) The MS. collections of the University and
Colleges of Cambridge have been reported on by the H.M.C.
See Humphreys, "County Bibliography"; H.M.C. 18th Rep.,
Index ; Publications of the Cambridge Antiquarian Society ;
Catalogues by Dr. M. R. James have been published. A cata
logue of Trinity College muniments is in preparation.
{b) The University Library. Catalogue (H. R. Luard), 1856.
(c) The Fitzwilliam Museum. Description (M. R. James), 1895.
{d) University Registry. List (H. R. Luard), 1876.
Wisbech. — Museum and Literary Institution. For ancient Charities
and Schools in this county, see V.C.H., Cambridgeshire.
CHESHIRE.
Though the Palatinate Records were removed to
London in 1854, the collections at Chester Castle are
still of very great value. They are briefly described in
1912 Rep., Appx. (X), (Vol. I, pp. 143-148, and passim),
and in works there cited. Among statutory authorities
the Chester Union may be noticed as representing an
early Poor Law Union (1762-1862). The modern
boroughs of Dukinfield, Stalybridge, Stockport, and
Wallasey had respectively Local Board of Health (1857) ;
Lighting and Paving Commissioners (1857); Street
Commissioners (1825), and (1845); Improvement Com
missioners, followed by a Board of Health in 1852, but
no other early corporate records. The Diocesan Records
date from 1541, but the present diocese is considerably
reduced in extent. A description of the Cathedral Re
cords is needed. For an account of the ancient courts
of the Hundred, Borough, and Forest of Macclesfield, and
their records, see S. and B. Webb, Manor and Borough,
I, pp. 45-47, and note.

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHTVES l8l
Public Records — District Probate Registry, Chester. See Wills at
Chester,1 1 545-1800 (Lane, and Chesh. Rec. Soc, passim), and, for
Marriage Records, see Marriage Licences, 1601-80 (Lane, and Chesh.
Rec Soc, Vol. LI 1 1, etc.), and Chetham Society, Vol. XXXIII, etc. ;
N.S., Vol. Ill, etc. ; cf. also 1800 Rep., p. 316; 1837 Rep., p. 277.
Some Customs Records of early date are preserved among the Chester
Records. See 1912 Rep., p. 148 ; 1914 Rep., Appx., p. 238.
County Records — See 1800 Rep., p, 264 ; 1837 Rep., p. 226 ; 1902
Rep., p. 16 ; 1 91 2 Rep., loc. cit.
Towns Records. — (T.C. in all cases but that of Over.)
Altrincham. — Very little remains in custody of the Town Trust ;
cf. 1902 Rep., p. 276; 1837 Rep., pr 428; S. and B. Webb,
"Manor and Borough," I, pp. 165-169.
Birkenhead (modern records). — 1902 Rep., p. 30.
Chester. — 1912 Rep., p. 148 ; H.M.C. 8th Rep., Appx., p. 355 ;
Chester Arch. Soc. Journ., N.S. X, p. 5 ; Arch. Camb., VI, X.,
p. 418. For records of the City Companies, see Chester Arch. Soc.
Journ., N.S. V, p. 16 ; Gross., op. cit., p. 191.
Congleton. — Gross., op. cit, p. 200 ; 1902 Rep., p. 52.
Macclesfield. — 1902 Rep., p. 64; S. and B. Webb, loc. cit. ; 1835
Rep. (Hogg), p. 51 ; Earwaker, "East Cheshire," II, p. 458.
Over (T.T.). — For the Manorial Records, see 1919 Rep., p. 26.
For the Municipal Records, see 1835 Rep., p. 2815 ; 1880 Rep.,
p. 89 ; 1902 Rep., p. 276.
Stockport. — 1902 Rep., p. 40 ; Webb, op. cit, I, p. 169, ». 6 ; 1835
Rep. (Hogg), p. 129.
Parish Records. — A few registers have been printed by the Parish
Register Society. See Matthews, List of Printed Registers, and Cox., op.
cit. A number of Churchwardens' Accounts are extant, and specimens
{Chester) have been printed.
Church Records.
{a) Bishopric Records. 1800 Rep., p. 316; 1837 Rep., p. 277 ;
1902 Rep., p. 104; Chester Arch. Soc. Journ., N.S. V, p. 384.
(b) Chapter Records. 1902 Rep., p. no.
(c) Archdeaconry Records of Chester and Macclesfield. 1902
Rep., p. 120. For records formerly in the Registry of Arch
deaconry of Richmond, see 1800 Rep., pp. 317, 318 ; 19 14 Rep.,
Appx. (Ill), p. 44 ; 1919 Rep., p. 30.
Nonconformist Records  See "Rep. of Provincial Assembly of
1 " Lancashire and Cheshire Wills " (published by Lanes, and Chesh.
Record Soc.) is a selection printed in ¦ extenso from various private col
lections.

1 82 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHD7ES
Lanes, and Cheshire on Laws and Usages of the Assembly," and Lanes.
and Ches. Assembly Records (G. E. Evans). The " Cheshire Minutes,"
1691-1745, will shortly appear.1 For non-parochial Registers, see Rep. of
Commissioners, 1836.
Public Institutions. — Grosvenor Museum (Chester Arch. Soc).
Collection of Deeds, cf. 1902 Rep., p. 132, and Chester Arch. Soc. fourn.f
N.S. XVII, p. 97.
Lanes, and Ches. Antiquarian Society. See 1902 Rep., p. 132.
Private Collections.— See H.M.C. 18th Rep., Appx., p. 349, and
Chester Arch. Soc. Journ. {passim).
CORNWALL.2
The Duchy Records are not stored within the county
(see above, p. 77), and the devolution of the Stannary
Courts is mentioned below. The Probate Registry at
Bodmin dates only from 1877, and wills previous to that
date are either at Exeter or among the archidiaconal
Records (Cornwall) at Bodmin (Calendar, by E. A. Fry
(B.R.S.)). A great many of the boroughs have been
disfranchised, and the information available about any
of them is, on the whole, meagre. The Diocese of
Truro dates only from 1877, and the Diocesan Records
are still at Exeter. The Archdeaconry of Bodmin is
also of recent date. The records of the old arch
deaconry of Cornwall were transferred in 1773 to
Bodmin.3 The Journals of the Royal Institute of Cornwall give
much information about local records.4 A useful guide
to the various county and parochial histories published
up to 1877 is to be found in the British Arch. Assoc.
Journal, 33.
1 Information communicated by the Rev. Alexander Gordon.
3 The Scilly Isles are within the administrative area of the county, but
under the Local Government Act of 1888 they form a separate administra
tive unit. 3 See Truro Diocesan Kalendar for 1882.
1 See especially Journal, XI (Presidential Address), for records of Light
houses of the county in P.R.O., ibid., VI, p. 319.

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES 183
Public Records—Customs Records : for those at Falmouth, Padstow,
;Penzance, and Truro {see 1914 Rep., pp. 243-244).
Statutory Authorities—Stannary Records: for description, see
1800 Rep., p. 259, and G. R. Lewis, op. cit. Those now surviving are
deposited at Truro {see 1914 Rep., p. 69). For Turnpike Trusts, see S.
and B. Webb, op. cit {passim), and 1919 Rep., p. 84.
County Records1 (from 18th centm-y).— 1800 Rep., p. 265; 1837
Rep., p. 227 ; 1919 Rep., pp. 2 sq.
Town Records.2
Bodmin (T.C.).— 1835 Rep., I, p. 443 ; 1837 Rep., p. 434; R.I.C.,
V, p. 346.
Bossiney (R.D.C.).— 1835 Rep., I, p. 453 ; 1880 Rep., p. 17.
Callington (U.D.C)— 1837 Rep., p. 439.
Camelford (T.T.).— 1835 Rep., I, p. 471 ; 1880 Rep., p. 22 ; R.I.C.,
I, Pt. IV, p. 83 ; 1919 Rep., p. 23.
Falmouth (T.C.).— 1835 Rep., I, p. 501 ; 1837 Rep., p. 447 ; 1902
Rep., p. 56.
Fowey (T.C.).— 1835 Rep-, I, p. 505.
Grampound (P.C.).— 1835 Rep., I, p. 507; 1837 Rep., p. 454;
191 9 Rep., p. 24.
Helston (T.C.).— 1835 Rep., I, p. 511.
Launceston (T.C.).— 1835 Rep., I, p. 517; 1902 Rep., p. 62;
H.M.C, 6th Rep., p. 524 ; 1919 Rep., p. 25.
Liskeard (T.C.).— 1835 Rep., I, p. 525 ; 1837 Rep., p. 463; 1902
Rep., p. 76.
Looe, East (T.T.).— 1835 Rep., I, p. 533 ; 1837 Rep., p. 467 ; 1880
Rep., p. 34.
Looe, West (U.D.C.).— 1835 Rep., I, p. 539; 1837 Rep., p. 467;
1880 Rep., p. 119; Western Antiquary, Vol. Ill {passim).
Lostwithiel (T.C.).— 1835 Rep., I, p. 545 ; 1902 Rep., p. 62 ;
H.M.C, Var. Coll., I, p. 327, and 16th Rep., p. 101.
Marazion (T.T.).— 1835 Rep., I, p. 551 ; 1837 Rep., p. 470; 1880
Rep., p. 76 ; Brit Arch. Assoc. Journ., 38, p. 354.
Penryn (T.C).— 1835 Rep., I, p. 563; 1837 Rep., p. 473; 1902
Rep., p. 66.
Penzance (T.C). — 1835 Rep., I, p. 571, Brit. Arch. Assoc. Journ.,
38, p. 354-
Saltash (T.C).— 1835 Rep., I, p. 605; 1880 Rep., p. 103; 1902
Rep., p. 68 ; 1919 Rep., p. 26.
1 See above, p. 182.
2 For short general description of Cornish Boroughs, see Brit. Arch
Assoc. Journ., 33, p. 179.

1 84 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
St. Germans (U.D.C).— 1837 Rep., p. 478.
St. Mawes. — Gross, " Municipal History," p. 62.
St. Ives (T.C).— 1835 Rep., I, p. 619, Brit. Arch. Assoc. Journ.,
38, p. 354 ; Western Antiquary, Vol. 5, p. 33.
Tregony (P.C).— 1835 Rep., I, p. 649; 1837 Rep., p. 502; 1919
Rep., p. 27 ; Western Antiquary, Vol. 6, p. 25.
Truro (T.C).— 1835 Rep., p. 655 ; 1902 Rep., p. 72.
Parish Records. — There are few early registers. The Cornwall
Parish Register Society has so far published only Marriage Registers, but
much information about individual parishes is to be found in the Journals
of the R.I.C, the Western Antiquary and Notes and Gleanings for Devon
and Cornwall {passim). For the St. Columb "Green Book," see R.I.C.
Journal, 19, supplement.
Church Records.1— Archdeaconry of Cornwall (Bodmin), for list and
description, see Truro Diocesan Kalendar, 1882. For Index to Parish
Register Transcripts, see R.I.C. Journal, No. 19, p. 90. The list in 1902'
Rep., p. 128, appears to be parochial.
For information about Nonconformist Records, see authorities given
under Devon (p. 190), also Quakeriana for June, 1894.
Public Institutions, etc. — For Public Libraries, see Library
Chronicle, ed. E. C. Thomas, Vol. Ill, pp. 105 and 169. For contents (MS.
and printed) of Library of R.I.C, see Journals of that Society {passim).
For histories of Charities and Schools, see R.I.C. Journal, 10, p. 418. For
hospitals, see ibid., 8, p. 61 ; and Brit. Arch. Assoc. Journ., 11, p. 97.
Private Collections. — In addition to those described by the H.M.C.
{see 1 8th Rep., Appx., p. 350), various collections and individual records in
private hands are given in R.I.C. Journals' {passim); and Notes and
Gleanings for Devon and Cornwall {passim) ; see also A. L. Humphreys,
op. cit.
CUMBERLAND.
The notable archives of Cumberland are the collec
tions of the Bishop and Cathedral Chapter of Carlisle,
and the muniments of Carlisle city. There are no im
portant County Records, and none of boroughs, with the
exception of Carlisle. A number of Parish Registers
have been printed in the transactions of the Cumber
land and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological
1 For the Bishopric and Chapter Records, see above, p. 182, and 1902
Rep., p. 106.
2 See especially, Journal, VI, p. 337.

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHD7ES 185
Society and elsewhere. The transcripts in the Diocesan
Registry are complete from 16 10. The Bishopric
includes, since 1856, the counties of Cumberland and
Westmorland and Lancashire-north-of-the-Sands, but
outlying records indicate the earlier ecclesiastical history
of the district. The private collections hitherto described
are unimportant.
Public Records.
{a) District Probate Registry (Carlisle). — For wills of the Consis
tory Court from 1610, see Cumb. and Westm. Antiq., etc., Soc.
Trans., 1893.
{b) Custom House Records (Maryport, Whitehaven, etc.).— 1914
Rep., p. 245.
Statutory Authorities, etc  For Harbour Commissioners, Har
bour and Dock Boards, etc., at Maryport, Whitehaven, and Workington,
see 1914 Rep., p. 245. For records of Turnpike Trusts, in most cases
outstanding, see 1902 Rep., p. 144; S. and B. Webb, "King's High
way," and 1919 Rep., Appx. (Ill), p. 84.
County Records (Carlisle).— Session Records from 1668 (MS. In
dex). See 1800 Rep., p. 265 ; 1837 Rep., p. 27 ; 1902 Rep., p. 16 ; 1919
Rep., pp. 2 sq., 108.
Town Records.
Carlisle (T.C).— 1835 Rep., p. 1465 ; 1837 Rep-, P- 44°; H.M.C.
9th Rep., Appx. (I), p. 197; I9IQ Rep-, P- i°8 ; "Municipal
Records of Carlisle," Ferguson and Nansen {Cumb. and Westm.
Antiq. etc., Soc. Trans., 1887), ibid, {passim) ; S. and B.Webb,
op. cit.
Cockermouth (R.D.C).— 1837 Rep., p. 443 5 H.M.C 6th Rep.
(Egremont), p. 287; Cumb. and Westm. Antiq., etc., Soc.
Trans., 1874, p. 282 ; 1919 Rep., p. 23.
Egremont. — See Cockermouth.
Parish Records  For Parish Records of Carlisle borough and other
Cumberland parishes, see Cumb. and Westm. Antiq., etc., Soc. Trans.,
Cat. Index (Vols. I-XVI, 1901), and ibid., N.S., 1904 ; H.M.C. 9th Rep.,
Appx. (I), p. 178. For Nonconformist registers, see 1838 Rep., pp. 89
and 119.
Church Records.
{a) Bishopric Records (Carlisle).— Bishops'; Registers from 1294.
See 1800 Rep., p. 320; 1919 ReP-» P- 29 ; H.M.C 9th Rep.,
Appx. (I), p. 177 ; Cumb. and Westm. Antiq., etc., Soc. Trans.,
1893-

1 86 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
{b) Cathedral Records1 (Carlisle). — See 1837 Rep., p. 289; 1902
Rep., pp. 110 and 120; 1919 Rep., p. 29; H.M.C. 2nd Rep.,
Appx., p. 123 ; Cumb. and Westm. Antiq., etc., Soc. Trans.
{passim)."
{c) Archdeaconry Records. — See 1902 Rep., p. 120.
Public Institutions. — Tullie House (Carlisle Free Library) has a
collection of local deeds and specimens of Corporation records calendared
in Cumb. and Westm. Antiq., etc., Soc. Trans., N.S., 1914, pp. 63-82.
See also "Northern Counties Magazine," 1901, p. 140, and 1919 Rep.,
p. 108. The register of Carlisle Grammar School is in the custody of the
Dean and Chapter. For other ancient schools and charities, see Cumb.
and Westm. Antiq., etc., Soc. Trans., N.S., 1902, ibid, {passim), and
R. S. Ferguson, " History of Cumberland " (1890).
Private Collections.— 5«e Cumb. and Westm. Antiq., etc., Soc.
Trans, {passim), and H.M.C. 18th Rep., Appx., p. 350.
DERBYSHIRE.
Derbyshire is not rich in records. The best series is
that of the County Records. There are no important
Ecclesiastical Records. There are three borough towns :
Derby, Chesterfield, and Ilkeston, but the Derby Records
were all burnt in 1841 and Ilkeston is a new incorporation.
Buxton, Bakewell, and other market towns were formerly
under local boards and are now administered by Urban
District Councils.
Public Records. — District Probate Registry (Derby) : for the Arch
deaconry of Derby (Diocese of Lichfield), see Marshall, op. Cit.
Statutory Authorities, etc. — For the important and interesting
records of Barmote Courts, see above, Part II, p. 103 , and 19 19 Rep.,
pp. 66 sq.
County Records — (Derby). Printed and MS. Calendar ; cf. J. C. Cox,
"Three Centuries of Derbyshire Annals" (1890) ; 1902 Rep., p. 17 ; 1837
Rep., p. 228 ; 1919 Rep., pp. 2 sq.
Town Records.— r Chesterfield.— [Printed Calendar. See 1835 Rep.,
p. 1787; 1837 Rep., p. 441 ; 1902 Rep., pp. 50-51 ; 1919 Rep., p. 33.
Parish Records. — The Derbyshire Parish Records do not seem to be
of special interest. The greater part of the Parish Registers date from the
1 The MSS. collections date from the 14th century. There is a
printed hand-list (1900).

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES 1 87
17th century.1 For extracts frqm Parish Papers, see the Transactions of
the Derbyshire Nat Hist, and Arch. Soc.
Church Records — The Archdeaconry of Derby had local connections
with Southwell. It is officially associated with the diocese of Lichfield ;
now also with the new diocese of Sheffield.
Public Institutions, etc — There are various Grammar Schools
dating from the 16th and 17th centuries and numerous almshouses, etc.
The Ashbourne Grammar School (1585) is governed by a Trust. That at
Buxton (1674) is also under a body of Governors. There are some in
teresting chantry deeds at Norton Vicarage connected with Beauchief
Abbey. Private Collections — See 18th Rep., loc. cit. For other private
collections, see T. H. Jeayes, " Descriptive Catalogue of Derbyshire
Charters" (1906). DEVONSHIRE.
A good deal of information is supplied by the pub
lications of the Devonshire Association 2 as to records
of boroughs, .of Nonconformity, schools, charities and
hospitals, and the dispersal of monastic cartularies.*
Similar information is also to be found in the Western
Antiquary and Notes and Gleanings for Devon and Corn
wall, and the Devon and Cornwall Record Society.
Public Records (District Probate Registry, Exeter). — See Marshall,
op. cit, pp. 21-23 ; British Record Society; "Calendar of Wills, etc., re
lating to Devon and Cornwall," 1 559-1779 (ed. E. A. Fry, 1908 and 1914).
For ancient " Incorporations of the Poor " at Exeter and other records, see
1 91 9 Report, Appx. (II), pp. 87 sq.
Admiralty : for outstanding records preserved at Plymouth and
Devonport, see 1914 Rep., pp. 187, 259.
War Office : for the records of the Military Commands at
Devonport, see ibid., p. 219 ; for those of regimental depots at
Exeter and Plymouth, see ibid., pp. 123, 187.
1 See A. M. Burke, op. cit; Derbyshire Arch. Soc. Trans., 19 16,
p. 159. 2 See particularly Presidential Address, Vol. 14, 1882, for account of
local histories and brief survey of classes of records available, and the
Reports of Committees on Land Tenure and Records.
3 D.A., Vols. 45, 46 and passim; also Notes and Gleanings {passim).

1 88 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
Board of Custom and Excise : for Customs Records at Barn
staple, Exeter, Dartmouth, and Plymouth, see ibid., pp. 188,
243-244.
For Stannary Records,1 see 1800 Rep., p. 259 ; 1837 Rep., p.
225, and G. R. Lewis, op. cit.
Statutory Authorities, etc.
For Turnpike Records, see S. and B. Webb, " The King's High
way" ; W. Buckingham, "Account of the Exeter Turnpike Trus
tees" (1885), and 1919 Rep. (Ill), p. 84.
For reference to records of Street Commissioners of Plymouth, see
S. and B. Webb, " Parish and County," p. 273, n.
County Records (The Castle, Exeter). — 1800 Rep., p. 266 ; 1919
Rep., p. 89 ; " Quarter Sessions from Queen Elizabeth to Queen Anne,"
ed. A. H. A. Hamilton, 1878.
Town Records.2
Ashburton (U.D.C). — 1837 Rep., p. 429; 1919 Rep., p. 22;
D.A., Vols. 8 {passim) and 28, p. 209.
Barnstaple (deposited North Devon Athenaeum, Barnstaple).—
1835 Rep., I, p. 429; 1902 Rep., p. 46; H.M.C. 9th Rep.,
Appx. (I), p. 203 ; " Barnstaple Records," J. R. Chanter and
Thos. Wainwright, 1900 ; D.A., Vol. 11, p. 191.
Bideford (T.C).— 1835 ReP-> *> P- 437 5 :9'9 ReP-> P- 23 '• D-A-i
Vols. 4 (Pt. II), p. 400 ; 16, p. 670 ; 47, p. 306.
Bradninch (T.T.)— 1835 Rep., I, p. 457; 1837 Rep., p. 434;
1880 Rep., p. 20; C. Croslegh, "Short Historical Sketch of
Honour, etc., of Bradninch," 191 1.
C 'hag ford.— D. A., Vol. 8, p. 62.
Dartmouth (T.C).— 1835 Rep., I, p. 477; 1837 Rep., p. 443;
1902 Rep., p. 52 ; H.M.C. 5th Rep., p. 597 ; D.A., Vols. 43, p.
120; 44, p. 649 (and passim); 45, p. 233; 46, p. 411 {and. passim).
Exeter (T.C). — 1835 Rep., I, p. 487; 1902 Rep., p. 34; 1919
Rep., p. 89 ; List in Introduction to Calendar, compiled by
Stuart A. Moore (1900); George Oliver, "History of Exeter,"
1 861 ; D.A., Vols. 44 and 46 {passim); Notes and Glean
ings for Devon and Cornwall, Vols. II-V( passim) ; Journal
of British Arch. Assoc, 18, p. 306; H.M.C. (1916).
1 The older records appear to have been lost, and only those since
1784 preserved in the private custody of the Clerk.
2 Devonport (1902 Rep., p. 32) and Torquay (1892) are modern incor
porations ; Lydford, in 1837 Rep., p. 462, is stated not to be a borough
and Honiton {ibid., p. 458) was not in possession of its records. No in
formation has been found as to records of Bovy Tracy, Modbury, or
Paignton.

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES 1 89
Okehampton^—iSss Rep', p. 557 ; 1880 Rep., p. 85 ; W.A., Vol.
3. P- 233-
Plymouth (T.C).— 1835 Rep., I, p. 579 ; 1837 Rep., p. 474; 1902
Rep., p. 38 ; H.M.C. 9th Rep., p. 262 ; 10th Rep., Appx. (IV),
P- 536 ; 1919 Rep-, p. 26 ; Journal of Brit Arch. Assoc, 39,
p. 1 10; D.A., Vols. 14-17 {passim); "Plymouth Municipal
Records," R. N. Worth (1893) ; Gross, op. cit, p. 366.
Plympton Erie (R.D.C).— 1835 Rep., I, p. 599 ; 1880 Rep., p. 92 ;
D.A., Vol. 19, p. 555.
South Molton (T.C).— 1835 Rep., I, p. 613; "Records of South
Molton," J. Cock (1893).
Tavistock* (U.D.C).— 1880 Rep., p. 148 ; D.A., Vol. 21, p. 305 ;
W.A., Vol. 6, p. 8 (and passim) ; Notes and Gleanings for
Devon and Cornwall, Vol. 4 (and passim).
Tiverton (T.C). — 1835 Rep., I, p. 625 ; 1837 Rep., p. 502 ; D.A.,
Vol. 39, p. 216; 1919 Rep., p. 27.
Torrington (T.C). — 1835 Rep., I, p. 633 ; 1902 Rep., p. 70; 1919
Rep., p. 27 ; D.A., Vols. 7, p. 89 ; 26, p. 313.
Totnes (T.C).— 1835 Rep., I, p. 641 ; 1837 Rep., p. 502 ; H.M.C.
3rd Rep., Appx., p. 341 ; D.A., Vols. 6, 12, 32-34, 36-38, 40
{passim).
Parish Records. — A very large proportion of the existing Parish
Registers3 date only from the 17th century. Many have been printed by
the Devon and Cornwall Record Society and much information about
individual parishes is given in the publications of the Devonshire Associ
ation. See also Cox and Burke, op. cit, and H.M.C. 4th and 5th Rep.
For the records at Kingsbridge Church, see Devon Notes and Queries, V,
p. 94, and ibid. p. 255, for those at Churston Ferrers. For references to
Vestry Minutes, see S. and B. Webb, op. cit.
Church Records.
(a) Bishopric Records. — Diocesan Registry (Exeter). — 1800 Rep.,
p. 323; 1919 Rep., p. 89; H.M.C, Var. Coll., IV, p. 13;
" Episcopal Registers," ed. F. C. Hingeston Randolph.
{b) Cathedral Records. — 1800 Rep., p. 334; 1919 Rep., p. 90;
H.M.C, Var. Coll., IV, p. 23 ; "Gleanings from the Municipal
1 According to D.A., Vol. 34 (1902), the surviving records are now in
private hands.
2R. N. Worth, "Calendar of Tavistock Parish Records," 1887, does
not deal with those of the borough.
3 For lost Parish Registers, see " Abstracts of existing Transcripts of lost
Parish Registers of Devon, 1 596-1644," R. Granville and W. E. Mugford,
1908, from Bishopric Records.

190 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
and Cathedral Records," etc., W. Cotton and H. Woollcombe
1877 ; "An Old Exeter MS.," O. J. Reichel, 1907.
{c) Archidiaconal Records Exeter. See 19 19 Rep., p. 90;
Barnstaple, for list, see Devon Notes and Queries, Vol. 3, p. 127
(I9°5)-
{d) Much information about Nonconformist history and records in
this county will be found in the volumes of the Devonshire
Association,1 the Western Antiquary* Devon Notes and
Queries, IV, pp. 1 5 and 1 1 1 ; " Colytonia," G. Eyre Evans
(1898); "History of Plymouth," R. N. Worth, 1890 (Ch.'X).
For Roman Catholic Records, see Catholic Recoid Society publi
cations.
Public Institutions and Trusts.
{a) Barnstaple. — North Devon Athenasum; for some of MS. contents,
see D.A., passim , Devon Notes and Gleanings, II, p. 49 ; Ply
mouth, Proprietary Library, see Library Chronicle, ed. E. C.
Thomas, Vol. 3, p. 1; D.A., Vols. 28, p. no; 31, p. 120;
33> P- J39 (and passim). Exeter Public Library, Davidson
MSS, etc. ; Exeter Museum.
{b) For information about Charities, see Journal of Brit. Arch-
Assoc, 1 1, p. 98 ; D.A., 33 p. 272 ; and "History of Suburbs of
Exeter," C. Worthy, 1892; W.A., IV, p. 59; "The Older
Charities of Plymouth," by C. N. Worth, in Vol. 9 of Journal of
Plymouth Institution, 1884-7, P- 25-
For Grammar Schools, see Journal of Brit. Arch. Assoc, 12, p.
67 ; and " Calendar of Plymouth Municipal Records " {passim) ;
and " Barnstaple Records,'' op. cit ; " The Founding of Exeter
School," by H. Lloyd Parry (191 3).
Private Collections — For a list of these, see H.M.C. 18th Rep.,
Appx., p. 350. References to various private collections are given by the
D.A., etc., W.A., and other local publications ; also A. L. Humphreys,
op. cit. DORSETSHIRE.
There were many ancient liberties in this county
(e.g. the Isle of Purbeck with Corfe Castle), also three or
four considerable forests, but, for these, no local records
seem to be preserved. The Quarter Session Records
1See especially Vols. 9, p. 250; 16, p. 489; 17, pp. 298 and 307;
21, p. 148 ; 28, p. 228 ; 32, p. 412 ; 34, p. 410.
2 i.e. Vols. 1, pp. 19, 98, 104, 169 {passim) ; 2, p. 1.

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES 191
are a notable collection. The Borough Records are also
of exceptional interest (see Arch. Journal, XXVIII (1872)).
There are several ancient ports and creeks, but few
Custom House Records of early date have survived.
Nothing is known of the Journals of the Portland Light
house dating from 17 16. The Ecclesiastical Records are
subsidiary to those of the diocese of Salisbury. Useful
references to the Dorsetshire Records will be found in
Somerset and Dorset Notes and Queries (passim). The
Committee on County Records published a report in
1878. Public Records. — For the records of the Custom Houses at Bridport
(1837 — >), Poole (1758 — >), and Weymouth (1694--*), see 1914 Rep.,
p. 243- Statutory Authorities, etc. — Many records of Turnpike Trusts
are outstanding (Hutchins, "History of Dorset," I, lix) ; 1919 Rep.,
Appx. (HI), p. 84. Poole and Bridport have special Harbour Commis
sioners. County Records (Dorchester). — Session Records from 1625 (printed
list), see 1800 Rep., p. 267 ; 1902 Rep., pp. 16-17 J I9r9 Rep., pp. 3 sq.
Town Records.
Bridport (T.C). — 1835 Rep., II, p. 1137 ; 1837 Rep., p. 438 ; 1902
Rep., p. 48; 1919 Rep., p. 23; T. Wainwright, "Bridport
Records"; H.M.C. 6th Rep., p. 475 (1899).
Blandford Farum (T.C).— 1835 Rep., II, p. 1131.
£orfe Castle. — 1835 Rep., II, p. rS57 ; 1880 Rep., p. 25 ; Hutchins,
op. cit, I, p. 459 ; Purbeck Society's Papers (1859-1866), p. 194.
Dorchester {T.C.).— See "Printed List," ed. Mayo and Gould,
(1908); 1835 Rep., II, p. 1305; 1902 Rep., p. 54; 1919 Rep.,
p. 23; C. H. Mayo, "Bibliotheca Dorsetiensis," pp. 1-150;
H. J. Moule, "List of Dorchester Records" (1883).
Lyme Regis (T.C).— 1835 Rep., II, p. 1301 ; 1902 Rep., p. 64;
1919 Rep., p. 25.
Poole (T.C).— 1835 Rep. II, p. 1319 ; 1919 Rep., p. 26 ; Hutchins,
op. cit, I, p. 58.
Melcombe {see Weymouth).
Shaftesbury {T.C.).— 1835 Rep-, H, P- 1351 5 *9°2 Rep-> P- 68;
1919 Rep., p. 27 ; C. H. Mayo, "Municipal Record? of Shaftes
bury" (1889).

192 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
Weymouth (and Melcombe) (T.C). — 1835 Rep., II, p. 1383; 1837
Rep., p. 508; 1902 Rep., Appx., pp. 76-77 ; 1919 Rep., p. 27;
H.M.C. 5th Rep., XIX, p. 575 ; "Decriptive Catalogue" (H. J.
Moule, 1883).
Wareham (T.C). — 1835 Rep., II, p. 1359; 1837 Rep., p. 502;
1880 Rep., p. 118.
Parish Records. — Comparatively few Parish Registers in this county
appear to date earlier than the 17th century. Several early registers have
been published in " Dorset Records ". For an inventory of Parish Records,
see R. Hine, "History of Beaminster," Ch. 13. For Dorset "Briefs," see
Som. and Dors. Notes and Queries, VIII, 35. For Churchwardens' Ac
counts, see Cox, op. cit, Ch. 3, and Hutchins, op. cit, III, pp. 255-267 and
(passim). Church Records. — The county forms an archdeaconry of the diocese
of Salisbury. The testamentary records are in the District Probate Re
gistry at Blandford. The Court books of the Salisbury peculiars {e.g.
Dorchester) are presumably in the Principal Probate Registry (Marshall,
p. 17 ; 1914 Rep., pp. 201-203). Some early documents are still pre
served at Wimborne Minster (Hutchins, op. cit, III, pp. 255-267).
Public Institutions.— Notices of the surviving hospitals, almshouses,
and schools in this county will be found in Hutchins, op. cit.
Private Collections. — See H.M.C. 18th Rep. ; Humphreys, op. cit,
and Hutchins, op. cit, pp. lvii-lviii (1873).
DURHAM.1
Durham Records are surveyed in the publications of
the Surtees Society (1834 — in progress). These supple
ment and supersede the earlier county histories. The
"Northern Counties History" has not yet published a
volume relating to Durham.
The bulk of the records belonging to the County
Palatinate were transferred to the Public Record Office
in i868.2 A small residue, held by the Ecclesiastical
1 For list of repositories of records, Co. Durham, see 1902 Rep., Appx.
(Ill), p. 16.
2 For records of the Palatinate, transferred to P.R.O., 1 868, see P.R.O.,
Rules and Schedules, pp. 243 sq. ; 1912 Rep., Pt. II, pp. 145-146; ibid.,
Appx., p. 219. See also "The County Palatine of Durham". G. T.
Lapsley, " Harvard Hist. Studies," 1900, Appx. (Ill), pp. 217-337, and
Surtees Society, 1889.

DIRECTORY OFENGLISH ARCHIVES 1 93
Commissioners, remain at Durham. The jurisdiction
of the District Probate Registry covers the greater part
of the counties of Durham and Northumberland, and the
borough of Berwick-on-Tweed. There are no adequate
lists or calendars of the early County Records.
Some good series of Parish Records are available.
A few of these have been printed by local societies.
Most of the records of the towns (modern incorporations)
have disappeared.
The Diocesan Records are completely inventoried
(Catalogue, H. H. E. Craster, 191 2), and there are suffi
cient lists of the valuable contents of the Cathedral
Treasury. The Archdeaconry Records are a good series,
well-arranged. The Durham University Library has
acquired some historical MSS.
Public Records.1
District Probate Registry (Durham). — Wills from 1311. See Sur
tees Society, Vols. 2 and 28.
Custom Houses. — Stockton, Sunderland, West Hartlepool. See
1914 Rep., Appx., p. 245.
Statutory Authorities, etc. — River Wear Commissioners and
other local authorities. See Local Taxation Returns, Part VI (191 3-14).
For records of Commissioners of Turnpike Trusts and proceedings of
local Boards of Health (Darlington), see 1902 Rep., p. 52. ; S. and B.
Webb, op. cit, and 1919 Rep., Appx. (Ill), p. 84.
County Records. — Index incomplete. 1800 Rep., p. 268; 1837
Rep., pp. 229 and 231 ; 1902 Rep., p. 16 ; 1919 Rep., pp. 3 sq., 107.
Town Records. — (T.C. in all cases.)
Darlington. — 1902 Rep., Appx. (Ill), p. 52; 1919 Rep., p. 23.
Durham.— 1835 Rep., p. 1509; 1919 Rep., p. 108.
Hartlepool. — 1902 Rep., Appx. (Ill), p. 58; S. and B. Webb, op.
cit. ; 1919 Rep., p. 24.
South Shields. — 1902 Rep., p. 40.
Stockton. — 1919 Rep., p. 27, and S. and B. Webb, op. cit.
Sunderland. — 1902 Rep., p. 44; 1919 Rep., p. 27.
aFor Palatinate Records, see above (Prefatory Note), and 1919 Rep.,
p. 109. O

194 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
Parish Records.1— For registers of Durham Cathedral Church, and
other parishes, see Harleian Soc, Vol. 23, 1897 ; Surtees Society, Vol. 84
(1888) ; Northumb. and Durham Parish Register Society {passim) ; Robert
Blair, " North Country Parish Registers ". For Churchwardens' Accounts,
see Surtees Society {passim) ; Notes and Queries, 8th ser., V, p. 188, and
(for Stockton-on-Tees), Norfolk Archceology, I, p. 167.
Church Records.
Bishopric Records (Durham) from 1540. — 1800 Rep., p. 309 ; 1837
Rep., pp. 269-271 ; 1912 Rep., Appx. (Ill), p. 95 ; Catalogue,
H. H. E. Craster (19 12); Newcastle Soc. of Antiq. Proc, 3rd
ser., V, pp. 167-176; 1919 Rep., p. 108.
Chapter Records (Durham). — 1800 Rep., p. 343; 1837 Rep., p.
290 ; 1902 Rep., Appx. (Ill), pp. 108-109 ; ibid., p. 225 ; Surtees
Society {passim). For catalogue of Chapter Library, see ibid.,
Vol. 7 (1838); 1919 Rep., loc. cit.
Archdeaconry Records (Durham). — 1902 Rep., p. 108, and ibid.,
p. 118 ; Catalogue, H. H. E. Craster, p. 8 ; 191 9 Rep., loc cit.
Public Institutions. — For ancient foundations, schools, and alms
houses, see Charity Commissioners Report, 1914 ; Hutchinson, " History " ;
Surtees, " History," and 1902 Rep., pp. 44 and 108. .
Private Collections.2 — For the Roman Catholic MSS. preserved in
the College of St. Cuthbert, Ushaw, see H.M.C. ist Rep., Appx., p. 91.
For MSS. in private hands {e.g. the Correspondence of Robert Bowes of
Aske and other north-country families), see Surtees Society, Archaologia
Atliana, and Humphreys, op. cit. {passim).
ESSEX.
There are a few ancient boroughs in this county,
but others are of quite modern development, the records
being of a parochial type (e.g. Southend, East and West
Ham). The See of Chelmsford dates from 1914, the
present diocese was included in the See of London in
early times.
For a list of Essex MSS., see Essex Arch. Soc. Trans.,
Vol. II, and cf. Essex Review, III, pp. 35, 264, and Home
Co. Mag., XIII, p. 161.
1 Vestry Books of Bishop's Wearmouth, from 1661, are preserved in
Auckland Archdeaconry, see 1902 Rep., p. 118.
2 For list of these, see H.M.C. 18th Rep., Appx., p. 350.

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES 1 95
Public Records.— For the Custom House Records at Colchester,
Harwich, and Maldon, see 1914 Rep., Appx. (II), p. 246.
Statutory Authorities, etc.— Sewer Commissions.— For the local
records at Chelmsford, Romford, and Colchester, see 1914 Rep., II,
p. ioo ; there is also a Commission for the Canvey Island Sea Embank
ment For Lee Bridge and Valley Conservancy, see under London. The
Suffolk and Essex Conservancy Boards deal with fisheries. A local com
mittee was constituted under the Sea Fisheries Act of 1888. Extracts
from the Minutes of the Epping and Ongar Highway Trust have been
published by B. Winstone {cf. 1919 Rep., Appx. (Ill), p. 84).
County Records (Chelmsford). — 1800 Rep., p. 268; 1902 Rep., p.
18 ; 1914 Rep., p. 148 ; 1919 Rep., pp. 3 sq. ; H.M.C. 10th Rep., Appx.
(TV), p. 466.
Town Records.
Colchester (T.C). — 1902 Rep., p. 52 ; 1919 Rep., p. 23 ; and pub
lications by H. Harrod and W. G. Benham.
Dunmow (T.T.). — 1835Rep.jp. 2215; 1880 Rep., p. 37 ; 1902 Rep.,
p. 276; 1919 Rep., p. 23.
Harwich (T.C.) — From 17th century, see 1835 Rep., p. 2261 ; 1902
Rep., p. 58 ; S. Taylor, " History".
Haveringe atte Bower. — 1835 Rep., p. 2878; 1880 Rep., p. 40;
1919 Rep., p. 24 ; S. and B. Webb, "Hist Loc. Govt." (Parish),
p. 46, n.
Maldon (T.C). — See 1835 Rep., p. 2431 ; 1902 Rep., p. 66; 1919
Rep., p. 25.
Saffron Walden (T.C).— 1902 Rep., p. 68 ; S. and B. Webb, op.
cit, p. 320, n.
Southend (T.C). — 1902 Rep., p. 68.
Parochial Records  Many references will be found in H.M.C. 9th
Rep., Appx. p. 29, for documents of Dean and Chapter of St. Paul. See
Essex Review for Alphamstone (I, p. 102) ; Boreham (I, p. 212) ; Chelmsford
{V, p. 163) ; and pubhshed histories of S. Martin's, Colchester ; South
Weald ; Copford ; and Margaret Roding. Loughton documents are pre
served at the Lopping Hall.
Church Records. — Records of the Essex and Colchester Arch
deaconries are deposited at the Principal Probate Registry, London ; those
of the Essex Commissionary Court of Sokens are in the Ipswich Registry.
For Nonconformist Records, see T. W.' Davids' "History" Quaker
Records are preserved by the Coggeshall Society of Friends. For registers
of the Colchester Dutch Church, see Huguenot Society's publications.

196 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
Public Institutions — Colchester and Saffron Walden have local col
lections {see Corporation Catalogues). The Essex Arch. Society's Library
at Colchester Castle, contains the Holman, King, and Nicholls, MSS.
(W. H. Dalton, " Catalogue "). For ancient Grammar Schools, see V.C.H.
Essex, II, p. 501 ; and Trans. Essex Arch. Soc, N.S. II, p. 91 ; the
County Charities are described in Ch. Com. Reps. ; cf. Home Co. Mag.,
I, p. 161.
Private Collections. — For list of those officially examined, see H.M.C.
18th Rep., Appx. (Ill), p. 350. For the Southcote and Marsh MSS., see
Trans. Essex Arch. Soc, N.S. IV, p. 100, and Vol. VI, p. 101.
GLOUCESTERSHIRE.
The county boroughs of Gloucester and Bristol each
possess important Collections of Documents, including
those of central and departmental branch offices. A few
modern records of the Forest of Dean remain in local
custody. The County Records at Shire Hall, Gloucester,
dating from 1660, were recently arranged, and a list
published. Among them are* books of Horsfield Prison,
which represent a now rare class. There are some out
standing Turnpike and Navigation Trust Deeds in
private hands.
The Diocesan Records of Gloucester have been re
cently arranged on new lines by Mr. Hockaday, but there
is no adequate published description of those at Bristol.
There is an important private collection at Berkeley
Castle. The Phillips Collection at Cheltenham has now
been partially dispersed. The Library of the Bristol
and Gloucester Archaeological Society, among other
valuable MSS., contains Court Rolls of the Hundred of
Cirencester and Archdeacon Furney's MS. Collections
for county history.
Public Records.
District Probate Registries (Gloucester and Bristol).— See " Cal
endars of Gloucestershire Wills," Index Library (Phillimore and
Fry); "Bristol Wills" (1572-1792), Index Library (Bristol
Record Society), and 1919 Rep., p. 103.
Custom House Records (Gloucester and Bristol).— See 1914 Rep.,
p. 244.

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES 1 97
For records of the Crown Forest of Dean, see 1914 Rep., p. 251 ;
and Prist, and Glouc. Arch. Soc. Trans, (vol. 33), and Arch.
Journ., XVII, p. 227.
Statutory Authorities, etc.1— Commissions of Sewers, Thornbury,
Gloucester, Newnham. 1914 Rep., p. 100 {see also Worcester); 1919
Rep., Appx. (Ill), p. 84.
County Records.— A list of these is given as an appendix to Report
of County Council Committee (1897). See also 1800 Rep., p. 270; 1902
Rep., p. 18, and 1919 Rep., pp. 3 sq., 102.
Town Records.— (T.C. in all cases.)
Bristol.— Notes and Queries, 11 Ser., II, p. 450; 1902 Rep., p.
118; 1919 Rep., p. 103; Brist and Glouc. Arch. Soc. Trans., VII
(and passim) ; Clifton Antiq. Club Proc, Vols. I-VII {passim).
Gloucester? — See W. H. Stevenson, " Calendar of Records " ;
H.M.C. 12th Rep., Appx. (IX), p. 400; 1919 Rep., p. 103.
Tewkesbury. — For notices of the records, see Bennet, "Tewkes
bury," and 1919 Rep., p. 27.
Dissolved Corporations.3 — For records in possession of Town
Trusts, see 1902 Rep., p. 277.
Parish Records. — See publications of the Parish Register Society and
also of the local Parish Register Society, and cf. Sir T. Phillips' "Excerpta ";
Glouc. Notes and Queries, and F. A. Crisp, " List of Parish Registers ".
Early Churchwardens' Accounts for Bristol Parishes have been printed :
cf. Brist. and Glouc. Arch. Soc. Trans., XXVII, p. 221 ; Clifton Antiq.
Club Trans., Vol. I ; Archceologia, XXXV, pp. 409, 422.
1 For important Port and Harbour Authorities and River Conservancy
and Drainage Boards, see Local Taxation Returns, 19 13-14.
2 Gloucester and Bristol have separate Sessions and Clerks of the
Peace. 3 The property of corporations dissolved by the Municipal Corpora
tion Act, 1883, was vested in trustees under control of Charity Commis
sioners. Of these, Berkeley, Wickwar, Winchcomb, and Wotton have
very few surviving records {cf. 1835 Rep.) — the others, Chipping Camp-
den, Chipping Sodbury, Dursley, and Thornbury retain none. Notices of
Berkeley Hundred Court Rolls will be found in Glouc. Notes and Queries,
V, p. 85. Cirencester and Stroud were unincorporated parliamentary
boroughs ; their records are manorial, but Hundred Court Rolls and a
Register book of Cirencester Weavers (from 1580) exist. These two
places, with Stow-on-the-Wold, Newnham, and Tetbury, had Local Boards
of Health between 1850 and 1877; Cheltenham had Commissioners of
Town Improvement from 1852 (incorporated, 1876). Some of the above
are mentioned in the 1919 Report.

198 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
Church Records. {a) Gloucester.
Bishopric Records. — 1800 Rep., p. 319; 1902 Rep., p. 244; 1919
Rep., loc. cit, and "Athenaeum," June, 1914.
Chapter Records.1— HM.C. 12th Rep., Appx. (IX), p. 397 ; 1800
Rep., p. 335; 1902 Rep., p. no; 1919 Rep., p. 103; Brist.
and Glouc Arch. Soc. Trans., VI, p. 334.
Archdeaconry Records. — See 1919 Rep., loc cit.
{b) Bristol.
Bishopric Records. — See 1902 Rep., p. 244, and 1919 Rep., loc. cit.
Chapter Records. — H.M.C. ist Rep., Appx., p. 97.
Archdeaconry Records of Bristol and of Dorset (formerly in the
Diocese, kept at Blandford), see 1800 Rep., pp. 323, 333 ; 1902
Rep., p. 118 ; 1919 Rep., loc cit.
Nonconformist Records*
Woodchester — Dominican Priory. — See H.M.C. 2nd Rep., Appx.,
p. 146. Catholic Registers have been published by Catholic
Record Soc. (Vol. Ill, Misc. Ill, No. 12).
The records of Broadmead Baptist Church, Bristol, are published by
Hanserd Knollys Soc, and the Registers of the French Church,
Bristol (168 7- 1 807), by the Huguenot Soc. (Vol. 20). For refer
ence to the Baptist College, Bristol, see D.A., VoL 17, p. 307.
Public Institutions.
Brist. and Glouc. Arch. Soc. Library Catalogue. For the Bristol
Public Library and Museum, see David Murray, "Museums,"
IL, p. 141 ; "Antiquary," XXIII, p. 260.
Schools and Hospitals. — cf. Fosbroke, " Gloucester," and W.
Godfrey, "Famous Buildings," etc.
Companies. — The Society of Merchant Venturers and Society of
Merchant Taylors, Bristol, have their own records, distinct from
those of the corporation. See Brist. and Glouc. Arch. Soc.
Trans, {passim), and histories of the Companies, by Latimer
and by Cox respectively.
Private Collections — See H.M.C. 18th Rep., Appx., p. 350;
"Catalogue of Charters" (T. H. Jeayes), and "Berkeley MSS." (Sir J.
Maclean), (Brist. and Glouc. Arch. Soc).
For the partially dispersed collection of Sir Thomas Phillips at Thirl-
stane House, Cheltenham, consult Sotheby's Sale Catalogues.
1 Bazeley's " Records of Gloucester Cathedral Library" contains little
documentary matter.
2 The Registry of the Catholic Bishopric of Clifton is at Bristol
(founded, 1850).

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES 1 99
HAMPSHIRE.
This county is rich in Naval and Military Records,
for the local commands, but the official records of the
Isle of Wight and its forts have not been preserved.1
The records of the New Forest are also fragmentary
(V.C.H., " Hampshire," II, p. 438). No fewer than fifteen
towns possessed the Parliamentary Franchise in 1832,
but the records of the boroughs now extinct have mostly
disappeared. The surviving Parish Records have been
surveyed by private enterprise. The Diocesan and
Cathedral Records have been dispersed to a considerable
extent. Public Records. — There is a District Probate Registry at Winchester
for the diocese and county. The District Register Offices of Births, etc.,
for Southampton, Farnborough, and Isle of Wight represent old Poor Law
Incorporations (Geo. III). For Admiralty Records at Portsmouth and
Haslar Hospital, see 1914 Rep., pp. 185-186, 229-232, 236, and 259. For
records of the Military Commands at Aldershot, Portsmouth, etc., see ibid.,
pp. 186-1 87, 214, and 219. For early Custom House Records at Portsmouth,
Southampton, and Cowes, see 19 14 Rep., p. 243. For the records of the
Deputy Surveyor of the New Forest, see ibid., p. 251. For the records of
the Ordnance Survey Office at Southampton, see ibid., p. 65.
Statutory Authorities, etc. — There is a separate Commission for
Sewers in the Isle of Wight (Newport). The Local Fisheries Committee
Records should be of exceptional interest (Test and Itchen).
County Records. — See 1800 Rep., p. 287 ; 1902 Rep., p. 24 ; 1919
Rep., pp. 5 sq. They have been recently arranged and listed.
Town Records.
Alresford (New), (T.T.).— 1880 Rep., p. 8; 1902 Rep., p. 277;
1919 Rep., p. 22.
Andover (T.C).— 1837 Rep., p. 128 ; 1919 Rep., p. 22.
Basingstoke (T.C).— 1837 Rep., p. 430; 1902 Rep., p. 46 ; 1919
Rep., p. 22 ; Baigent and Hillard, "History" (1889).
Bournemouth (T.C). — 1902 Rep., p. 48.
Brading (T.T.).— 1835 Rep., p. 677; 1880 Rep., p. 19; 1902
Rep., p. 277.
Christchurch (T.C).— 1837 Rep., p. 442 ; 1880 Rep., p, 24 ; 1902
Rep., p. 50 ; 1919 Rep., p. 23.
1 A semi-official journal of the early 17th century has been published
("Oglander Memoirs," ed., W. H. Long, 1888).

200 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
Farnham (U.D.C).— 1837 Rep., p. 447 ; 1880 Rep., p. 143 ; 1919
Rep., p. 24 ; and see below, Bishopric of Winchester.
Lymington (T.C).— 1835 Rep., p. 741 5 I9°2 Rep., p. 50.
Newport (T.C).— 1835 Rep., p. 771 ; 19*9 ReP-> P- 26.
Newton.— 1835 Rep., p. 791 ; 1880 Rep., p. 85 ; V.C.H., "Hamp
shire," V, pp. 266-267.
Petersfield (T.T.).— 1835 Rep., p. 797; 1880 Rep., p. 90; 1902
Rep. p. 277 ; H.M.C. 10th Rep., p. 23.
Portsmouth (T.C).— 1835 Rep., p. 799 ; 1837 Rep., p. 475 ; 1919
Rep., p. 26 ; L. Allen, " History "
Romsey (T.C).— 1835 Rep., p. 1329.
Southampton (T.C).— 1835 ReP-> P- 869; 1837 Rep., p. 483;
1902 Rep., p. 40; H.M.C. nth Rep., pp. 1-144; 1919 Rep.,
p. 27 ; Southampton Rec. Soc. Publications ; J. S. Davies,
" History ".
Winchester (T.C).— 1835 Rep., p. 893; 1902 Rep., p. 74; 1919
Rep., p. 27 ; H.M.C. 6th Rep., Appx., pp. 595-605 ; C. Bailey,
"Archives," Appx., p. 4 ; J. Milner, "History"
Yarmouth (T.T.).— 1835 Rep., p. 913; 1837 Rep., p. 512; 1880
Rep., p. 132 ; 1902 Rep., p. 277 ; V.C.H., II, 240.
Parish Records. — See the Return of the existing records of the
Archdeaconry of Winchester, compiled by Archdeacon W. A. Fearon and
the Rev. J. F. Williams (1909) ; and 1919 Rep., Appx. (Ill), pp. 37 sq.
For Carisbrook Parish, see H.M.C. 6th Rep., p. 499.
Church Records.
{a) Bishopric Records (Winchester and Farnham). — See 1800
Rep., p. 309 ; 1902 Rep., p. 108 ; C. Deedes, Rep. on Muni
ments of Bishopric of Winchester (1912) ; and 1919 Rep., loc.
cit.
{b) Chapter Records (Winchester).— See 1800 Rep., p. 341 ; 1902
Rep., pp. 108-109.
{c) Archdeaconry Registry (Knightrider Street, E.C.). — See 1919
Rep., p. 93 ; 1902 Rep., p. 118.
Public Institutions, etc. — The ancient hospitals of Winchester are
well known ; for these and the ancient Grammar Schools of the county,
see V.C.H., II, pp. 251 sq. ; for the local charities, see Woodward, " Hamp
shire," I, pp. 251 sq.
Private Collections. — Those included in the Reports of the Histori
cal Manuscripts Commission are supplemented by many other collections,
some of which are mentioned in the Victoria Counties History and Hum
phreys, op. cit.

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES 201
HEREFORDSHIRE.
Apart from manorial and family records, in which
this county is rich, the principal collections are found in
the county town, and call for little comment. For cer
tain purposes, neighbouring districts of Wales are covered
by authorities within this county : e.g. Poor Law Union
of Hereford includes some Radnorshire parishes, and the
Probate Registry at Hereford contains Brecon and Rad
nor Wills. There is one early Commission of Sewers.
The County Records are not remarkable ; those of the
borough of Hereford include some early incorporated
crafts. The records of the Turnpike Trusts, and also of
some ancient towns, have entirely disappeared.
The Diocesan Records, kept with the fine collection
of early MSS. and books in possession of the Dean and
Chapter, are said to date from 1228.
Public Records (District Probate Registry, Hereford). — Calendar
of Wills and Administrations, 1558-1858. See 1919 Rep., p. 102.
Statutory Authorities, etc. — For Turnpike Trusts, see 1919 Rep.,
Appx. (Ill), p. 84. For Commission of Sewers, see 1914 Rep., Appx. (II),
p. 100, also Local Taxation Returns, 1 91 3-14 for Malvern Hills Conserva
tors; also Rep. of Sel. Com. of House of Lords, 1877, on Conservancy
Boards for the Wye Navigation Trust (1695), etc., which was still in ex
istence. County Records (Hereford). — MS. Index. 1800 Rep., p. 271 ;
1837 Rep., p. 231 ; 1902 Rep., p. 18 ; 1919 Rep., pp. 3 sq., 102.
Parish Records. — There are a few early Registers, those of Ashper-
ton begin in 1521, but early Churchwardens' Accounts are very rare. See
Duncombe, " History," and V.C.H. A few Registers have been printed.
Ecclesiastical Records.
Bishopric Records. For printed Registers (from 1275), see publica
tions of Cantilupe and of Canterbury and York Societies ; and for
Consistory Court Books, etc., see Notes and Queries, IV, S.,
Vol. IV ; 1800 Rep., p. 319 ; 1919 Rep., Appx. (II), p. 102.
Cathedral Records. See 1800 Rep., p. 335; 1902 Rep., p. 112;
1919 Rep., loc. cit ; " Charters and Records of Hereford Cathed
ral " (W. W. Capes, Cantilupe Soc).
For Records of Ludlow Archdeaconry, see 1902 Rep., p. 122 ;
1919 Rep., loc. cit, and in "Shropshire" {infra).

202 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
Nonconformist Records. — For MSS. at Belmont Priory (O.S.B.),
(Clehonger), see C. J. Robinson, "Manors, etc., of Hereford," p. 66;<for
Registers, etc., of Courtfield, see Catholic Record Soc, Vol. IV, No. 12,
and Vol. XIII, No. 4.
Town Records.1
Hereford. — Catalogue (W. D. Macray); 1919 Rep., loc. cit;
H.M.C. 13th Rep., Appx. (IV), p. 283 ; Gross., op. cit, p. 256;
Hereford Municipal Records, Brit. Arch. Assoc. Journ., XXVII,
p. 453 ; W. Collins, " Modern Hereford " (Appx.), and J. Devling,
"Helps to Hereford History" (1848), for an account of Cord-
wainers ; also J. W. Leigh, Trans., Woolhope Club (1901).
Leominster. — See 1902 Rep., p. 62 ; G. F. Townsend, "Town and
Borough of Leominster ".
Public Institutions. — Harley MSS. at Hereford Public Library
(Catalogue, ed. J. Cockcroft).
Private Collections  See H.M.C 18th Rep. Appx., p. 350; and
1902 Rep., p. 62 ; for Blount MSS. (Orleton), and Scudamore MSS.
(Horn Lacy), see C. J. Robinson, op. cit.
HERTFORDSHIRE.
The County Records are supplemented by the series
of Quarter Sessions Records connected with the Liberty
of St. Albans. The earliest records are at Hatfield
House. A committee to safeguard Parish Records and
Registers was established by the Bishop of St. Albans in
1894. The only Diocesan Records of early date are
those for the Archdeaconry of St. Albans. The Con-
sistorial Records will be found at Somerset House among
those of London and Middlesex. For the seventy-seven
parishes formerly under the jurisdiction of the See of
Lincoln, reference should be made to the records at
Lincoln and Peterborough : the Bishopric of St. Albans
dates only from 1875. There is no Probate Registry.
Non-testamentary Records are still preserved in the
Registry of the Archidiaconal Court of Huntington at
Hitchin. Of private collections by far the most im-
1 The extinct Corporation of Weobley had Manorial and Leet Records
in 1837 {see 1837 Rep., p. 507), but see Midland Record Soc. Trans., I
(Weobley). For records of Ross, see 1919 Rep., p. 104.

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHD7ES 203
portant is that of the Marquis of Salisbury at Hatfield
House. The Rickmansworth court rolls are among
the Bridgewater MSS. at Walkden, Lancashire, and the
Hale Collection was acquired by the British Museum
in 1889. Statutory Authorities, etc.— See 1919 Rep., Appx., (Ill), p. 84.
County Records — At Heitfoi^i and St. Albans (W. J. Hardy
"Extracts") ; 1800 Rep., p. 272; 1902 Rep., p. 18 ; 1914 Rep., p. 151 ;
1919 Rep., pp. 3 sq., 93.
Town Records.
Berkhamstead (U.D.C).— V.C.H., "Herts," II, p. 217; J. W. Cobb,
" Berkhamstead ".
Hemel Hempstead (T.C). — A few in custody of Churchwardens,
V.C.H., " Herts," II, p. 2 1 7 ; Midd. and Herts Notes and Queries,
II, p. 73 ; Midd. and Herts Notes and Queries, II, p. 73 ;
cf. i9i4Rep., II, p. 151.
Hertford (T.C). — Typed Catalogue. 1835 Rep., p. 2883; 1902
Rep., p. 60 ; 1919 Rep., p. 94 ; H.M.C. 14th Rep., Appx. (VIII),
p. 158.
St. Albans (T.C). — 1835 Rep., p. 2918; 1919 Rep., loc. cit;
H.M.C. 5th Rep., Appx. (X), p. 565 ; Brit. Arch. Assoc,
XXVI, p. 143; A. E. Gibbs "Corporation Records "-
Parish Records. — For Parish Registers and other records, see Midd.
and Herts Notes and Queries, Vols. I — IV ; (Nonconformist) Herts
Genealogist etc., I-III; W. Urwick's "History"; St. Albans and Herts
Archit. and Arch. Soc. Trans., N.S., Vol. I, and local histories of
Stortford and Studham.
Church Records.— For Archidiaconal Records (St. Albans and
Chelmsford), see 1800 Rep., p. 316 ; 1902 Rep., p. 126 ; 1914 Rep., Appx.
(II), pp. 202, 294 ; 1919 Rep., p. 94.
Public Institutions. — The Lewis Evan collection is in the County
Museum at St. Albans, also the headquarters of the Archit. and Arch.
Soc. ; the Accounts of the Guild of St. John are in the Vestry of
St. Michael's, Bishop Stortford, and the East Herts Arch. Soc. possess
the records of Eastwick. For the old Grammar Schools, see V.C.H.,
"Herts," II, p. 47; Midd. and Herts Notes and Queries, I and II;
Home Co. Mag. {passim). Hertfordshire Charities are described in the
Charity Comm. Reps.
Private Collections.— See List in H.M.C. 18th Rep., Appx., p. 351,
also 1902 Rep., p. 132.

204 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
HUNTINGDONSHIRE.
This county is included in one shrievalty with
Cambridgeshire. The District Probate Registry is at
Northampton. For drainage of the Fens, see under
Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. For Diocesan.
Records, see under Lincoln and Ely. The Archdeaconry
Registry is at St. Neots. There is an ancient hospital,
also a school and library at Huntingdon.
County Records (Huntingdon). — 1800 Rep., p. 273.
Town Records.
Huntingdon (T.C).— 1835 Rep., p. 2287; E. Griffith, "A Col
lection of Ancient Deeds relating to the Borough of Huntingdon"
(1827).
Godmanchester.— 1835 Rep., p. 2235.
KENT.
This county is rich in records, but as yet there has
been little systematic publication of these, though ex
tracts from various series have appeared from time to
time in Archceologia Cantiana.1 Hasted's " History of
Kent," contains many extracts from original sources.
The administrative 2 records of the Cinque Ports form a
distinctive feature. The official archives of the liberty are
partly at Dover and partly at New Romney,3 but much
information will also be found among the Municipal
Records of the various members.
Public Records — District Probate Registry* (Canterbury), Calendar
of Canterbury Wills, B.R.S., 1916, etc. ; an ancient " Incorporation of the
Poor " is now merged in the Parish of Canterbury.
1The formation of a Records Branch (in 19 14) should remedy this,
and an attempt has been made, in Vol. II of the series of " Kent Records "
(a "Handbook to Kent Records," 191 5) to compile a list of places of
deposit of documents relating to the county.
2 See S. and B. Webb, "English Local Government (Parish and
County)," p. 312, n. ; "Manor and Borough," p. 373 n. ; and 1835 Rep.,
p. 925. 3 See 1914 Rep., pp. 165 and 206 ; H.M.C. 4th Rep., p. 428.
4 For Testamentary Records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury
and of the Peculiar of Shoreham, see 1914 Rep., pp. 199 sq.

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES 205
For Admiralty and War Office Records preserved at Chatham, Hythe,
Shorncliffe, Dover, Deal, and Sheerness, see 1914 Rep., pp. 123, 181, 183,
184, 188, 189, 215, 220, 259. For Custom House Records at Dover,
Faversham, Folkestone, Gravesend, Ramsgate, Rochester, and Whitstable,
see 1914 Rep., p. 242.
Statutory Authorities, etc — Commissions of Sewers.— For a list
of 'Commissions for the county, see 1914 Rep., Appx., pp. 98-100. For
local harbour, drainage, and conservancy authorities, see local Taxation
Returns (1913-14), Pt. VI. For Turnpike Trusts, see S. and B. Webb,
"The King's Highway," and 1919 Rep., Appx. (Ill), p. 84. Rochester-
bridge (Wardens of), see H.M.C. 9th Rep., p. 285 ; Arch. Cant, 27 ;
Kent Records, II, p. 144.
County Records at Maidstone1 from 1595. — 1800 Rep., p. 273 ; 1902
Rep., p. 18 ; 1919 Rep., pp. 4 sq., 98 ; Kent Records, II, p. 130.
Town Records.2
Canterbury (Beaney Institute). — 1835 Rep., II, p. 685 ; 1902 Rep.,
p. 30; 1919 Rep., p. 98; H.M.C. 9th Rep., p. 129; Kent
Records, II, p. 132 ; Gross, op. cit, p. 185 ; A. L. Humphreys,
op. cit.
Deal (T.C).— 1835 Rep., p. 931 ; 1837 Rep., p. 444; 1919 Rep.,
p. 23 ; Kent Records, II, p. 135.
Dover (T.C). — 1835 Rep., II, p. 941 ; 1837 Rep., p. 444; 1902
Rep., p. 54; 1919 Rep., Appx. (II), pp. 114-116; "Dover
Charters," S. P. H. Statham (1902); Arch. Cant, 10, cxxxv ;
Brit. Arch. Assoc. Journ., 1884.
Faversham (T.C). — 1835 Rep., II, p. 961; 1902 Rep., p. 56;
H.M.C. 6th Rep., p. 500; Kent Records, II, p. 136, and Arch.
Cant, {passim).
Folkestone (T.C). — 1835 Rep., p. 981 ; 1837 Rep., p. 447; 1902
Rep., p. 58; 1919 Rep., p. 24; H.M.C. 5th Rep., p. 590;
Official Catalogue.
Fordwich (T.T.).— 1835 Rep., p.i 987 ; 1880 Rep., p. 35; 1919
Rep., p. 24; H.M.C. 5th Rep., p. 606; Arch. Cant, 18;
C. E. Woodruff, " History of Town and Port of Fordwich "
(1895).
Gravesend (T.C).— 1835 Rep., p. 2865 ; 1902 Rep., p. 58.
1 Quarter Sessions are also held at Canterbury (Webb, op. cit, p.
428, ».)
2 The following municipal boroughs are of recent incorporation :
Bromley, 1903; Chatham, 1890; Gillingham, 1903; Margate, 1857;
Ramsgate, 1884; Tonbridge Wells, 1889.

206 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
Hythe (T.C).— 1835 ReP-> n. P- I0°7 5 1837 Rep., p. 458 ; 1919
Rep., p. 24 ; H.M.C. 4th Rep., p. 429 ; Kent Records, II,
p. 138.
Lydd (T.C).— 1835 Rep., II, p. 1013 ; 1880 Rep., p. 72 ; H.M.C.
5th Rep., p. 516; Arch. Cant, 13; A. Hussey and M. M.
Hardy, " Records of Lydd " (1911).
Maidstone (T.C). — 1835 Rep., p. 751 ; 1902 Rep., p. 66; 1919
Rep., p. 98 ; Official Catalogue (MS.) ; Kent Records, II, p.
141.
New Romney (T.C). — 1835 Rep., p. 1021 ; 1880 Rep., p. 80;
1914 Rep., p. 165 ; H.M.C. 4th Rep., p. 439, 5th Rep., p. 533,
6th Rep., p. 540 ; Arch. Cant, 13 and 17.
Queenborough (T.C).— 1835 Rep., p. 823; 1837 Rep., p. 477; ,
1880 Rep., p. 94 ; Arch. Cant, 22.
Rochester (T.C).— 1835 Rep., p. 843 ; H.M.C. 9th Rep., p. 286 ;
1919 Rep., p. 26; Arch. Cant, 6; Kent Records, II, p. 143.
Sandwich (T.C).— 1835 Rep., p. 1043 ; 1837 Rep., p. 479; 1902
Rep., p. 68 ; H.M.C. 5th Rep., p. 568 ; Kent Records, II, p.
139-
Tenterden (T.C). — 1835 Rep., p. 1063; 1837 Rep., p. 499;
H.M.C. 6th Rep., p. 569 ; Arch. Cant, 32, 33.
Parish Records. — In addition to the general authorities, including
those for the Rochester Diocese, see " Records and Registers of the Diocese
of Rochester" (Kent Records), 1912 ; "Records of Rochester"; H.
Fielding (1910); Arch. Cant, {passim); F. A. Crisp, "List of Parish
Registers, etc." (1899).
Church Records.
{a) Bishopric Records.
Canterbury.1 — Kent Records, II, p. 119; 1919 Rep., p. 98;
J. M. Cowper, " Marriage Licences ".
Rochester. — 1800 Rep., p. 319 ; 1919 Rep., p. 29 ; Publications
of the Canterbury and York Society {passim) ; Arch. Cant,
Vol. 23, p. 101.
{b) Chapter Records.
Canterbury. — 1800 Rep., p. 332 ; 1902 Rep., p. 108 ; 1919
Rep., p. 98 ; H.M.C. 5th, 8th, 9th, and 16th Reps., and Var.
Coll., I, p. 205 ; Woodruff and Danks, " Memorials of Christ
Church, Canterbury" (Ch. 17).
Rochester. — 1800 Rep., p. 340; 1902 Rep., p. 114; 1919 Rep.,
p. 30; Kent Records, II, p. 127; T. Shindler, " Registers of
the Cathedral Church of Rochester " (1892).
1 Also at Lambeth, see 1914 Rep., Appx., p. 168.

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES 207
{c) Archdeaconry Records.1
Canterbury.— With, the Dean and Chapter, see 1902 Rep., p.
108 ; 1914 Rep., p. 199 ; 1919 Rep., p. 99 ; H.M.C. 6th
Rep., p. 498.
Rochester.— (Housed in the Bishop's Registry), 1902 Rep., p.
124 ; 1914 Rep., p. 199 ; 1919 Rep., p. 31.
(d) For Nonconformist Records. — See F. A. Crisp, op. cit, pp.
12-16.
Public Institutions, etc — For the Beaney Institute, Canterbury, see
above ; for the Maidstone Museum, see 1902 Rep., p. 134 ; for the MSS.
of the Kent Archaeological Society there, see Arch. Cant, Vol. 25, p. 256 ;
for the records of the Hospital of St. Bartholomew, Hythe, see H.M.C.
6th Rep., p. 511 ; for other Charities, see Charity Commissioners Report,
1853 ; for Leper Hospitals, see Journal of Brit Arch. Assoc, XI, p. 28 ;
for endowed Grammar Schools, see Brit. Arch. Assoc. Journ., XII, p. 149,
and Woodruff and Capes, "Schola. Regia Cantuariensis " (1908).
Private Collections — See H.M.C 18th Rep., Appx., p. 84. The
collections there dealt with are chiefly domestic in nature ; for a list of
those mentioned in Arch. Cant, see Kent Records, II, p. 162 ; for others,
see A. L. Humphreys, op. cit. LANCASHIRE.
Considerable attention has been paid to the records
of this county by local societies and individual scholars,
as well as by the Universities of Manchester and
Liverpool. The Official and Statutory Records are
important The bulk of the records of the County
Palatine were removed to the Public Record Office in
1873 and 19 1 2, but a few early records are still preserved
in the Seal Office at Preston and in the local registries
of the Chancery Court of the Duchy of Lancaster.2 The
County Records, which have suffered many losses, also
include types not usually found. The records of the
Liverpool Court of Passage and of the Preston Town
Guilds are of special interest. A large proportion of the
greater towns represent modern incorporations, but some
1The Archdeaconries of Maidstone and Tonbridge are of modern
foundation. 3 See 1912, 1914, and 1919 Reps, (passim).

208 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
of these are mentioned in the 1902 Report.1 Many series
of Parish Records have been published by the local
societies. Valuable MSS. relating to Lancashire will
be found in the Lansdowne, Dodsworth, and other col
lections. Public Records.2
(a) District Probate Registries. — Lancaster,3 Liverpool, Manchester,
{b) High Court of Admiralty. — Registry at Liverpool.
(c) Registries of the Duchy and Palatinate Courts (Preston, etc.) j
1914 Rep., Appx., Part II, p. 88 and {passim).
{d) Custom Houses. — Liverpool, Preston, Fleetwood, etc., 1914
Rep., p. 244.
Statutory Authorities, etc. — For Commissioners of Sewers, see 1914
Rep., p. 100. For Quay Commissioners (Lancaster); Mersey Dock and
Harbour Board (Liverpool); Port Sanitary Authorities (Lancaster, Liverpool,
Manchester, etc.) ; see Local Taxation Returns, 1913-4, Part VI ; see also
Sea Fisheries (Lanes. Laboratory Reps, passim). For Turnpike Trusts,
see 1919 Rep., Appx. (Ill), p. 84 ; and S. and B. Webb, op. cit.
County Records.4 — (Preston), MS. Index. 1800 Rep., p. 274 ; 1837
Rep., p. 233 ; 1902 Rep., p. 18 ; 1914 Rep., p. 141 ; 1919 Rep., pp. 4 sq.,
108. Town Records.— (T.C. in all other cases.)
Ashton under-Lyne. — 1835 Rep., p. 1431 ; 1919 Rep., p. 22 ;,
S. and B. Webb, op. cit.
Clitheroe (R.D.C).— 1835 Rep., p. 1483 ; 1902 Rep., p. 50; 1919
Rep., p. 23 ; " History " (Farrer) ; " History " (Harland).
Garstang (T.T.).— 1835 Rep., p. 1519; 1837 Rep., p. 453 ; 1902
Rep., p. 277 ; 1919 Rep., p. 24 ; Lanes, and Chesh. Antiq. Soc,
Trans., XXX, p. 164 ; "History" (Fishwick).
1 Barrow, Blackburn, Bolton, Bootle, Oldham, Rochdale, St. Helens,
Warrington. For Bury, see 1919 Rep., p. 22.
2 For records of the County Palatine, see 1800 Rep., p. 256; 1837
Rep., p. 221 ; 1914 Rep., p. 141 ; 1919 Rep., p. 1 -9 ; D.K. 35th Rep., p.
196 ; cf. "Accounts of the County Treasurer and of the County Palatine
of Lancaster " (Folkard).
3 For Lancaster wills in Courts of Probate (Chester, York, and
Richmond), see Lanes, and Chesh. Rec. Soc. {passim); and Chetham
Soc. Publ., N.S. {passim).
4 See Chetham Soc. Publ. (1859), and Lanes. County papers in
Harleian and Lansdowne MSS.

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES 209
Lancaster.— 1835 Rep., p. 1597; 1902 Rep., p. 60; "History"
(Simpson).
Liverpool1— 1835 Rep., p. 2687; 1902 Rep., pp. 36, 248; 1914
Rep., pp. 164, 206 ; Lanes, and Chesh. Hist. Soc. Trans., XIII,
p. 71 ; "Corporation Records and Documents " (Pictoh).
Manchester.— 1 902 Rep., p. 37 ; 1919 Rep., p. 109 ; Chetham Soc.
Publ. (passim) ; Notes and Queries, 1 ith S., V, p. 74 ; Brit.
Arch. Assoc. Journ., N.S., I, p. 49; "Court Leet Records"
(Earwaker) ; " History " (Tait).
Newton. — 1835 Rep., p. 2813 ; 1837 Rep., p. 473.
Preston. — 1835 Rep., p. 1683; 1837 Rep., p. 473; 1902Rep.jp.
38 ; 1919 Rep., p. 108 ; Lanes, and Chesh. Rec. Soc. Publ., Vol.
IX ; Notes and Queries, Vol. V, p. 478 ; " Court Leet Records "
(Hewetson and Clemesha).
Salford. — 1902 Rep., p. 40; 1914 Rep., p. 98; Chetham Soc.
Publ. (passim) ; S. and B. Webb, op. cit.
Wigan. — 1902 Rep., p. 42; 1919 Rep., p. 27; "History"
(Sinclair).
Parish Records — For Lanes. Parish Records, see 1902 Rep., p. 138 ;
ibid., p. 140 ; also publications of Lanes. Parish Register Soc. (passim) ;
Historic Soc. of Lanes, and Chesh. (passim) ; Chetham Soc. (passim) ;
Report on Parochial Records, Registers, etc. (compiled for the Bishop of
Liverpool), (1909); Liverpool "Vestry Minutes" (Peet) ; Manchester
" Constables' Accounts " (Earwaker).
Church Records.
(a) Bishopric and Cathedral Records (Manchester).2 — See 1902
Rep., pp. 104, 112.
(b) Archdeaconry Records (Manchester, Lancaster, Blackburn,
Furness). — 1902 Rep., pp. 120-123. See also 1800 Rep., p. 120,
and ibid., p. 318; 1919 Rep., p. 31.
For records of Nonconformist bodies (Presbyterians at Bury and
Manchester, and Lanes. Soc. of United Ministers, etc.), see
Chetham Soc. Publ., N.S. (passim), and Manchester Lit. Club
Papers (passim). For Manchester Unitarians, see ibid., and
also Lanes, and Chesh. Rec. Soc. (passim). For Quaker records,
see Lanes, and Chesh. Antiq. Soc. Trans., Vol. V.
1 Records relating to the Liverpool Court of Passage are in the custody
of the Registrar of the Court, as are those of the Salford Court of Record
and Borough Court of Pleas.
2 Manchester Diocese dates from 1847. The Cathedral Records date
from the 15th century. Liverpool Diocese dates from 1880. For earlier
Church Records, see Chester. P

21 0 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
Public Institutions, etc. — For Lancashire Libraries and Special
Collections, see Library Association 2nd Annual Meeting (Manchester,
1879) Report; see also Manchester Lit. Club Papers (passim).
Fqr Salford Public Library, see 1902 Rep., p. 40 ; Wigan, ibid., p. 42 ;
Warrington, ibid., p. 72.
For MSS. in the Libraries of the Historic Society of Lanes, and Chesh.
Chetham Soc, and Rylands Library (Manchester), etc., see 1902 Rep., p.
132, and Catalogues.
For Charitable Foundations, see Victoria History, County Histories
(passim) ; Chetham Soc. Publ., 1862 (Lanes. ChantriesV and (passim).
Private Collections.— See H.M.C. 19th Rep., Appx., p. 351 ; Hum
phreys, op. cit; Notes and Queries, nth Ser. (passim); 1902 Rep.,
p. 248 (Liverpool). LEICESTERSHIRE.
The records of Leicestershire are somewhat scanty.
The County Records date from the late 17th cen
tury. The only important Municipal Records are those
of Leicester. Those of Hinckley appear to be missing,
and Loughborough is a new incorporation (1888). The
Ecclesiastical Records are limited to those in the Arch
deaconry of Leicester, which are numerous and interest
ing. The Parish Records form another exception to the
general scantiness of material. There are also a con
siderable number of old grammar schools in Leicester
shire, the early records of which are generally in the
hands of the parochial authorities.
Public Records — District Probate Registry (Leicester). — For the
Archdeaconry of Leicester (Diocese of Peterborough, formerly Lincoln),
see below, Church Records.
Statutory Authorities, etc. — See 1919 Rep., Appx. (Ill), p. 84.
County Records (Leicester)  See 1800 Rep., p. 275 ; 1837 Rep.,
p. 236 ; 1902 Rep., p. 20 ; 1919 Rep., pp. 4 sq.
Town Records.— Leicester (T.C). — 1902 Rep., p.j 36 ; 1919 Rep.,
p. 25; M. Bateson, "Records of the Borough of Leicester" (1899);
Printed Index (J. C. Jeaffreson).
Parish Records. — Documents relating to the Grammar Schools are
sometimes preserved amongst the Parish Records. For extracts, see Trans.
of the Leicester Archit and Arch. Soc. and Leicester and Rutland

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES 211
Notes and Queries (passim). At Market Harborough and Melton Mow
bray, Grants and Charters to the town appear among the Parish Documents,
as well as the Accounts of the Town Wardens.1 For the Parish Records
of Loughborough, see 1902 Rep., Appx., p. 62. See also printed Return
{Leicestershire County Council, 1896) of Documents in all Parishes (305)
not included in Urban District Councils.
Church Records. — Archidiaconal Records (Leicester 2), dating from
the 15th century. MS. Indexes. See 1919 Rep., Appx. (Ill), pp. 27,
90; Rep. (No. 403) of Records Committee of Convocation (1906); also
1837 Rep., pp. 271-276; Index Library, 1902 (Calendar of Wills ; Index
Library, 1910 (" Index of Marriage Bonds," etc.) ; Northern Genealogist,
I, p. 30.
Public Institutions (Leicester). — Free Library " ; Town Library ;
Permanent Library4; Wyggeston's Hospital.5
Private Collections. — See H.M.C. 18th Rep., loc. cit.
For the Beaumanor (Herrick MSS.), see Leicester Archit. and Arch.
Soc. Trans., Vol. 5, pp. 17-19. LINCOLNSHIRE.
The most? valuable of the Lincolnshire Records are
the ecclesiastical, many of which have been well edited by
Canon Foster and others. The Borough Records of Lin
coln are also valuable, and have been well catalogued.
Those of Boston and other ancient towns have been
occasionally described in various local publications — e.g.
in the Lincolnshire Notes and Queries and Fenland Notes
and Queries. Several important private collections have
been described by the Historical Manuscripts Commission.
Documents concerning the Fens are in the custody of
the Sewers Commissioners, and reference should be
made to the repositories in other Fen counties, such as
1 See Leicester Archit. and Arch. Soc Trans., Vols. 3, 4, and
Assoc. Archit. and Arch. Soc. Rep. and Papers, Vol. 16, p. 284.
2 Some Leicestershire records are also preserved in the Bishop's
Registry at Lincoln.
3 W. G. D. Fletcher, "Notes on Leicester MSS." (1882).
4 F. S. Heme, " History of the Town Library and the Permanent
Library" (1891).
5 Leicester Archit and Arch. Soc. Trans., Vol. 10, p. 29.

212 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
Northampton, Huntingdon, and Cambridge. The County
Records, like those of Yorkshire, are preserved in regional
repositories. Public Records.
{a) District Probate Registry (Lincoln). — See C. W. Foster, "Early
Wills," 1910; A. R. Maddison, " Later Wills," 1888 and 1891 ;
H.M.C. 12th Rep., Appx. (IX), p. 573.
(b) Customs (Boston and Grimsby). — 1914 Rep., p. 248.
Statutory Authorities.
(a) Commissioners of Sewers. — Holland (Spalding) ; Lindsey
(Louth) ; Manley, etc. (Brigg) ; Yarborough, etc. (Grimsby) ;
Kirton and Skirbeck (Boston) ; Lincoln (Grantham) ; see 1914
Rep., p. 100.
(b) Drainage and River Conservancy. — See Local Taxation Re
turns, 1913-14, P- 44-
County Records. — Holland (Spalding and Boston) ; Kesteven (Slea-
ford), and Lindsey (Lincoln and Spilsby) ; see 1800 Rep., p. 275 ; 1837
Rep., p. 462 ; 1902 Rep., pp. 20-21 ; 1919 Rep., Appx. (II), p. 107, and
Appx. (Ill), pp. 88-89.
Town Records.
Boston (T.C). — MS. Index; 1902 Rep., pp. 20-21 and 49; 1919
Rep., p. 22.
Grantham (T.C). — 1837 Rep., p. 454.
Great Grimsby (T.C).— H.M.C. 14th Rep., Appx. (VIII); 1902
Rep., p. 34.
Lincoln (T.C). — Printed Calendar (W. de G. Birch), 1 906-11;
H.M.C. 14th Re'p., Appx. (VIII) ; 1902 Rep., p. 36 ; 1919 Rep.,
p. 107.
Louth (T.C).— 1837 Rep., p. 469; 1902 Rep., p. 76; R. W.
Goulding, " Old Corporation Records "
Stamford (T.C.).— 1902 Rep., p. 70 ; see also Official Guide.
Parishes. — The Parish Records of Lincolnshire are interesting if not
exceptional. Extracts from them and descriptions of them are published
in local histories, such as Massingberd's " Ormsby," and in local antiquarian
publications, such as the Lincolnshire Notes and Queries. Transcripts
from the Parish Registers are to be found in the Bishop's Registry at
Lincoln (Assoc. Architectural Society, Vol. XVI, Part II).
Church Records.
Cathedral Records. — H.M.C. 12th Rep., Appx. (IX), p. 553; 1902
Rep., p. 112 ; 1919 Rep., p. 107.

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES 21 3
Bishopric Records.— See C. W. Foster, "Calendar of Lincoln
Wills"; Index Library, 1902; A. Gibbons, "Abstract of Early
Lincoln Wills," 1888 ; MS. Indexes; Index to Leicester Tran
scripts in Registry of Bishop of Lincoln prior to 1 700 by C W.
Foster, 1909; see also 1800 Rep., p. 324; H.M.C. 12th Rep.,
Appx. (IX), p. 573 ; 1919 Rep., p. 107.
Public Institutions — Library of the Spalding Gentlemen's Club
(Johnson's Hospital, Spalding) 1 ; Grammar Schools at Louth and Grant
ham possess documents relating to the town as well as to the school,2
and, like other counties, Lincolnshire possesses numerous local schools,
hospitals, and charitable institutions.
Private Collections.
See H.M.C. 1 8th Rep., Appx., p. 350 ; also : —
Gunby (Massingberd Mundy MSS.). — See W. O. Massingberd,
" History of Ormsby ".
Harlaxton (Mrs. Sherwin Gregory). — Lincolnshire Notes and
Queries, 19 10, p. 3.
Louth (Chronicle).— Lines. Record Soc, 1891.
Ormsby Hall (Massingberd Mundy MSS.).— W. O. Massingberd,
" History of Ormsby".
Threekingham (Cragg MSS.). — Lincolnshire Notes and Queries,
1913. P- 255-

LONDON.3
Public Records.
Although the County of London includes several
Outlying Courts, Registries, and Departments,4 these are
not regarded officially as local repositories, and they are
included above under the head of Central Archives
(Public Records).
1 Printed Catalogue, see 1902 Rep., p. 20.
2 See 1902 Rep., p. 76, and R. W. Goulding, " Louth Records ".
3 See also below, under Middlesex.
4 Central Criminal Courts (Old Bailey), Principal Probate Registry,
Land Registry Office (Middlesex), Royal Ordnance Factories (Woolwich),
Deptford Dockyard, etc. See 1914 Rep., Appx. (II), pp. 87-89.

214 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
Statutory Authorities, etc.
Metropolitan Water Board1 (Savoy Court, W.C)1. — MS. Catalogue,
see 1914 Rep., Appx., (II), p. 196 ; Appx. (Ill), pp. 89-90.
Metropolitan Asylums Board (Victoria Embankment, E.C).— See
1914 Rep., p. 37.
Port of London Authority* (Leadenhall Street, E.C).— See 1914
Rep., pp. 38-39, 79.
Thames Conservancy3 (Norfolk Street, W.C). — See 1914 Rep.,
p. 39 ; Appx. (Ill), pp. 85-87, and Reports of Select Committees
(1884 and 1894).
The following authorities may have records of some
interest in their custody i : Commissioners of Taxes for
the Metropolis, Metropolitan Paving Commissioners,6
River Lea Conservancy Board,6 and the Trustees of
London Parochial Charities.7 The administrative re
cords of the Central Committees and other Statutory
Authorities located in the Metropolis will eventually prove
to be of considerable historical value. There are also
several collections relating to other localities.8
County Records.
(a) County Council (Spring Gardens,9 S.W.). — Besides a1 very ex
tensive series of administrative records (from 1889), the archives
include records of lapsed Statutory Authorities (Tooting Bee
Manor Rolls (1394-1887); Commissioners of Sewers (1557-1847);
Metropolitan Board of Works ; London School Board, etc.) ; also
various deeds, maps, and plans relating to London. See 1902
Rep., pp. 20, 148, 273 ; 1 91 4 Rep., p. 100 ; 19 19 Rep., Appx.
(II and III). The Tooting Bee Court Rolls and Records of
Commissions of Sewers have been partly published.
1 Including the surviving records of the ancient Water Companies
dating from 1 61 4.
2 Including early records transferred from the Thames Conservancy.
3 Including early records transferred from former Authorities.
4 See 1902 Rep., p. 14. s See above, p. 103.
"Under 63 and 64 Vict., c 117. Office, Surrey House, Victoria
Embankment, W.C.
' 3 Temple Gardens, E.C.
ie.g. the Mersey River Commissioners at 56 Victoria Street, S.W.
(cf. 1902 Rep., p. 14).
ng removal to the new London County Hall, S.E.

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES 215
(b) County Sessions (Sessions House, Clerkenwell, E.C).— Records
(from 1889) of the London Quarter Sessions ; Records (1657-
1888) of the Surrey Quarter Sessions ; see 1800 Rep., p. 277 ;
1919 Rep., Appx. (II and III); and "Middlesex Sessions
Records " (Middlesex County Record Society), Vols. I-V.
Town Records.
The records of the twenty-nine Metropolitan Boroughs
created by the Act of 1899 are of varying value and their
general character resembles that of the Vestry Records
in the custody of the Corporations of London and West
minster, described below. No information was received
on this subject by the 1902 Committee, and an inspection
by the Royal Commission on Public Records could not
be carried out.
City of London (Guildhall). — See Report on City of London (1894);
1914 Rep., Part I, p. 47, Appx. ; (II), pp. 97-98, 154, 163-164 ;
(III), pp. 56-59. Some important records have been published
by the Corporation whose collection, which includes many Judicial
Records, is one of the oldest and most extensive in Europe.
City of Westminster1 (City Hall).— See Catalogues of the records
of the Vestries of St. Margaret and St. John, St. Martin's in the
Fields; 1919 Rep., Appx. (Ill), p. 52; S. and B. Webb,
" English Local Government," Parish and County, ch. vi ; Manor
and Borough, ch. iv.
Parish Records.
These form three well-defined classes : (1) records
formerly in the official custody of the London Vestries,
since the Act of 1899 in that of the Metropolitan boroughs ;
(2) records remaining in the custody of the parish ;
(3) records deposited in public or local institutions or
acquired by private individuals. These classes com
prise : (a) records of parishes within the City of London,
now deposited in the Guildhall Library ; (b) records of
parishes, within the City of Westminster, now deposited
in the City Hall; (c) records of other Metropolitan
1 This collection owes its importance to the inclusion of the Vestry
Records of several London parishes. 1

2l6 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
parishes now in the custody of the Town Clerks of the
several Metropolitan boroughs. The above collections
include Parish Registers, Churchwardens' and Overseers'
Accounts of early date and exceptional interest, together
with memoranda and miscellaneous documents of the
usual type. Some non-parochial and extra-parochial
registers are in official custody. No adequate lists
or calendars of these records have been published. A
few lists have been printed for individual parishes, and
general descriptions will be found in the following works :
S. and B. Webb " English Local Government (Parish
and County)," Home Co. Mag., VI, pp. 322-323 and
(passim) ; J. C. White, " History of London Churches and
Chapels ".
Church Records.
London is an important centre for Church Records.
The official records of the Archiepiscopal Courts of
Canterbury are preserved at Lambeth. The Episcopal
and Chapter Records of St. Paul's are of exceptional
interest; so too are those of Westminster. The
ancient Archdeaconries include that of Surrey (Diocese
of Winchester). The Consistorial Records were removed
to Somerset House under the Probate and Divorce
Court Acts of 1857. No outstanding records of the
old Peculiars of Canterbury and St. Paul's, or of any
ecclesiastical precincts or liberties have been traced.1
The records of existing religious Societies and Trusts
will be described below. Those in the possession of the
Chapter of Minor Canons of St. Paul's are preserved at
St. Paul's. The records of the Nonconformist bodies"
include the administrative archives (Minutes, etc.), of
several denominations, but these are not always accessible
•As to the records of St Katherine's, see Home Co. Mag., IV, et seq.
For the Chapels Royal, see 1914 Rep., p. 14; and Appx. (II), pp. 69,
70, 171, 299.

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES 217
to students.1 The Central Archives of Nonconformist
bodies include those of the Society of Jesus (English
Province), English Presbyterians, Congregationalists,
General Baptist Assembly, Methodists, Society of
Friends, Unitarians, Plymouth Brethren, Countess of
Huntingdon's Connection, Positivists, Swedenborgians,
Catholic Apostolic Church, and Salvation Army.
There are also many foreign congregations of early
origin, including the Jews, and the Dutch and French
Churches.2 The official addresses of the above bodies
will be found in general works of reference.3 There are
few adequate lists of these records ; some have been
briefly described, and specimens have been printed in
Various works, and the printed literature of the subject
is extensive. Archiepiscopal Records 4 (Lambeth Palace). — See 1914 Rep., Appx.
(II), p. 167 ; 1919 Rep., Appx. (Ill), p. 82 ; Andrews and
Davenport, Guide, pp. 286-301 ; N. J. Hone, "The Manor"
(Appx.), 1906.
London Diocesan Records.
(a) Bishopric Records5 (Dean's Court). — See 1800 Rep., p. 308 ;
1837 Rep., p. 265 ; 1914 Rep., p. 168 ; 1919 Rep., p. 93 ;
H.M.C. Var. Coll., Vol. VII., pp. 1-9 ; Andrews and Daven
port, Guide, pp. 302-329.
(b) Cathedral Records (St. Paul's Cathedral). — MS. Index ;
H.M.C. 9th Rep., Appx. (I), pp. 1-72 ; 1800 Rep., p. 337 ;
1902 Rep., pp. 108-109 ; 1919 Rep., p. 93.
1 Notable exceptions are found in the case of the Catholic and Con
gregational Archives and those of the Society of Friends.
2 Besides the records still preserved at the French Church in Soho
Square, early records of the Church of La Patente, Spitalfields, have been
transferred to the General Registry Office, Somerset House. Those of the
Dutch Church in Austin Friars have been deposited in the Guildhall Library.
3 See also above, p. 140.
4 Namely, the pastoral and temporal records of the Metropolitan See ;
those of the Ecclesiastical Courts have been referred to among judicial
records. Other records are preserved at Canterbury ; manorial records
are in the custody of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.
5 Some Consistorial Records were removed to Somerset House in 1858.

21 8 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHD7ES
(c) Archdeaconry Records: (Archdeaconries of London, Mid»
dlesex and Surrey, 23 Knightrider Street, E.C).1 — See 1902
Rep., p. 118 ; 1914 Rep., Appx. (II), pp. 93-95, 200, 201, 203 ;
1919 Rep., p. 93.
College of Minor Canons of St. PauVs (Minor Canons' Vestry). — ,
1800 Rep., pp. 337-338.
Westminster Abbey (Dean and Chapter).2 — List in preparation.
See H.M.C. ist Rep., Appx., pp. 94-97 ; 4th Rep., Appx., pp.
171-199 ; 1800 Rep., p. 338 ; 1837 Rep., p. 288 ; 1902 Rep., p.
116; 1914 Rep., Appx. (Ill), p. 45; 1919 Rep., Appx. (II),
pp. 92, 97, and 116.
Westminster Diocesan Catholic Archives (Archbishop's House). —
Including Cardinal Manning's papers, records of the Catholic
Chapter of London, the Douai Diaries, and miscellaneous MSS.
See H.M.C. 5th Rep., Appx., p. 463 ; Andrews and Davenport,
op. cit, p. 339 ; 1919 Rep., p. 98.
French Protestant Church Records (Church Library, Soho Square,
W.). — Act Books from 1560. There is a Catalogue of the
Library ; cj. Report of the Committee of Enquiry on the French
Protestant Church in London, Appx. (D), (Cd. 7138).
Records of Dutch Church of Austin Friars (Guildhall Library). —
See W. J. C. Moens, " Preface to Volume of Transcripts ".
Public Institutions.
Certain Metropolitan institutions of national import
ance, or the headquarters of various activities, have been
described above under Central Archives. The institu
tions mentioned below are properly of local interest,
though including a few of national repute ; their nature
and value have been discussed in Section VII of this
work. Besides the collections mentioned below, a few original
documents are exhibited in the London Museum (St.
James's) and in the Soane Museum (Lincoln's Inn Fields).
A few Court Rolls and transcripts of Ecclesiastical and
1 Earlier records in St. Paul's Cathedral and P.P.R., Somerset House.
¦ 2 Some early documents are exhibited in the Chapter House. For
Consistory Court Records, see 1914 Rep., Appx. (II), p. 202. A list is in
preparation by Dr. E. J. Scott.

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES 219
Public Records relating to Hackney are in the Tyssen
Library (Town Hall, Hackney).
(a) Libraries Museums and Institutes.
Guildhall Library (Guildhall, E.C).— MS. List. See I 837Rep.,
p. 425 ; Andrews and Davenport, op. cit., p. 283.
Lambeth Library (Lambeth Palace, S.E.).— 1800 Rep., p. 387 ;
1837 Rep., p. 393 ; H.M.C. 6th Rep., Appx., pp. 522-524 ;
Andrews and Davenport, op. cit. ; Home Co. Mag, VII,
pp. 298-299.
Sion College (Victoria Embankment, E.C). — See 1837 Rep.,
p. 425 ; Andrews and Davenport, op. cit, p. 336.
Dr. Williams' Library (Gordon Square, W.C).— See H.M.C.
3rd Rep., VII, and Appx., p. 365, etc. ; Andrews and Daven
port, op. cit, p. 343 ; Catalogue (W. H. Black) ; cf. J. C.
White "Churches and Chapels of London," II, p. 43.
(b) Learned Societies and Professional, Religious, or Charitable
Associations. — Amongst those of local interest the following
possess archives of some historical interest : The Hon. Artillery
Company, London Topographical Society, Medical Society of
London, Society of Notaries Public, the Scriveners' Company and
cognate bodies, together with St. Bartholomew's Hospital,
Morden College, the Charterhouse, and Alleyn's College.
(c) Academic Corporations and other Teaching Bodies. — Apart
from transcripts and memoranda the London University and
College Libraries do not possess archives of historical importance.
The schools, however, include Westminster and St. Paul's.
(d) Trading Companies and Associations. — As no serious attempt
has yet been made to utilize this source of information, only a
few of the most famihar types have been mentioned here without
further identification : London Chamber of Commerce, London
Stock Exchange,1 City Companies,2 Banks,3 Insurance Com
panies,3 Railway Companies,3 Canal Companies, Tramway Com
panies,4 Gas and Light Companies,4 Industrial and Provident
1 The earlier records are believed to have been destroyed.
3 For the extensive bibliography of the publications dealing with these
valuable historical records, see Gross, op, cit, and the British Museum
Catalogue. Their relations with the respective trades are now remote.
3 Some of these collections are of considerable extent and interest.
Their titles can be obtained from ordinary works of reference.
4 These, like the railway and navigation companies, are concerned
with pubhc utility, see above, p. 1 50.

220 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
Societies,1 Shipping Companies,1 General Trading Companies,2
Newspapers.1
Private Collections.
Amongst the score of reports relating to London
Archives issued by the Historical Manuscripts Commis
sion, only a small proportion can be regarded as per
manent historical sources by reason of their precarious
existence as marketable commodities. A few notable
collections, however, have hitherto been largely used by
students, and most of these are of national rather than
local interest. Some collections have not been adequately
described, and the existence of others is practically un
known. Another type of collection includes historical docu
ments that are offered for sale by dealers and, in London,
collections of this kind are both numerous and important.
It has been suggested that the collective value of docu
ments in the possession of solicitors, bankers, and other
London agents is still very considerable.
MIDDLESEX.
The close historical and topographical relations be
tween this county and the new administrative area of
the London County might seem to make a separate de
scription of the records unnecessary. On the other
hand, the existence of County, Town, and Church
Records under separate authorities makes such an ar
rangement desirable. At the same time it will be found
that the most important types of Statutory Authorities
and Public Institutions are within the Metropolitan area.
Public Records — There is an important Regimental Record Office at
Hounslow,3 and an early Small Arms Factory at Enfield Lock.
1 See above, p. 219, n. 3. An official record is to some extent pre
served by the Board of Trade.
3 Many of these represent older firms. The interest of their records
has been mentioned elsewhere (pp. 149-150).
3 Many records are said to have perished in a fire here in 191 5. For
this and Enfield, see 191 4 Rep., Appx., Part II, pp. 215 and 222.

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES 221
Statutory Authorities, etc — For the records of the Great Northern
Road Turnpike Trust in this county, see Middlesex and Herts Notes and
Queries, IV, p. 91, and 1919 Rep., Appx. (Ill), p. 85.
County Records (Guildhall, Westminster).— The Quarter Sessions
Records, dating from 1549, form the earliest, most extensive and most
important series now in existence. A typed Calendar of the Sessions
Books, 1638-1738, is deposited in the Public Record Office. See " Middle
sex Sessions Records," Vols. I-V. 1800 Rep., p. 277 ; 1902 Rep., p. 22 ;
1919 Rep., Appx. (II), pp. 4 sq. ; (III), pp. 1 sq., 62 sq. ; S. and B. Webb„
op. cit. Town Records. — There are no corporate boroughs outside the
Metropolitan boroughs.
Parish Records,— These are probably important in view of the size
of many townships in the county. Some are described in Burke, op. cit ;
Cox, op. cit, and Middlesex and Herts Notes and. Queries (Home
Co. Mag.) (passim). See also Lyson's " Environs of London," and
Montagu Sharpe's "Antiquities of Middlesex".
Church Records. — See Middlesex and Herts Notes and Queries, II,
20, and 1914 Rep., Appx. (II), pp, 199-205 ; 1919 Rep., Appx. (II), p. 93 ;,
Appx. (Ill), p. 8. The records of the Archdeaconry of Middlesex, pre
served in a London Registry, date from 1686.
Public Institutions and Trusts. — For records of Middlesex Charities,
see Middlesex and Herts Notes and Queries, and Home Co. Mag. (passim) ;
e.g. Finchley and Hanwell. For the Bruce Castle Museum, see Home Co.
Mag., XI, 142.
There are several ancient Grammar Schools (see V.C.H., " Middlesex "),
besides Harrow School.
Private Collections. — See H.M.C. 18th Rep., Appx., p. 351. Other
collections of historical interest are mentioned in works of local reference.
NORFOLK.
In this county there are few large towns, and there
fore few important repositories of local records, but there
are numerous Commissions of Sewers. The County
Records are among the most ancient in England, while
Norwich and Lynn possess exceptionally valuable re
cords ; but some town archives have been depleted
through the activities of earlier collectors.1 The Dio-
1 See W. Rye, "Norfolk Topography," and H. Le Strange "Norfolk
Official Lists " (Introduction).

222 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
cesan and Cathedral Records date from the end of the
1 2th century, but their contents are little known, and
there has been no organized survey of Parish Records in
this county.1 The collections preserved in public insti
tutions are negligible, but those in the possession of
private owners are of exceptional interest, though some
of those described in the Reports of the Historical Manu
scripts Commission may since have changed hands.'2
Public Records.3 — For the District Probate Registry (Norwich), see
1914 Rep., p. 140; for the Custom Houses at Yarmouth and Lynn (in
cluding Wells, Cley, and Blakeney), see 1914 Rep., p. 246.
Statutory Authorities and Trusts.4 — For the Commissioners of
Sewers s at Norwich (Eastern Hundreds), Loddon (Chet Valley), Lynn
(Norfolk County), Yarmouth (Martham and Repps), Muckfleet (Winterton
and Somerton), Wisbech (Ely and Norfolk), see 1914 Rep., pp. 98-100 and
166, and authorities there cited.
County Records (Norwich), dating from 16th century. — Catalogue
(1904), see 1800 Rep., p. 280 ; 1902 Rep., p. 26 ; 1919 Rep., pp. 4 sq.
Town Records.6
Norwich (Castle Museum). — See " Catalogue " and " Norwich
Records" (Hudson and Tingey) ; H.M.C. ist Rep., Appx.,
p. 102; 1902 Rep., p. 36; 1835 Rep., Vol. IV, pp. 2459-2466;
Notes and Queries, Ser. II, Vol. V, p. 298.
Lynn (T.C).— H. Harrod, "Report" (1874); H.M.C nth Rep.,
Appx. (Ill), p. 145, and 12th Rep., Appx., p. 247 ; 1835 Rep.,
pp. 2389 sq. ; H. Le Strange, "Norfolk Official Lists," p. xiii
(Intro.) ; Notes and Queries, Ser. II, Vol. V, p. 73.
1 The Rev. W. Hudson and Mr. H. W. Saunders are engaged in im
portant researches in the Chapter Records.
2 e.g. the Townshend MSS.
3 For various official registries in Norfolk, see 1914 Rep., Appx. (II),
p. 140. 4 Besides Commissions of Sewers and Drainage Boards, etc, there are
Harbour Authorities, etc (see Local Taxation Returns, 191 3- 14, p. 86).
s There are also more than thirty Drainage, Embankment, or Conserv
ancy Authorities for this county under the Land Drainage Act of 1861, or
earlier legislation. See Local Taxation Returns, 19 13-14 (Part 6), and
Annual Report of Board of Agriculture, etc. (Tithes).
"For Holt, see 1880 Rep., p. 47.

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES 223
Yarmouth (T.C).— H.M.C. 9th Rep., Appx. (I), pp. 299-324;
1902 Rep., p. 34; Le Strange, op. cit, p. xii ; "Repertory"
(1855); Norfolk Archceology, IV, pp. 239-266.
Thetford (T.C).— Var. Coll., Vol. VII, pp. 119^.; Le Strange,
op. cit, p. xv ; 1835 Rep-, pp. 2541 sq.
Castle Rising.— See Le Strange, op. cit, p. xviii ; 1835 ReP-> P-
2211 ; 1880 Rep., p. 23.
Parish Records. — See Norfolk Archceology (passim). There are
some of special note, such as the "Black Book" of Swaffham (1454).
Others (like the Snettisham Churchwardens' books) are now in private
hands. Diocesan Records.1
(a) Bishopric Records (Diocesan Registry). — See H.M.C. ist Rep.,
Appx., pp. 86-87 ; 1800 Rep., p. 321; 1919 Rep., p. 29.
(b) Cathedral Records. — See H.M.C. ist Rep., Appx., p. 87 ; 1800
Rep., p. 339 ; 1919 Rep., p. 30.
(c) Archidiaconal Records* (Norwich). — See 1902 Rep., p. 124 ;
1919 Rep., p. 31.
Public Institutions.3
Lynn. — Greenland Fishery Museum (Guide, 1912), Stanley Library
(St. Margaret's Church Library).
Norwich.— Great Hospital (St. Helen's) ; Norwich Free Library
(Catalogue 1908) ; Norfolk and Norwich Library (Guildhall Hill) ;
Norfolk and Norwich Archaeological Society (ibid).
Private Collections. — See H.M.C. 18th Rep., Appx., p. 352 ; and the
descriptive catalogue of the Literary MSS. at Holkham by H. Omont.
For other local collections reference may be made to Norfolk Antiq. Misc.,
Vol. II, pp. 553-629 ; Vol. Ill, pp. 1-114 (Walsingham MSS) ; and 1902
Rep., p. 36 (Colman MSS). There were formerly some important " made "
collections which have been mostly dispersed, but are still represented by
that of the famous Norfolk antiquary, Mr. Walter Rye.
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE.
The shire comprises the Liberty of Peterborough,
which ranks as a County Division, with a separate Clerk
of the Peace and Custos Rotulorum.
' 1 There is a Suffragan Diocese of Thetford, revived in 1 894.
2 There is an ancient Archdeaconry of Norfolk, also a modern Arch
deaconry of Lynn. An Archdeaconry Court was held at Swaffham, and
records may be still preserved there.
3 For the schools and charities in this county, see V.C.H., "Norfolk,"
Vols. II and III, and Blomefield's "History of Norfolk" (passim).

224 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
For Commissions of Sewers, reference should be
made to the adjoining counties.1 The Town Records of
Northampton are of considerable interest. Unfortunately
most of the Court Records have perished through ne
glectful custody. Reference should be made generally
to John Taylor's valuable bibliography, Bibliotheca
Northantonensis, 1868, ("posted" copy), in Northampton
Free Library.
Public Records.
District Probate Registries.
(a) Peterborough (North Northamptonshire), with Rutland,
Cambridge, and Hunts.
(b) Northampton (South Northamptonshire), with Bedfordshire.
See Index Library, " Northants, and Rutland Wills,"
1510-1652.
Statutory Authorities and Trusts  For the records of the Peter
borough Improvement Commissioners, see below (IV). For the drainage
of the Fens, 1578 and 1621, see H.M.C 10th Rep., Appx. (IV), p. 8 ; ibid.,
p. 20. For the history of Bedford Level, see 1837 Rep., p. 118. For the
general history of the drainage of the Fens, see Fenland Notes and Queries ;
S. H. Miller and S. B. J. Skertchley, "The Fenland, Past and Present,"
(1878) ; A. Gibbons, " Ely Episcopal Records," (1891), pp. 18, 19, 20, and
21 ; 1914 Rep., II, 100. For the ancient Peterborough Workhouse
and House of Correction, see below (IV). For Turnpike Trusts, see 1919
Rep., Appx. (Ill), p. 85.
County Records.
(a) Northampton. — 1800 Rep., pp. 281, 282 ; 1837 Rep., pp. 47,
312, 411 ; 1902 Rep., pp. 22, 23 ; MS. List.
(b) Peterborough (Liberty). — Sessions Records from an early date,
and administrative records of the County Council in the
custody of the Clerk of the Peace. The charters relating to
the Liberty from 1577 are said to be at Burghley' House, in
the custody of the Marquis of Exeter as Custos Rotulorum.
Town Records.
Northampton (T.C).— 1835 Rep., p. 1963; 1902 Rep., p. 36;
1919 Rep., p. 26 ; C. A. Markham and J. C. Cox, "Records of
the Borough of Northampton " ; Northamptonshire Notes and
Queries, Vols. I, IV, V, etc.
1 See Norfolk, Isle of Ely, Bedfordshire, and Lincolnshire.

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHD7ES 225
Peterborough (T.C).— Records of the Corporation (from 1874) and
of the Improvement Commissioners (1 790-1 874). The records
of the earlier "Feoffees"1 (15 72-1 790) and the early Guild
Records (Richard II— Henry VII) still exist ; for Judicial
Records, see 1919 Rep., p. 26.
Brackley.— 1835 Rep., p. 21 ; 1880 Rep., p. 18 ; 1919 Rep., p. 22 ;
A. Green, " History of Brackley " (1869) ; B. E. Pearson, " Local
Gleanings" (1881).
Daventry.—i835 Rep., p. 1841 ; 1902 Rep., p. 54.
Higham Ferrers. — 1835 Rep., p. 2281 ; 1880 Rep., p. 44;
1902 Rep., p. 60; H.M.C. 12th Rep., p. 47, and Appx. (IX), pp.
S3°-537; R- M. Serjeantson, "The Court Rolls of Higham
Ferrers".
Parish Records.— J. H. Glover, " Kingsthorpiana " ; R. M. Serjeant-
son, "Histories of the Churches of the Holy Sepulchre," etc., North
ampton ; Phillimore and others, " Northamptonshire Parish Registers " ;
S. Madge, "Parish Registers of Moulton, with a Calendar of Moulton
Parish Documents" (1903); Northants Notes and Queries and Fenland
Notes and Queries (passim); J. C Cox, op. cit.
Church Records.
(a) Bishopric Records (Peterborough). — 1800 Rep., p. 322 ; 1902
Rep., p. 282 ; 1919 Rep., p. 29 ; Convocation of Canter
bury Rep., No. 441 (a List of the Records in the Diocesan
Registry).
(b) Chapter Records. — 1800 Rep., p. 340; 1919 Rep., p. 30;
H.M.C. 12th Rep., p. 45, and Appx. (IX), pp. 580-585.
(c) Archdeaconry Records. — The records of Northampton and Oak
ham z Archdeaconries are at the Registrar's Office, Precincts,
Peterborough. See Convocation Rep., No. 441 ; 191 9
Rep., p. 30.
The County was an early stronghold of Nonconformity. See V.C.H.,
"Northamptonshire," Vol. II, pp. 43-75, and Kelly's "Directory for Non
conformist Churches ".
1 These include documents relating to Almshouses, the early Peter
borough Workhouse and House of Correction, and Deacon's School.
2 The Archdeaconry of Oakham includes, besides the county of Rut
land, deaneries of Peterborough, Oundle, Weldon, and Higham Ferrers,
in Northamptonshire.

226 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
Public Institutions.
Northampton. — Museum and Free Library.1
Peterborough. — Museum z and Free Library.3
For Schools, see V.C.H., "Northamptonshire" II, pp. 201-288. The
records of several ancient charities are deposited with the Borough Re
cords at Northampton. See C. A. Markham and J. C. Cox, op. cit, and
"Northampton Church Charities" (1849); others are presumably in the
custody of the Trustees of Peterborough United Charities since 1907.
For records of Peterborough Almshouses, Deacon's School, see above.
Private Collections — See H.M.C. 18th Rep., Appx., p. 352. Some
of these collections have since been moved. Other interesting collections,
such as those at Easton Neston and Rockingham, still await description.
See also "Tracts Relating to Northants " (Papers of theTresham Family).
NORTHUMBERLAND.
The Northumberland Probate and Diocesan Registries
contain no Testamentary Records of early date. These
are preserved at Durham, the cathedral city of the ancient
and undivided diocese. The diocese of Newcastle dates
from 1882. The modern Statutory Authorities are repre
sented by the River Tyne Improvement Commissioners,
North Sea Fisheries Committee, etc. The Newcastle
and Gateshead Chamber of Commerce dates from 18 16.
The borough collections furnish types of the ancient
Manorial, and of the most modern Municipal Records.
Those of Alnwick, Hexham, Morpeth, and Newminster,
are now dispersed. The Parish Records are surveyed
by the Durham and Northumberland Parish Register
Society. Valuable MSS. relating to the two counties are
preserved in local institutions. The private collections
are enriched by records of the ancient seigniorial juris
dictions, once in the town chests of the manorial
boroughs.
1 A collection of about 300 MSS. from temp. Edward II.
2 The Museum contains a small collection of miscellaneous MSS.
3 Including the Library and Minute Books of the former " Peter
borough Gentlemen's Society " (1730), (Fenland Notes and Queries, IV,
p. 384).

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES 2^7
Documents relating to the counties of Northumberland
and Durham are printed by the Newcastle Society of
Antiquaries, Archceologia Atliana (1822, etc.),1 and by the
Surtees Society (i 834, etc.). The history of Northumber
land, in course of publication by the Northern Counties
History Committee (Vols. I-X, 1893, etc.), supersedes the
earlier histories.
Public Records.— District Probate Registry (Newcastle-upon-Tyne),
for Northumberland County, including counties of the towns of Newcastle-
upon-Tyne (1882) and Berwick-on-Tweed. For Customs Records at
Berwick, N. Shields, and Newcastle, see 1914 Rep., Appx., p. 245.
Statutory Authorities, etc. — For authorities representing Harbour
and Dock Boards, etc., see Local Taxation Returns, 1913-14, Part VI ; for
Turnpike Trusts, see 1919 Rep., Appx. (Ill), p. 85.
County Records (Newcastle-on-Tyne). — MS. Index (incomplete),
see 1800 Rep., p. 282 ; 1837 Rep., p. 239 ; 1902 Rep., pp. 22 and 138 ;
1919 Rep., pp. 5 sq. ; Surtees Soc. Publ., 1891.
Town Records.2
Alnwick (R.D.C.).— 1835 Rep., p. 1411; 1880 Rep., p. 6; 1902
Rep., p. 138; 1919 Rep., p. 22; "Hist, of Northumberland,"
I, pp. 169 sq. ; S. and B. Webb, op. cit.
Bamborough.—No records, see " Hist, of Northumberland," I, pp.
1 1 2-1 74 ; S. and B. Webb, op. cit.
Berwick (T.C. and Treasurer).— H.M.C 3rd Rep., XXI, and Appx.,
p. 308; ibid. 16th Rep., p. 93; ibid. Var. Coll., I, pp. 1-18 ;
S. and B. Webb, op. cit.
Hexham (R.D.C).— 1902 Rep., p. 138 ; 1919 Rep., p. 24; "Hist.
of Northumberland," III, p. 236 ; S. and B. Webb, op. cit.
Morpeth (T.C).— Printed calendar. 1837 Rep., p. 471 ; 1902
Rep., p. 138; H.M.C 6th Rep., Appx., pp. 526 sq. ; Arch.
Mliana XVI, pp. 52-75 ; Notes and Queries, S. XI (1912),
Vol. V., p. 74 ; S. and B. Webb, op. cit.
Newcastle-upon-Tyne (T.C).— MS. Lists and Indices. 1902 Rep.,
p. 36 ; 1919 Rep., p. 25 ; Surtees Soc. Publ., Vols. 95 and 101 ;
Notes and Queries, S. XI (1912), Vol. V, p. 297 ; Archceolog.
Proc (passim) ; "History" Brand (1789).
1 Index Volume, 1896-7.
2 For ancient boroughs disfranchised before 1689, see S. and B. Webb,
¦op. cit, p. 199. For manorial boroughs of Northumberland and Durham,
see ibid., p. 206. For printed list of Northumberland Municipal Records
to date, see Notes and Queries, S. XI (19 12).

228 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
Tynemouth (T.C).— "Hist, of Northumberland," VIII, p. 24.
Warkworth (P.C). — 1919 Rep., p. 27; "Hist, of Northumber
land," V, p. 144.
Parish Records. — See Durham and Northumberland Parish Register
Soc. Publ. (passim) ; Newcastle Soc of Antiq. Proc. (passim) ; North
Country Parish Registers, and list of parochial and non-parochial registers,
Counties of Northumberland and Durham (H. M. Wood, 1 893-1907).
Church Records. — For Archdeaconry Records of Northumberland
and Lindisfarne, parochial in character, see 1902 Rep., p. 122. For R.C.
Wills enrolled with Sessions Records, see 1902 Rep., p. 138 ; for Presby
terian Deeds and Registers (from 1694), at St. George's, Morpeth, see 1902
Rep., p. 130.
Public Institutions.
The Library of the Newcastle Society of Antiquaries has valuable
MSS. relating to Newcastle, and Northumberland County. See
1837 Rep., p. 427 ; 1902 Rep., p. 138 ; printed Catalogue, 1896 ;
see also Arch. AZliana, 1903 ; Catalogue of Brumell Charters.
Central Public Library, Newcastle-upon-Tyne (Coleman and
Greenwell MSS.). For records of hospitals and grammar schools,
see " Hist, of Northumberland " (passim).
Gateshead Public Library. — Some Judicial Records of the Pala
tinate of Durham (1 660-1 830) were deposited here by the
Master of the Rolls in 1912.
Private Collections. — See 1902 Rep., p. 138 ; H.M.C. 18th Rep.
(Index) ; Surtees Soc. and Archaologia AZliana (passim).
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE.
The private collections in this county are more
noticeable than those in public custody, with the excep
tion of the Municipal Records of Nottingham City and
the Ecclesiastical Records of Southwell Minster. The
records of smaller towns like East Retford have disap
peared, and some are known to be in private hands.
The " Dukery Records " are represented by the Port
land, Middleton, Savile, and Foljambe collections, but in
spite of the great work of Thoroton, the local records of
this county have not been fully utilized for historical
research. During recent years, however, more has been
done by the County Council and the Nottingham Cor
poration in this direction.

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES 229
Public Records — District Probate Registry1 (Nottingham).
Statutory Authorities — For Commissions of Sewers.— Newark
(Nottingham County), Retford (Notts, and Yorks., West Riding ; Rivers Idle,
Ryton, etc),2 see 1914 Rep;, p. 101 ; for Drainage Committees, see " Local
Taxation Returns" (1913-14), Part VI, p. 46; for Turnpike Trusts, see
1919 Rep., Appx. (Ill), p. 85.
County Records (Newark).— 1800 Rep., p. 284 ; 1837 Rep., p. 243 ;
1902 Rep., p. 23 ; MS. Index ; 1919 Rep., p. 5 sq. A Calendar of 17th
Century Records has been published by the Corporation (1915).
Town Records.3
Newark (T.C).— MS. Calendar, see H.M.C. 12th Rep., Appx.
(IX); 1919 Rep., p. 25.
Nottingham (T.C). — Selections from the records published by the
Corporation (ed. W. H. Stevenson), 1882-1900; MS. Calendar,
(by Stuart A. Moore), see also H.M.C. ist Rep., Appx., p. 105 ;
1902 Rep., pp. 38-39.
East Retford4 (T.C).— MS. List and Calendar, 1837 Rep., p. 478 ;
1902 Rep., p. 56 ; 1919 Rep., p. 26.
Parish Records. — A survey of the Parochial Records was made by
the County Council (MS. Report). Many Parish Registers date back to
the 1 6th century ; there are also transcripts at Southwell. Some inter
esting records have been noted.5
Ecclesiastical. Diocesan Records (Southwell Cathedral). — See H.M.C. 12th Rep.,
Appx. (IX) ; Camden Soc, " Visitations and Memorials of South
well Minster" (ed. A. F. Leach, 1891) ; for the Archdeaconry
Records preserved in the Registry at Nottingham, see J. T. God
frey, " Notes on the Archdeaconry of Nottingham " (1896).
Nonconformist Bodies. — For the records (18th century) of the
Nottingham George St. Baptist Church, see J. T. Godfrey and
J. Ward, "History of Friars' Lane Baptist Church," Preface, p.
xii, 1903.
Public Institutions. — There are numerous charities of ancient date
in this county. In some cases records will be found in the custody of
1 For the County and City of Nottingham. Wills from the Manorial
Courts of Mansfield and Gringley-on-the-Hill, and from the Peculiar Courts
of Southwell and Kinoulton are deposited here.
2 See also Brigg and Louth (Lincolnshire).
3 For Worksop Charters, see below, Hodsock Priory MSS.
4 Some records have been misappropriated in connection with a
Chancery suit prior to 1833.
5 Thoroton Soc. Trans., 191 5, p. 22.

230 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
trustees (as at Retford\and Nottingham), but in most cases such as survive
will have been deposited with the records in the custody of Municipal or
of Urban and Parish Councils ; for the Nottingham Castle Museum, see
Guide to Nottingham Castle.
Private Collections  Besides the collections reported on by the
Historical MSS. Commission, the following may be noted : Clumber (New
castle MSS.) 1 ; Hodsock Priory (Mellish MSS.) * ; Serlby (Galway MSS.) 3 ;
Skegby Hall, Mansfield (Dodsley MSS.) 4 ; Ward MSS., see J. T. Godfrey,
" MSS. relating to County of Nottingham in the possession of Mr. J. Ward"
(1900). OXFORDSHIRE.
The best known records of Oxfordshire are those
preserved in the University and city of Oxford. Many
local records belonging to towns, parishes, and manors
in this county are now among the archives and deposited
collections of the University and its constituent colleges.
Extracts from, and descriptions of, many of these local re
cords, including valuable monastic cartularies, have been
published by the Oxford Historical and Archaeological
Societies. A list of municipal records, in the possession
of the University and Colleges, has been compiled by
Mr. F. Madan (1887), and a list of Wills in the Vice-
Chancellor's Court, by Mr. R. L. Poole (1912).6
Public Records. — District Probate Registry (Oxford). — Records since
1857 ; the earlier are at Somerset House. For these and other Depart
mental Records, see 1919 Rep., pp. 95-97.
Statutory Authorities. — For Turnpike Trust Records, see 1919
Rep., Appx. (Ill), p. 85.
County Records (Oxford). — 1800 Rep., p. 285 ; 1902 Rep., p. 26;
1919 Rep., p. 95.
1 See R. White, "Dukery Records," 1904, p. 355.
2 Ibid., 1 905, C Brown, " Worksop Priory ". The Mellish MSS. include
the Charters of Worksop.
3S. Raine, "History of Blithe," p. 115 ; Monckton Papers, E. Pea
cock, ed. Philobiblon Soc, 1884.
4 Thoroton Soc. Trans., 1904.
'cf. the Index of these by J. Griffiths (1862).

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES . 23 1
Town Records.
Burford.— The salvage and reconstruction of the Town Records in
recent years indicates what might be done in other cases. See
R. H. Gretton, "Burford Records" (1918), and cf. H.M.C. Rep.,
Var. Coll., I, p. 29 ; 1837 Rep., p. 438 ; 1919 Rep., p. 23.
Chipping Norton.— 1902 Rep., p. 50.
Henley-on-Thames.^-}. S. Burn, "History of Henley-on-Thames,"
p 51 (1861).
Oxford (T.C).— 1835 Rep., p. 95 ; 1902 Rep., p. 6 ; 1919 Rep.,
p. 95, and W. H. Turner, " Selections from the Records of the
City of Oxford " ( 1 880), Preface, p. v ; " Oxford City Documents "
(Oxford Historical Society, No. 18).
Woodstock (T.C).— 1902 Rep., p. 74; 1919 Rep., p. 86; A.
Ballard, "Chronicle" (1896).
Parish Records.
Many Oxfordshire Parish Records are in the Uni
versity and College collections and muniment rooms.
Extracts and lists of some of them are published by the
Oxford Historical Society and the Oxford Archaeological
Society,1 also in local histories.2 Many of the Oxford
shire parish registers date from the 16th century.
Church Records.
Cathedral Records (Oxford). — 1800 Rep., p. 340; 1902 Rep.,
p. 114; 1919 Rep., p. 96.
Bishopric Records (Oxford). — 1800 Rep., p. 324; 1902 Rep.,
p. 106 ; 19 1 9 Rep., loc. cit.
Archdeaconry Records (Oxford). — 1902 Rep., p. 124; 1919 Rep.,
loc. cit.
Public Institutions.
The importance of such minor collections3 as are
available for the city and county at large is eclipsed by
the splendour of the University and College collections.
Academic interest in the local records generally is
responsible for some valuable publications, but their
1 e.g. Vol. 24 (Oxfordshire Parishes), and Collectanea (passim).
2 e.g. Kennetfs " Parochial Antiquities " ; Blomfield's "Bicester".
3 e.g. Ewelme Almshouses (H.M.C. 8th Rep., Appx., p. 624) and
Witney Grammar School (W. J. Monk, "History," 1894).

232 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
description, as a whole, has been neglected, while they
have been, in many cases, removed from their original
custody. The University Archives have been at last
defined and described by Mr. R. L. Poole.1 The College
Archives have not been generally described ; but several
serviceable catalogues of literary and historical manu
scripts have been published.2 These include some of
official origin, but a larger number of Public Records and
State Papers will be found in the Bodleian or (as trans
cripts) in the Ashmolean Library : —
See 1800 Rep., pp. 348 and 355 ; 1837 Rep., p. 290; 1902 Rep.,
p. 138 ; Catalogue of the Ashmolean Museum (1836) ; Catalogue
of MSS. in Oxford Colleges, H. O. Coxe (1852); Catalogue of
Charters and Rolls, H. O. Coxe and W. H. Turner (1878);
Summary Catalogue of Western Manuscripts, J. F. Madan(i895).
Private Collections.
See H.M.C. 18th Rep., and A. L. Humphreys, op. cit.
For the Parsons MSS. (Elsfield Manor).— "Oxford Historical
Society Collectanea," Ser. V, p. 230.
RUTLAND.
Tne records of this small county do not appear to be
numerous, or of special interest, with the exception, per
haps, of the private collection at Burley-on-the-Hill.
There are no municipal boroughs, and the official reports
on Civil Records are scanty.3 For Ecclesiastical Records,
other than parochial, recourse must be had to neighbour
ing counties.4 The Rutland Magazine and County Histori
cal Record contains many extracts from County and Parish
Records and documents in private collections.
1 " History of the University Archives" (1912).
*e.g. All Souls College (ed. C T. Martin), Magdalen (ed. W. D.
Maeray). For Balliol College and Brasenose College, see Oxford Historical
Society Publications.
3 For Turnpike Trusts, see 1919 Rep., Appx. (Ill), p. 85.
4 The District Probate Registry is at Northampton.

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES 233
County Records — 1800 Rep., p. 285 ; Rutland Magazine and
County Historical Record; 1919 Rep., p. 5 sq.
Town Records.
Oakham.— Manorial Records at Burley-on-the-Hill (1910). See
1919 Rep., p. 26.
Uppingham.— Manorial Records presumably at Exton (Earl of
Gainsborough).
Parish Records — A few of early date (e.g. North Luffenham) have
been printed. See Rutland Archaeological Society's Reports ; Rutland
Magazine, etc.
Public Institutions. — Oakham. — Lending Library1 (special collec
tions). Hospital2 of St. John the Evangelist and St. Anne (1398) ; (B. A.
Adam, Esq., Solicitor, 7 Catmore Street. Oakham.) Schools 3 (Oakham
and Uppingham), see V.C.H., "Rutland," I, pp. 261-281 ; Sargent, "The
Book of Oakham School " (1906).
Private Collections  H.M.C. 7th Rep., xiv, and Appx., pp. 511-
518 ; 8th Rep., Appx., p. 640 ; Rep. on the MSS. of A. G. Finch, Esq.,
¦of Burley-on-the-Hill, Rutland, Vol. I (1913); P. Finch, "History of
Burley-on-the-Hill," 2 vols. (1901). (Vol. II, pp. 45-67, gives a list of the
MSS.) There is a collection at Exton belonging to the Earl of Gains
borough, dating from the 14th century, which has not been calendared.
SHROPSHIRE.
The collections of documents in this county are valu
able and extensive, and have been unusually well
arranged and described by various local authorities and
societies. A brief general account of them was furnished
to the Local Records Committee (see 1902 Rep., Appx.
pp. 132, 250, etc.). The War Office records for the
Western Command, at Shrewsbury, include military
records for Wales. Besides those of the county town
the records of several ancient boroughs have been
catalogued or described. A high proportion of the
Parish Registers have been printed, and the returns to
an inquiry by the County Council, published under the
1 Not a free library. It contains special County History, Archaeologi
cal and Antiquarian Collections.
2 Documents relating to the Hospital are in the British Museum, and
at Lambeth Palace.
3 For schools generally, see V.C.H., " Rutland," I, pp. 259-300.

234 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHD7ES
title of "Shropshire Parish Documents," is a most valu
able work of its kind. A report by the Endowments
Committee of the County Council on Shropshire charities
for elementary education, was compiled in 1906 from
the reports of the Charity Commissions, 1819-37, for
the county, omitting the boroughs of Shrewsbury and
Wenlock. Public Records.
District Probate Registry (Shrewsbury). — For the Archdeaconries
of Shrewsbury (Lichfield), Ludlow (Hereford), and Montgomery
(St. Asaph), see 1919 Rep., p. 101 ; and Marshall, op. cit, pp. i8r
46. For wills formerly belonging to the Palmer's Guild at Town
Hall, Ludlow, see ibid., p. 36 ; cf. 1902 Rep., p. 64.
\ Regimental Record Offices (Shrewsbury and Whitchurch). — See
1914 Rep., pp. 123, 220.
Statutory Authorities. — For Turnpike Trusts, see 1919 Rep., loc.
cit. Poor Law Incorporations will be found at Shrewsbury and Oswestry.
County Records. — See "Shropshire County Records," by Offley.
Wakeman ; and also Shr. Arch. Soc. Trans., Ser. 2, III, p. 209 ; IV, p.
65, for Quarter Sessions; 1800 Rep., p. 286; 1837 Rep., p. 245 ; 1902
Rep., pp. 250-251; 1919 Rep., p. 100; and for Turnpike Deeds and
Plans, see ibid. (Ill), p. 85.
Town Records i (T.C. in all cases).
Bishop's Castle. — See Shr. Arch. Soc. Trans., X, p. 124 ; H.M.C
10th Rep., Appx. (IV), p. 399; 1880 Rep., p. 14; 1919 Rep.,,
p. 22.
Bridgnorth. — Shr. Arch. Soc. Trans., X, p. 139; 1837 Rep., p-
436 ; H.M.C. 10th Rep., Appx. (IV), p. 424.
Ludlow. — Shr. Arch. Soc. Trans., VIII, p. 203 ; and for Register
of Palmer's Guild, ibid., VII, p. 81 ; we also " Ludlow Charters,"
and Notes and Queries, Ser. 11, V, p. 73, for list of records
printed; 1902 Rep., p. 64; 1919 Rep., p. 101 ; arid Clive,
" Ludlow Documents "-
Oswestry. — Shr. Arch. Soc. Trans., II-VII (passim); "Bygones,"'
IV (passim) ; H.M.C. Rep., p. 18 ; Notes and Queries, Ser. 11 ;.
1902 Rep., p. 66.
1 For the doubtful " borough " of Clun, see Thos. Salt, " Concise Ac
count of Documents relating to Clun " ; Shr. Arch. Soc. Trans., XI, p.
244 ; and for Newport, Shr. Arch. Soc. Trans., X, p. 96 ; 1880 Rep., p.
78 ; and 1902 Rep., Appx. (XIII), p. 276. For charters, etc., of the
ancient Town of Ellesmere, see " Salopian Shreds and Patches," Vol. IX ;,
and of Ruyton, Shr. Arch. Soc. Trans., Ser. 2, III, p. 237.

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES 235
Shrewsbury.— See " Calendar of Borough Records," and H.M.C
1 5th Rep., Appx. (X), p. I ; Shr. Arch. Soc. Trans., Ser. 2, X,
PP- 145) IS7 (and passim) ; Shr. N.S., Notes and Queries, III,
pp. 92, 98 ; 1902 Rep., p. 76 ; 1919 Rep. p. 101.
Wenlock.—Shr. Arch. Soc. Trans., X, p. 134 ; and Ser. 2, VI, p.
223 ; H.M.C. 10th Rep., Appx. (IV), p. 420 ; 1837 Rep., p. 507 ;.
" Salopian 111. Monthly Journal," V.
Parish Records — See " Shropshire Parish Documents," by R. Clease
and E. C. Peele, and publications of Shropshire Parish Register Soc,
Lists and Indexes, 1538-1812. See also Antiquary, XXXIX, p. 6; and
Bemau, "Genealogical Directory," 2nd Suppl., p. xxvi, for lists of
Shropshire Registers. Many early Churchwardens' Accounts are extant
(see Cox, " Parish Registers," and " Churchwardens' Accounts " (passim)>
but mainly unpublished, cf. Camden O.S. 93 (Ludlow).
Ecclesiastical Records. — See under, Shrewsbury (supra), also Here
ford and Lichfield ; and see 191 9 Rep., p. 31. Nonconformist Records.
The Cathohc Registers of Newport, 1785-1845, have been printed by
Catholic Rec Soc, Vol. XIII, Misc. VIII. There were several Noncon
formist meeting houses whose registers have survived, arid a number have
been edited forjhe Shropshire Parish Register Soc, by Rev. G. E. Evans,
cf. Returns of Dissenting Meeting Houses, 1836, and Report of Com
missioners on Non-Parochial Registers, 1841.
Public Institutions  Public Library and Museum, Shrewsbury, in
the old Grammar School Buildings, contains MSS., Deeds, etc., belonging
to Shropshire Arch. Soc. (see Trans., IX, p. 171). "Old Shropshire
Deeds " ; and " Catalogue," by H. T. Beddowes, and " Calendar of MSS.,"
by W. D. Fletcher; see also David Murray, "Museums," III, p. 174; Art
Journ., XXIII, p. 22 ; and Antiquary, XXV, p. 245 ; and XXVI, p. 16
(Sir J. Ward). For the Museum, Ludlow, see Antiquary, XXVI, p. 96
(Sir J. Ward). The MSS. of Shrewsbury School have been described by
Stanley Leighton. See also 1902 Rep., Appx., p. 250 ; Arch. Soc. Trans.,
Ser. 2, IX, p. 285 ; and H.M.C. 15th Rep., Appx. (X), p. 75 ; 1919 Rep-
Appx., p. 101.
Private Collections.— See H.M.C. 18th Rep., Appx., p. 353. For
Sundorne Deeds, see Shr. Notes and Queries, N.S. IV, p. 72, etc. Many
other collections are described in Shr. Arch. Soc. Trans, (passim).
SOMERSET.
Much has been done by the Somerset Archaeological
Society for the description of local records. For those
formerly preserved in the smaller boroughs (e.g. Crew-
kerne, Ilminster, Minehead, Taunton, Watchett), see 1919
Rep., Appx. (Ill), p. 49 sq.

236 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
Public Records.
(a) District Probate Registries at Wells and Taunton. — For East
and West Somerset respectively, see " Somerset Wills," ed. F.
Brown ; and Somerset Record Soc, Vols. 19 and 21, and
" Marriage Licences " (ed. W. P. W. Phillimore).
(b) Custom House Records (Bridgwater) from 1736. — See 1914
Rep., p. 243.
Statutory Authorities, etc. — For Commissions of Sewers (Wells),
see 1914 Rep., Appx., p. 101 ; for Drainage Authorities under Somerset
Drainage Act (1 877), see" Local Taxation Returns," Part VI, pp. 46-47 ; for
Bridge and Market Commissioners, see ibid., pp. 114 and 118. There are
still many records of Turnpike Trusts outstanding (see 1919 Rep., Appx.
(Ill), p. 85, and Webb, op. cit.) ; for Town Trusts, see below, under Towns.
County Records (Taunton) from 1650.— (MS. List), see 1800 Rep.,
p. 286 ; 1902 Rep., p. 22 ; 1919 Rep., p. 5 sq. ; H.M.C. 3rd Rep., Appx.,
P- 333 ; 7'h Rep., Appx., p. 593 ; Somerset Record Soc, Vol. 28 ; Som.
and Dors. Notes and Queries, XI, p. 101.
Town Records.
Axbridge (T.T.).— 1835 ReP-, P- 1089; 1837 Rep., p. 429; 1880
Rep., p. 13 ; H.M.C. 3rd Rep., p. 300.
Bath (T.C).— 1835 Rep., p. 1109 ; 1919 Rep., p. 22 ; Som. Arch.
Soc. Trans., XV .(ii), p. 67 ; King and Watts, " Municipal
Records of Bath".
Bridgwater (T.C).— 1835 Rep., p. 461; 1837 Rep., p. 437;
H.M.C. ist Rep., p. 99 ; ibid., 3rd Rep., Appx., p. 310.
Chard (T.C).— 1835 ReP'. P- i235 5 l837 Rep., P- 441-
Glastonbury (T.C). — 1835 Rep., p. 1281 ; 1919 Rep., p. 24 ; Som.
Arch. Soc. Trans., 39, p. 38 ; 1902 Rep., pp. 58, 172 ; H.M.C.
ist Rep., p. 102.
Ilchester (T.T.).— 1835 Rep., p. 1287; 1880 Rep., p. 49; 1902
Rep., p. 104.
Langport (T.T.).— 1835 Rep., p. 1293; 1880 Rep., p. 54; 1902
Rep., p. 104.
Taunton (T.C). — 1902 Rep., p. 178 ; Som. Arch. Soc. Trans.
(1898), p. 14. Many Town Records are included with those of
the Lord of the Manor at Taunton Castle.
Wells (T.C).— 1835 ReP-, P- J363 5 H.M.C ist Rep., p. 106;
ibid., 3rd Rep., p. 350 ; Som. Arch. Soc. Trans. (1871). 1
Yeovil (T.T.). — 1902 Rep., p. 182. The records were burnt in
1853-
Parish Records. — For the state of the existing Parish Records, see
1919 Rep., loc. cit. ; Report to Records Committee of Convocation (19 14),
by Chancellor Holmes ; A. L. Humphreys, " Somersetshire Parishes " ;

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES 237
F. Hancock, "Hist, of Minehead"; H.M.C. 3rd Rep., Appx., p. 329
(Cheddar); and Som. Arch. Soc. Trans., XVIII, p. 15 (Stoke Courcy).
Somerset registers have been published by the Index Society.
Church Records.
(a) Bishopric Records. — See 1800 Rep., p. 310 ; 1902 Rep., p. 104 ;
1919 Rep., p. 29 ; H.M.C. ist Rep., p. 92 ; and the Report by
Chancellor Holmes (supra). Registers have been printed by the
Somerset Record Society ; " Marriage Licences " by W. P. W.
Phillimore. Some of the Court Rolls and Ministers' Accounts
are in the Public Record Office ; others are at the Ecclesiastical
Commn. and Lambeth Palace Library.
(b) Chapter Records.— See 1800 Rep., p. 341 ; 1902 Rep., p. no ;
1919 Rep., p. 30; H.M.C. ist Rep., Appx., p. 93; 3rd Rep.,,
Appx., p. 351 ; 10th Rep., Appx., p. 28 ; 17th Rep., Appx., p.
97; Report (Holmes) to Convocation (1914); and by F. H.
Dickinson (Indexes) in 1896. Court Rolls and Ministers' Ac
counts (ut supra). For the records of the College of Vicars
Choral (Wells), see H.M.C. 3rd Rep., Appx., p. 364 ; and 1902
Rep., p. no.
(c) Archdeaconry Records.— Those for Wells and Taunton are said
to be wanting, but some of the latter are with the Manorial
Records of Taunton Deane in Taunton Castle (1919 Rep., (Ill),
P- 49)-
Public Institutions, etc.— MSS. are preserved in the Public Libraries
or Literary Institutions at Bath, Weston, and Taunton, and Museums at
Glastonbury and Taunton. For the records of Bishop Bubwith's Alms
houses at Wells, see 1902 Rep., p. no; and H.M.C. 8th Rep., Appx., p.
638. For the important collection of the Somerset Archaeological Society
at Taunton Castle, see the Society's Transactions; 1902 Rep., p. 70 ; and
1919 Rep., Appx. (Ill), p. 49 5 for Somerset Schools, see V.C.H., II, pp.
435 sq. ; and for Charities, ibid., pp. 152 sq. ; for the Archives of Down
side College, see "Downside Review," Ser. I (1 880-1906) ; and Som. and
Dors. Notes and Queries, VII, pp. 284-287.
Private Collections.— See H.M.C. 18th Rep., Appx., p. 353, A. L.
Humphreys, op. cit ; and Sir H. Maxwell Lyte, "Dunster and its Lords"
(Luttrell MSS.). STAFFORDSHIRE.
The Local Records of this county have been on the
whole inadequately described, and the most valuable are
those of the ancient ecclesiastical city of Lichfield. Little

238 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
is known of the Borough Records of Stafford, and there
is no recent account of the County collection. Stafford
shire possesses the earliest Parish Register in the
country, that of Tipton, 1513.
Public Records.1— District Probate Registry (Lichfield), see Lichfield
Wills, 1 516-1790; Brit. Rec. Soc, Index Library ; Marshall, op. cit, pp.
31-32. Statutory Authorities — For Mine Drainage and other Drainage
Boards, see 1913-14 Local Taxation Returns; for records of Turnpike
Trusts, see 1919 Rep., Appx. (Ill), p. 85.
County Records — See 1800 Rep., p. 287 ; 1837 Rep., p. 246 ; 1919
Rep., p. 6 sq.
Town Records * (T.C. in all cases).
Burton-on-Trent — See 1919 Rep., p. 23; Brit. Arch. Assoc.
Journ., VII, p. 421 ; and Burton Nat. Hist, and Arch. Soc.
Trans., II, p. 90.
Lichfield. — See 1919 Rep., p. 25 ; 1902 Rep., Appx. (Ill), p. 74;
Webb, op. cit. (passim).
Newcastle-under-Lyme. — 1837 Rep., p. 471 ; 1919 Rep., p. 25.
Stafford. — 1919 Rep., p. 27 ; 1835 Rep., 2025.
Tamworth. — 1835 Rep., p. 2039.
Walsall. — See R. Sims, " Cat. of Deeds and Documents of
Walsall" ; 1902 Rep., Appx., p. 40 ; 1919 Rep., p. 27.
Wolverhampton. — 1919 Rep., p. 28.
Parish Records. — See Publications of Staffs. Parish Reg. Soc. and
F. W. Willmore, " Records of Rushall ". A few registers are printed by
Nottingham Parish Reg. Soc. " Staffordshire Incumbents and Parochial
Records " (Salt Soc), makes little use of local records. Records of
Burton are described in Burton Nat. Hist, and Arch. Soc. Trans., Ill,
p. 261 ; cf. Salt Soc. Index in Vol. for 191 1.
Ecclesiastical Records.
Bishops' Records (Lichfield). — One early Bishops' Register and a
"Sede Vacante" Register are printed by Salt Soc, Vol. VIII,
N.S., p. 1 ; Vol. X, Part II, p. 1 ; see 1800 Rep., p. 313 ; 1919
Rep., p. 29 ; 1902 Rep., p. 104.
1 For descriptions of Needwood, Duffield, Cannock Chase, and Kinever
Forests and their records, see Shaw's "Staffordshire," and O. Moseley,
" Tamworth ".
2 Burton should have records of Lighting and Paving Commissioners
from 1779, and Improvement Commissioners, 1853; Longton and Bur-
slem had Lighting Commissioners from 1 839. The Borough of Stoke-on-
Trent had a Local Board, and was incorporated, 1874; Wolverhampton
in 1848. Other towns are recent incorporations.

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES 239
Dean and Chapter. — See Catalogue and List of Records, by J. C.
Cox, Salt Soc, Vol. VI, Part II ; 1800 Rep., p. 336 ; 1919 Rep.,
P- 3°-
Archdeaconry Records (Stafford). — 1919 Rep., p. 31.
Nonconformist Records.— No Catholic Registers for the county
appear to have been published. The collection at Oscott Col
lege has been described in H.M.C. ist Rep., Appx., p. 89 ; and
2nd Rep., Appx., p. 125.
Institutions, etc.— For Library of Salt Soc, Stafford, see W. S.
Brough, " Memorials of Old Staffordshire " (1909). There are a number
•of early endowed schools in the county.
Private Collections. — Seven private collections are dealt with by the
Hist. MSS. Com. (18th Rep., p. 353). Others are described and portions
printed in publications of Salt Soc, e.g. Blithfield Deeds, Vol. XI, N.S.,
p. 1 ; and ancient deeds at Okeover, ibid., VII, N.S., p. 4 ; see also
I. H. Jeayes, Gresley Charters, and Salt Soc., Vol. XVI, p. 227 ; cf. Salt
Soc. Indexes, Vol. I, 191 1. SUFFOLK.
These Local Records possess several distinctive fea
tures. Commissioners of Sewers are to be found here,
but the records of departmental and statutory bodies are
of slight interest; even the Ipswich customs-house re
cords are of modern date. There are two administrative
divisions and two collections of County Records, besides
independent Quarter Sessions for the three great Liberties,
the records of which are an unknown quantity. There
are several decayed boroughs whose records have suffered
grievous losses.1 The bishopric (Ipswich and Bury) is
modern, but there are two archdeaconries, with probate
registries. Local antiquaries have taken much interest
in the public and private collections for this county.
Public Records.
District Probate Registry. — (a) Bury St. Edmunds (West Suffolk),
containing records of the archdeaconry Court of Sudbury and
commissary Court of Bury St. Edmunds.
(b) Ipswich (East Suffolk and North Essex), containing records of
the archdeaconry Court of Suffolk, see Marshall, op. cit, p. 49.
1See H.M.C. Var. Coll., IV and VII, and the 1837 Rep., loc. cit.

240 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
Customs House at Ipswich (including Aldborough and Wood-
bridge). — See 1914 Rep., Appx. (II), p. 246.
Statutory Authorities, etc. — For Commissions of Sewers and
Harbour, etc., and other Authorities, see Local Taxation Returns, loc. cit. ;
and 1919 Rep., Appx. (Ill), p. 85.
County Records (Ipswich and Bury St. Edmunds). — See 1800 Rep.,
p. 288 ; 1837 Rep., p. 246 ; and 1902 Rep. p. 24 ; see also Suffolk Inst
Arch. Proc, XV, p. 144 ; 19 19 Rep., p. 6 sq.
Town Records.
Aldburgh (T.C.).— See 1835 Rep., IV, p. 2063 ; 1880 Rep., Appx.
pp. 3-6 ; H.M.C. 17th Rep., pp. 124, 125 ; Rep. on Var. Coll.r
IV, p. 279.
Beccles (T.C). — See 1835 Rep., p. 2127; 1837 Rep., p. 430;
H.M.C. Var. Coll., VII, p. 70.
Bury St. Edmunds (T.C). — 1835 Rep., p. 2169 ; 1902 Rep., pp.
48-49 ; H.M.C. 14th Rep., p. 41 ; and Appx. (VIII), p. 121.
Dunwich (T.T.). — 1835 Rep., p. 2217; 1837 Rep., p. 445 ; 1880
Rep., p. 32 ; 1902 Rep., p. 227 ; H.M.C. Var. Coll., VII, p. 80.
Eye (T.C). — 1835 ReP-i P- 2227 5 I9°2 Rep., p. 56 ; 1919 Rep.,
p. 24 ; H.M.C. 10th Rep., p. 26 ; and Appx. (IV), p. 513.
Ipswich (T.C).— 1835 Rep., p. 2291 ; 1902 Rep., p. 48 ; H.M.C.
14th Rep., p. 41 ; and Appx. (VIII), p. 121.
Orford (T.T.).— 1835 Rep., p. 2507 ; 1880 Rep., pp. 88-89 5 '902
Rep., p. 227; H.M.C. 17th Rep., pp. 123-124; and Var. Coll.,.
IV, p. 255.
Southwold (T.C).— Catalogue (1871); 1835 ReP> P- 2513; 1837
Rep., p. 495 ; 1902 Rep., p. 70 ; 1919 Rep., p. 27 ; H.M.C. Var.
Coll., VII, p. 114.
Sudbury (T.C). — 1902 Rep., p. 70 ; 1919 Rep., p. 27 ; Bury and
West Suffolk Arch. Inst. Proc, I, p. 199 ; Suffolk Inst, of
Arch. Proc, XIII, p. 259.
Parish Records. — See H.M.C. 5th Rep., Appx., p. 593 (Mendlesham),
and 10th Rep., Appx., pp. 463-466 (Yaxley). The Church Registers of
several parishes are published in " Suffolk Green Books," also by the Parish
Registers Society. See also 1902 Rep., Appx., p. 124, and the proceedings
of the Local Societies.
Church Records.
(a) Cathedral Records. — See Norwich.
(b) Archdeaconry Records.1 — (1) Suffolk Archdeaconry Registry
(Ipswich), see 1902 Rep., p. 124. (2) Sudbury Archdeaconry
Records (Bury St. Edmunds), see Suffolk Inst, of Arch. Proc,
XI, p. 252.
1 These archdeaconries had ordinary jurisdiction independent of the
bishop, and separate transcripts of Parish Registers.

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES' 24 1
Public Institutions (Ipswich).— County* Museum and Free Library
(Printed Catalogue). For the ancient schools in this county, see V.C.H.,
"Suffolk" (Vol. II), and "Suffolk Green Books" (No. 13).
Private Collections — See H.M.C. 18th Rep., Appx., p. 353. Several
collections are noted in the 1902 Rep. (Appx., p. 124), and others have
been described or investigated by local antiquaries. Important Manorial
Records should be preserved in the custody of the stewards of the several
Liberties. Some Lieutenancy Papers have been described (H.M.C. 13th
Rep., Appx. (IV)). SURREY.
There are comparatively few collections of records
within the present administrative area ; practically no
Branch repositories of Public Records 1 nor Statutory
Authorities2 and Trusts.3 Part of the records of the
Surrey Quarter Sessions, 1657-1888, are among the Lon
don (County Sessions) Records at Clerkenwell. Town
Records appear to be scanty, and very little printed infor
mation is available. Several are of recent incorporation,
while others of ancient foundation have been disfran
chised, and their records dispersed. Among Parish
Records mention may be made of a notable collection at
Abinger. No collection of Ecclesiastical Records exists
except pastoral records at Farnham. With the exception
of a few parishes, forming the deanery of Croydon
(peculiar of Canterbury), Surrey, from early times,
formed part of the Diocese of Winchester. Some records
of the Commissary Court for parts of Surrey are in the
Cathedral Church, South wark ; others in the Archidia
conal Registry at Knightrider Street, and the Principal
Probate Registy (see 1914 Rep., p. 199, and 1919 Rep.,
p. 93). The Archdeaconry Records, described in 1902
1 For Regimental Records and those of military colleges, see 1914
Rep., p. 215 ; for Board of Agriculture (Kew), ibid., p. 65.
2 Records of Old Surrey and Kent Sewer Commission are in the cus
tody of the London County Council, and have been published in part.
3 For Turnpike Trusts, see S. and B. Webb, op. cit, and 19 19 Rep.,
Appx. (Ill), p. 85.

242 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
Rep., p. 118, appear to be parochial only. The re
cently formed Archdeaconry of Kingston is in the
Diocese of Southwark.
For general information about the county and its
records in addition to V.C.H. and Surrey Archceological
Collections, see "Schedule of Antiquities in the County of
Surrey," by P. M. Johnston, 19 13. The Minet Public
Library at Camberwell contains valuable records on
Surrey topography.
* County Records (Kingston-on-Thames). — See 1902 Rep., p. 24 ;
1919 Rep., p. 6 sq. ; S. and B. Webb, " Parish and County" (passim).
Town Records.1 —
Blechingley (P.C).— V.C.H., "Surrey," IV, p. 255.
Farnham (T.C). — 1835 Rep., II, p. 731; 1837 Rep., p. 447;
1919 Rep., p. 24; V.C.H., "Surrey," II, p. 585. "Farnham
and its Borough," R. N. Milford (1859).
Gallon.— V.C.H., "Surrey," III, p. 196.
Godalming (T.C)— 1835 ReP-> n. P- 73S • 1^37 Rep., p. 453!
1902 Rep., p. 58; 1919 Rep., p. 24; V.C.H., '^Surrey," III,
p. 29.
Guildford (T.C). — 1835 Rep., p. 2871; 1837 Rep., p. 455;
Surrey Arch. Coll., IX, p. 317; "History' and Antiquities of
Guildford" (1801).
Haslemere— V.C.H., "Surrey," III, p. 45 ; "Bygone Hazlemere,"
ed. E. W. Swanton and P. Woods (1914).
Kingston-on-Thames (T.C). — H.M.C. 3rd Rep., p. 331.
Reigate (T.C).— 1902 Rep., p. 66; V.C.H., "Surrey," III, p. 233.
Parish Records. — For parochial registers in addition to the usual
authorities, see Surrey Arch. Coll. (passim), and Publications of Surrey
Parish Register Society. References to Vestry Minutes of Mitcham and
Richmond are given in Webb, "English Local Government". See also
Vestry Minute Book, 1578-1652, ed. J. G. Anderson, 1914, for reference
to Meetings and Churchwardens' Accounts, Cox, op. cit.
Church Records — See above, Introduction; also "List of Parish
Registers," F. A. Crisp, p. 46, and " Some Records of the Early Friends
in Surrey and Sussex," T. W. Marsh (1886), Surrey Arch. Coll., XIV,
p. 217 ; 1919 Rep., II, p. 29 ; III, pp. 37, 38.
Public Institutions, etc — For MS. contents of Library of Surrey
Archaeological Society, see Surrey Arch; Coll., X, p. 204; XXIV, p. 177 ;
JThe following 1 are of recent incorporation: Croydon, 1883 (see
V.C.H., "Surrey," IV, p. 217); Richmond, 1890; Wimbledon, 1905.

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES 243
and XXVI, p. 151. For Schools, see V.C.H., "Surrey," II, p. 155,
and Surrey Arch. Coll., X, p. 108 (Royal Grammar School, Guildford),
VoL XXVI, p. 81. For Hospitals, see V.C.H., ibid., p. 118 ; 1902 Rep.,
pp. 24, 32, and Surrey Arch. Coll., IX, p. 353, XXX, p. 38. There are
MSS. in Croydon Pubhc Library.
Private Collections — See H.M.C. 17th Rep., V.C.H. (passim);
Home Co. Mag., Vol. XIV ; H. C H. Lambert, " History of Banstead "
(1912), and Surrey Arch. Coll. (passim) ; A. L. Humphreys op. cit.
SUSSEX.
The various types of local records are well repre
sented in this county, and it has also some records relating
to the Cinque Ports.1 In several instances the records
are no longer in the same repository as they were when
reported on by the 1800 and 1837 Commissions,2 and
their position is not yet determined. For Town Records,
too, there is not much information available. The Parish
Records have been well listed in Sussex Arch. Coll. The
Record Series, issued by the same society, is also an
invaluable source of information.
Public Records.
(a) District Probate Registries.
(1) Chichester. — See "Chichester Wills," 1482-1800, Vol. 27 of
B.R.S., Index Library Series.
(2) Lewes. — See 1837 Rep., p. 279 ; Sussex Arch. Coll., Vol. 32,
p. 123, and B.R.S., Index Library Series, Vol. 17.
(b) There were Poor Law Incorporations at Arundel and Chi
chester.
(c) Customs Records. — For those at Rye, Newhaven, Shoreham,
and Littlehampton, see 1914 Rep., p. 243.
(d) For Prisons, see Sussex Arch. Coll., 24 (sub Notes and Queries).
Statutory Authorities, etc. — For Commissions of Sewers, see 1914
Rep., pp. 98-100. For Turnpike Trusts and Acts, see 1919 Rep., Appx.
(Ill), p. 85; Sussex Arch. Coll., 15, 16, 17 and 18 (sub Topographica
Sussexiana), and Webb, "King's Highway". For Local Harbour
Authorities, see "Local Taxation Returns," Part VI (1913-14).
1 The wills of the Liberty are preserved at the District Probate Re
gistry, Lewes. For other records, see under " Kent ".
2 e.g. the County and Archdeaconry Records.

244 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
County Records at Lewes. — 1800 Rep., p. 290 ; 1837 Rep., p. 247 ;
1902 Rep., p. 24; 1919 Rep., p. 91 ; Sussex Arch. Coll.j 40, 57, and
(passim), and S. and B. Webb, op. cit, p. 427, n. and (passim).
Town Records.1
Arundel. — 1835 Rep., II, p. 667 ; 1902 Rep., p. 46.2
Chichester (T.C). — 1835 Rep., II, p. 715 ; 1902 Rep., p. 50; 1919
Rep., p. 23.
East Grinsted. — 1837 Rep., p. 454.
Hastings (T.C).— 1835 Rep., II, p. 997 ; 1837 Rep., p. 455 ; 1902
Rep., p. 44; 1919 Rep., p. 24; H.M.C. 13th Rep., Appx. (IV),
p. 354 ; Sussex Arch. Coll., 14, p. 65.
Horsham. — 1837 Rep., p. 458.
Lewes (T.C). — 1902 Rep., p. 62 ; Sussex Arch. Coll., 21, p. 90.
Midhurst (T.T.).— 1880 Rep., p. 145.
Pevensey (T.T.). — 1835 Rep., II, p. 1017 ; 1880 Rep., p. 91 ; Sus
sex Arch. Coll., 45, p. 149. The records, at the present time,
are kept in the.^ Parish Church in a cabinet.
Rye (T.C).— 1835 Rep., II, p. 1031 ; H.M.C. 5th*Rep., p. 488,
and 13th Rep., Appx. (IV), p. 1 ; Sussex Arch. Coll., 39, p. 1.
Seaford (T.T.) — 1835 Rep., II, p. 1059; 1880 Rep., p. 109; 1919
Rep., p. 105 ; Sussex Arch. Coll., 7, p. 73 and 17, p. 141.
Winchelsea (T.C). — 1835 Rep., II, p. 1073; 1880 Rep., p. 122;
W. D. Cooper, "History of Winchelsea " (1850).
Parish Records. — In addition to the general authorities, see Sussex
Arch. Coll. (passim).
Church Records.
(a) Bishopric Records (Chichester). — 1800 Rep., p. 323; H.M.C
Var. Coll., I, p. 177 ; Sussex Rec. Soc, Vols. 4, 8, and n.
(b) Chapter Records. — 1800 Rep., p. 333; H.M.C. Var. Coll., I,
p. 187.
(c) Archdeaconry Records (Lewes). — See 1837 Rep., p. 279 ; 1919
Rep., p. 92, and Sussex Rec. Soc. (passim).
(d) Nonconformist Bodies. — See Sussex Arch. Coll., 16, p. 657,
and 55, p. 74, and T. W. Marsh, op. cit, for Quaker Records ;
see also Catholic Rec Soc, Vols. 1, 2, 6, and 7.
Public Institutions — For Hastings Museum, see 1902 Rep., p. 44.
For Collection of Sussex Archaelogical Society at the Castle, Lewes, see
1 The following are recent incorporations : Bexhill, 1902 ; Brighton,
1854 ; but see 1902 Rep., p. 42, for manorial and other records of interest ;
Eastbourne, 1838; Hove, 1898; Worthing, 1890.
2 An interesting description of these records was published by Mr.
Garraway Rice in the "West Sussex Gazette" for 12th February, 1914.

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES 245
Sussex Arch. Coll., 27, 37, 39, and (passim), and for Chichester Museum,
ibid., 8, p. 287. For the history of Charities and Schools, see V.C.H.,
•"Sussex," II, pp. 397 et Seq. For Henry Smith's Charities, see Sussex
Arch. Coll., 22, p. 30, and E. F. Row, " History of Midhurst Grammar
School" (1913). For Hospitals, etc., in addition to V.C.H., "Sussex,"
II, p. 97, see also Brit. Arch. Assoc. Journ., XI, p. 115 ; Sussex Arch.
Coll., Vols. 24, p. 41, 30, p. 148, 51, p. 37, and (passim) ; also F. W. Hill,
"Sackville College," ch. ix (1913). There are Town Trusts at Midhurst,
Pevensey, and Seaford.
Private Collections — For a list of these, see H.M.C. 18th Rep. ;
Sussex Arch. Coll. (passim) ; A. L. Humphreys op. cit. ; G. W. E.
Loder, "Account of Wakehurst Place" (1907).
WARWICKSHIRE.
In this county, with a population and an important
literary interest always increasing — apart from its tradi
tions — repositories for local records are somewhat scat
tered ; owing also to ecclesiastical divisions, the Diocesan
and Probate Registries lie outside its borders. The
County Records are not of early date, while the Manorial
Records are little known.1 Among towns, Coventry and
Stratford possess collections of special interest ; but the
early records of Birmingham's local government must
be sought in the minutes of a parochial vestry.2 Many
collections of documents in private hands have been de
scribed. Among public institutions, the Birmingham
Public Library and Birthplace at Stratford contain local
material indispensable for the student, and the Parish
Records are at least of average value.3
Public Records. — These are chiefly at Birmingham. For the Dis
trict Probate Registry, see Marshall, op. cit, p. 31.4
Statutory Authorities, etc. — For records of Coventry and
'F. G. Davenport, "Manorial Society Monographs," No. 2, p. 24.
The Warwick Castle collection has many Manorial Records.
2 See below.
3 Hudson, "History of a Warwickshire Parish" (Lapworth). Those
¦of Knowle (" Records of Knowle," by T. W. Downing) chiefly represent
later periods.
4 See Worcester and Lichfield. For Stratford Wills, see " Statement
of the MSS. at Shakespeare's Birthplace," p. 6.

246 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
Birmingham Street Commissioners and Coventry Poor Law Records, see
Webb, "English Local Govt.," Part II, pp. 157 and 434-436. For
Turnpike Trusts, see 1919 Rep., Appx. (Ill), p. 85.
County Records (County Hall, Warwick).— Dating from 1612. See
1800 Rep., p. 291 ; 1837 Rep., p. 248 ; 1902 Rep., pp. 24-25 ; 1919 Rep.,
pp. 6 sq., 99 ; (MS. Index).
Town Records.
Warwick (T.C).— MS. Index. Briefly described in the 1902 Rep.,
p. 72 ; 1919 Rep., loc. cit. ; Brit. Arch. Journ., XVI, Part II,
pp. 79-85, and XVIII, pp. 265-276 ; Warw. Field Club, 1896,
pp. 1-14.
Coventry (T.C). — Catalogue (J. C. Jeaffreson) ; 1902 Rep., p. 33 ;
1919 Rep., p. 23; H.M.C, ist Rep. Appx., p. 100; 15th Rep.,
Appx., p. 101 ; Proc. Warw. Field Club, 1896; Trans. Bristol
and Glouc. Arch. Soc, XXXVII, p. 188; Brit. Arch. Journ.,
XVI, Part II, p. 65 ; Trans. Birmingham and Midi. Institute,
XXV, p. 46 ; " Coventry Leet Book" (E.E.T.S.), and the works
on Coventry, by M. Dormer Harris (passim).
Stratford-on-Avon.1 — See 1919 Rep., p. 99; H.M.C. 9th Rep.,
Appx., pp. 289-293 : " Memorials of Old Warwick," pp. 258-266 ;
Notes and Queries, Ser. VIII, Vol. II, pp. 336-337.
Birmingham (T.C). — 1902 Rep., p. 30 ; 1919 Rep., p. 22.
Sutton Coldfield (T.C). — 1880 Rep., p. 112 ; 1919 Rep., p. 27, and
Midland Record Soc. Trans., Vol. Ill, pp. 3-9 (1899).
Parish Records. — The Registers of Stratford-on-Avon, and many
others, have been printed.2 Among Churchwardens' Accounts, and other
Records, may be mentioned those of Solihull (1524), and St. Nicholas,
Warwick (1549) 3 HolyTrinity, Coventry (1462),4 including many charters,6
and the Vestry Minutes of St. Martin's, Birmingham6 (1795 — ). A
report on Parish Council documents has been issued by the Warwickshire
County Council (1899).
1 See below, Public Institutions. The references to Stratford-on-Avon
documents in works on Shakespeare are too numerous to mention.
2 Warwick Parish Register Society and " Report on the Local Ec
clesiastical Records of the Diocese of Birmingham " (191 1).
3 Parish Magazine, 1890.
4 " Clerk's Book of 1 549 " (Wickham Legg), p. 57.
6 Printed Catalogue in Vestry ; written Catalogue of the whole collec
tion (T. Sharp) in possession of the Clerk of the Vestry. See also Notes
and Queries, 11 S., Vol. VI, pp. 330, 341 ; 12 S., Vol., II, p. 501, and
Vol III, p. 289.
6 Webb, op. cit, I, p. 20.

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES 247
Diocesan Records.1 —
Public Institutions.
Birmingham.— -Free Library (Catalogue). Midland Institute
(Transactions of the Archaeological Section, ibid.).
Stratford.— Shakespeare's Birthplace. "A Statement . . . of the
Manuscripts belonging to the Trustees ... of Shakespeare's
Birthplace presented to the Royal Commission " (191 5). " Ter
centenary Catalogue of Original Documents preserved in Strat
ford-on-Avon " (191 6).2
Coventry. — Reference Library.
Warwick. — Museum. See Trans. Warw. Field Club (ibid.).
Private Collections — See H.M.C. 18th Rep., Appx., p. 354. The
following may also be noted : Arbury (Newdigate MSS.), Calendar
Bloom MSS. ; Compton Verney (Verney MSS.), J. H. Bloom ; Proc.
Birmingham and Midi. Arch. Soc, XXX, pp. 22-36 ; Warwick Castle
(Greville MSS.), J. H. Bloom, op. cit.
WESTMORLAND.
Westmorland has few records. The Departmental
and Statutory Authorities are scarcely represented ;
ecclesiastically, it is included in the Diocese of Carlisle.
Transcripts from Borough Records, and from a number
of Parish Registers and Churchwardens' Accounts, have
been printed by the Cumberland and Westmorland Anti
quarian and Archaelogical Society. Among private col
lections, the Lowther, Le Fleming, and Strickland Papers
are to be noted.
Statutory Authorities. — See 1919 Rep., Appx. (Ill), p. 86.
County Records 3 (Kendal). — MS. List (incomplete). See 1800
Rep., p. 291 ; 1837 Rep., p. 27 ; 1902 Rep., p. 24 ; 1919 Rep., p. 6 sq.
Town Records.
Appleby (T.C).— 1902 Rep., p. 46; 1880 Rep., p. 10; 1919 Rep.,
p. 22 ; Cumb. and Westm. Antiq. and Arch. Soc. Trans. (1891) ;
S. and B. Webb, op. cit.
1 See Worcester and Lichfield. There is a modern Diocese of Bir
mingham created, 1905. The records of the Archdeaconry of Coventry
(1902 Rep., p. 128) appear to be merely parochial.
2 See above, " Town Records ".
3 In 1800 the County Records were at Lowther Castle, cf. Lowther
MSS. ; H.M.C. 13th Rep., VII, and Appx., p. 32.

248 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
Kendal (T.C).— 1902 Rep., p. 60; H.M.C. 10th Rep., Appx., p.
299 ; Cumb. and Westm., etc., Trans. (R. E. Leach), 1892.
Parish Records. — See Cumb. and Westm., etc., Trans., Cat. Index,
Vols. I-XVI (1901) ; ibid., N.S., Vol. V (1905).
Public Institutions, etc. — Westmorland had some notable grammar
schools and charitable foundations. For Kendal Grammar School, see
1 902 Rep., p. 46. For records of Appleby Grammar School and St. Anne's
Hospital, see ibid, and Cumb. and Westm., etc., Trans., 1885 and 1895.
For records of other ancient grammar schools, see ibid, (passim), and
Charity Comm. Rep. WILTSHIRE.
The County Records are exceptionally well preserved
and described. Considerable information as to Town
Records may be obtained from scattered notices in the
Wiltshire Magazine, and in Hoare's " History " of the
County or Hundreds. The Parish Records have not
been systematically surveyed or printed. No Manorial
Records of the Bishopric and Chapter have been de
posited in the Public Record Office. Some of these
may be preserved at the Ecclesiastical Commission. Be
sides the existing local collections, many documents must
have come into the hands of antiquaries like Aubrey,
Hoare, and Phillipps.
Public Records — District Probate Registry1 (Salisbury). — The
records date only from 1800; for earlier records see 1914 Rep., pp.
201 sq.
Statutory Authorities, etc. — Several towns in this county were
under Local Boards in pursuance of the Local Government Act of 1858
(Melksham, Swindon, Trowbridge, Westbury, etc.), but it is not known if
the proceedings of these Boards have been preserved. The same remark
applies to the records of Courts of Request.
County Records (Devizes) from 1575. — See 1800 Rep., p. 292 ; 1902
Rep., p. 234; 1919 Rep., Appx. (II), (passim); H.M.C. Var. Coll., I>
p. 65 ; Wilts. Mag., XX, p. 322 ; XXI, p. 75 ; XXII, p. I.
Town Records.
Calne (T.C.).— 1835 Rep., II, p. 1229; A. E. W. Marsh, "His
tory ".
1 For the Diocese of Salisbury (County of Wilts.).

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES 249
Chippenham (T.C).— 1835 Rep., II, p. 1243 ; 1837 Rep., p. 442 ;
1902 Rep., p. 50.
Devizes (T.C).— 1835 Rep., II, p. 1259 ; 1837 Rep., p. 444 ; 1902
Rep., p. 54; J. Waylen, "History".
Malmesbury (T.C).— 1835 Rep., I, p. 75 ; 1880 Rep., p. 73.
Marlborough (T.C).— 1835 Rep., I, p. 81 ; J. Waylen, " History" ;
and Wilts. Mag., XXXIII, p. 423.
Salisbury (T.C).— 1835 Rep., II, p. 1335; 1837 Rep., p. 479;
H.M.C. 17th Rep., p. 122 ; Var. Coll., IV, pp. 191-254.
Westbury (T.T.).— 1835 Rep., II, p. 1375 ; 1837 Rep., p. 508;
1880 Rep., p. 119 ; 1902 Rep., p. 277.
Wilton (T.C).— 1835 Rep., II, p. 1397 ; 1880 Rep., p. 120 ; 1902
Rep., p. 134.
Wootton Bassett (T.T.).— 1835 Rep-, I, p. 145 ; 1880 Rep., p. 131 ;
1902 Rep., p. 277.
Parish Records. — The records of several parishes are mentioned in
the Wilts. Mag. and Wilts. Notes and Queries, besides some monographs.
Several of the Churchwardens' Accounts are of early date, and are printed
(e.g. Salisbury and Steeple Ashton).
Church Records.
(a) Bishopric Records (Salisbury). — See 1800 Rep., p. 316 ; 1919
Rep., p. 29 ; H.M.C. 17th Rep., p. 109 ; Var. Coll., IV, p. 1.
(b) Chapter Records (Salisbury). — See 1800 Rep., p. 341 ; 1902
Rep., p. 114; 1919 Rep., p. 30; H.M.C. ist Rep., p. 90; 16th
Rep., p. 102 ; Var. Coll., I, p. 338.
(c) Archdeaconry Records (Salisbury). — 1919 Rep., p. 29.
For the records of early Nonconformist Meeting Houses in this
county, see Wilts Mag. (passim), and 19 14 Rep., Appx. (II),
p. 297.
Public Institutions, etc. — There are local collections in several
public libraries and museums. Probably the most important of those
connected with ancient institutions is that of St. Nicholas' Hospital, Salis
bury (Wilts. Rec. Soc, 1903). For the collection of the Wilts. Archaeo
logical Society, see Wilts. Mag, XXX-XXXVII_
Private Collections  For the valuable MSS. at Longleat, Wilton,
Savernake, and Littlecote, see H.M.C. 18th Rep., loc. cit. ; other local
collections are mentioned in the Wilts. Arch. Mag. (passim).
WORCESTERSHIRE.
The county has no important departmental collections
and the best are those at Worcester itself, where the
Diocesan and Cathedral archives date from the 13 th

250 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHD7ES
century and the large Municipal Collection is also early.
The ancient Corporations of Bewdley, Droitwich,
Evesham, and Kidderminster, have small but interesting
collections. The County Records have been partially
printed by the County Council and some portions by the
local Historical Society; the Parish Records are good,
with an exceptional number of early registers. They are
dealt with by a local Parish Register Society, and a
Diocesan Committee, which has issued a digest of all
Registers up to 1812, with an Index to the Transcripts.
Public Records. — District Probate Registry (Worcester). See
."Calendar of Wills," 1451-1652 (Wore. Hist. Soc, etc.); "Index to
Worcester Wills" (Sir T. Phillipps) ; cf. 1902 Rep., Appx. (X), p. 244.
Enrolments of Wills are at the Guildhall, Worcester (1 558-1652). For
the Military Records at Worcester, see 1914 Rep., Appx., p. 219.
Statutory Authorities. — Commission of Sewers (Avon Valley). See
1914 Rep., Appx. (II), p. 100. For River and Harbour Boards, see Local
Taxation Returns, 1913-14. For Turnpike Trust Papers, see 1919 Rep.,
Appx. '(Ill), p. 86.
County Records — MS. Index. See 1800 Rep., p. 292 ; 1837 Rep.,
p. 510; 1902 Rep., p. 134; 1919 Rep., p. 6 sq., 100; "Sessions Records,
1 591-1643" (Wore. County Council) ; and H.M.C. Var. Coll., I, p. 282.
Town Records.1
Worcester.- — 1902 Rep., Appx. (Ill), p. 40; and also 1837 Rep.,
p. 510 ; Catalogue (R. Woof); 1919 Rep., p. 100.
Bewdley. — 1902 Rep., Appx., p. 48.
Droitwich. — MS. Catalogue (W. de G. Birch) ; 1902 Rep., p. 56.
Kidderminster. — 1902 Rep., p. 60 ; 1919 Rep., p. 25.
Parish Records. — See 1902 Rep., p. 128. Some Registers have been
printed; see H.M.C. 8th Rep., Appx., p. 638 ; Midland Rec. Soc. Trans.,
Vol. I (passim) ; Bromsgrove Notes and Queries, 1908-13 ; and Worcester
Hist. Soc. Publications
Church Records.
Bishopric Records (Worcester). — See 1800 Rep., p. 311 ; 1919
Rep., p. 100 ; H.M.C. 14th Rep., Appx. (VIII), p. 204.
Chapter Records. — 1919 Rep., loc. cit. ; H.M.C, loc. cit, p. 165 ;
Cat. of MSS. ; 1800 Rep., p. 342 ; 1906 (J. K. Floyer).
Archdeaconry Records. — 1902 Rep., p. 128 ; 1919 Rep., loc cit.
1 Malvern and Bromsgrove had Local Boards ; Dudley and Stourbridge
are recent incorporations, see 1902 Rep., p. 32.

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES 25 1
Nonconformist Records — Some Catholic Registers are printed ; cf.
Catholic Rec. Soc, Vol. XVII, Misc. X, p. 2. For non-parochial Registers
of Baptists and Soc. of Friends, see publications by A. A. Rollaston, and
Quakeriana (Aug., 1894).
Public Institutions — For Hartlebury Grammar School, see Wore
Hist. Soc, for other early schools, see V.C.H.
Private Collections — See H.M.C. 1 8th Rep., Appx., p. 354. For
Kyre Park Charters, see Wore Hist. Soc. Publns. and Antiquary (Ser. 2),
XXI and XXII ; for collections at Badsey and S. Littleton, see Midland
Antiquary, Vol. I.
YORKSHIRE.
There are many minor repositories of Public Re
cords in this county besides the York Probate Registry.
which has exceptionally valuable and well-arranged
records, including some recently restored from Somerset
House. The County Records are in three reposi
tories. The typical Statutory Authorities are fully
represented in the industrial districts. York City has
a unique collection, dating from the nth century,
adequately listed. The Town Records generally are
important, but those of a manorial type are in private
hands. A number of Parish Records are printed. The
Churchwardens' Accounts of Hedon (from 1349 — un
published) are, with one exception (Bath), the oldest
known to us. There is one Registry, at York, for the
York Province and Diocese, containing an extensive
series of Provincial, Diocesan, and Archidiaconal Records
incompletely catalogued. The valuable archives of the
Dean and Chapter have recently been listed. These,
and the MSS. in Ripon Cathedral Treasury, are surveyed
by the Surtees Society.
The collections of Borough Records, Local Deeds, and
MSS. in the Public Libraries of Sheffield, Bradford, etc.,
are to be noted.
Most of the important private collections are surveyed
by the H.M.C. and the local historical societies, but
there are muniment rooms known to contain very early

252 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
Manorial Records which have hitherto remained closed
to inspection. Public Records.
(a) District Probate Registry1 (York). — 1914 Rep., p. 293;
Surtees Society (passim).
(b) Custom House Records. — See 1914 Rep., Appx. (II), p. 245.
Statutory Authorities, etc.— For Commissioners of Sewers and
Drainage Boards, Harbours, etc. (East and West Riding), see "Local
Taxation Returns," 191 3-1 4, Part VI, etc.; Yorks Arch, and Topogr.
Assoc, VII, p. 194. For Turnpike Trusts, see 1919 Rep., Appx. (Ill),
p. 86. For the Statutory Registries of Deeds in each Riding, see below,
under County Records.
County Records * (North, East, and West Ridings at Northallerton,
Beverley, and Hull respectively). — 1800 Rep., pp. 284-294, and 327-330;
1837 Rep., pp. 282-284 ; 1902 Rep., p. 26 ; 1919 Rep., p. 21 ; H.M.C.
-9th Rep., Appx., pp. 324 sq. ; Publications of North Riding Rec. Soc ;
Yorks Arch, and Topogr. Assoc, VIII, p. 163 ; MS. Indexes.
Town Records.3
Barnsley.— 1902 Rep., p. 46.
Beverley. — 1837 Rep., p. 430; H.M.C. 16th Rep., Appx., p. 91;
Selden Soc. Publ., No. 54, "Beverlac " (Poulson).
Bradford. — 1919 Rep., p. 22.
Brighouse. — 1902 Rep., p. 48.
Dewsbury.—ibid., p. 54.
Doncaster. — ibid., p. 54 ; Calendar (W. J. Hardy).
Halifax. — ibid., p. 34.
Huddersfield. — ibid., p. 34.
Hedon.— See " Holderness " (Poulson) ; " History " (Boyle) ; ibid.,
Park.
/ifo// (Kingston-on- Hull).— 1835 Rep., p. 1545: Vol. Ill, p. 156;
1902 Rep., p. 34 ; 1919 Rep., p. 24 ; Lambert, "Two Thousand
Years of Gild Life " ; Wildridge, " Hull Letters ".
1 For Yorks wills at Somerset House, see 1914 Rep., p. 199, and 1919
Hep., loc. cit. ; at Lancaster, 1800 Rep., p. 318 ; cf. Testamentary Records
in custody of York Dean and Chapter; 1902 Rep., p. 223; at Durham
and in Richmond Archdeaconry, 1914 Rep., p. 294. See also " Testamenta
Leodensia," Thoresby Soc. Miscell., 1891-95.
2 Including, besides the Quarter Sessions and County Council Records,
the Statutory Registries of Deeds in each Riding. Records of Northern
Circuit transferred to P.R.O. from York. 1800 Rep., p. 240; 1837 Rep.,
p. 213 ; S.S. Publ., 1881 ; P.R.O., Rules and Schedules, pp. 247 sq.
3 For Bridlington, see 1880 Rep., p. 142.

DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES 25 J
Knaresborough. — 1837 Rep., p. 460.
Leeds. — 1837 Rep., p. 462 ; "History" (Wardell).
Northallerton.—" Municipal Hist. " (Gross.), p. 348.
Pontefract—x%i7 Rep., p. 475 : H.M.C. 8th Rep., Appx., p. 269 ;
Notes and Queries, II Series, Vol. V, p. 478 ; Pontefract " Book
of Entries " (Holmes).
Richmond.— 1902 Rep., p. 68 ; MS. List.
Ripon. — 1902 Rep., p. 68 ; cf. The Antiquary, Vol. XXXII.
Scarborough.— 1837 Rep., p. 481 ; 1919 Rep., p. 26 ; Catalogue
(1893)-
Sheffield.— Catalogue, 1913 (Hall) ; " Burgery Records" (Leader) ;
" Hallamshire " (Hunter); Hunter Arch. Soc. Trans., Vol I.
Todmorden. — 1902 Rep., p. 70 ; Halifax Antiquarian Soc. Papers,
1908.
Wakefield. — 1902 Rep., p. 72 ; 1919 Rep., p. 27.
York.1 — 1902 Rep., p. 42; Catalogue (Giles), 1912; H.M.C. ist
Rep., Appx., p. 108; 1919 Rep., p. 107; S.S. (passim); The
Antiquary (passim); Davies, "Municipal Records"- For
Merchant Adventurers, see 1912 Rep., Evidence (M. Sellers).
Parish Records. —The Parish Records are surveyed by local Societies.
See also " CoUectio Rerum Ecclesiarum de Diocesi Eboracensi " (York and
Ripon), (Lawton) ; " Early Parish Registers of Rotherham " (White).
For Ecclesfield Parish Registers and Churchwardens' Accounts, see Gatty
and Guest's " Historic Notices " ; for Churchwardens' and Constables'
Accounts in Wakefield Burgh Collection, see 1902 Rep., p. 26.
Church Records.
York? Bishopric Records (York). — York Registry for the province and
diocese, 1902 Rep., p. 223 ; 1919 Rep., loc. cit. ; H.M.C. ist
Rep., Appx., p. 97 ; S.S. (passim).
Cathedral Records (York). — 1800 Rep., p. 332 ; 1837 Rep.,
p. 286; 1919 Rep., loc. cit. ; H.M.C. ist Rep., loc. cit. ; S.S.,
Vol. 49 ; MS. Index (A. Gibbons).
1 For MSS. of the Company of Merchant Adventurers, see H.M.C. ist
Rep., Appx., p. no. For the Eastland "Acts and Ordinances," see-
Camden 3rd Ser. XI.
2 For the ancient jurisdiction of the Archbishopric at Southwell and
elsewhere, see 1914 Rep., Appx., II, p. 14 ; for the Collegiate Church
at Middleham, see 1919 Rep., Appx. (II), p. 72 n. ; Camden Soc. Publ.,
1837; Beverley Minster, A. F. Leach, "Memorials" (S.S., Vol. 76).
Metropolitan courts (York) are included here.
cf. Parochial survey (at Lambeth) of lands attached to Cathedral or
Collegiate Churches in Province of York (1837 Rep., pp. 396 and 406).

254 DIRECTORY OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES
Archdeaconry Records (York — for York, Cleveland, and East
Riding). — 1902 Rep., p. 118; 1914 Rep., loc. cit; 1919
Rep., loc. cit.
Ripon.1 Cathedral Records (Ripon— from 14th century). — 1902 Rep., p.
124 ; S.S. (passim) ; Yorks Arch, and Topogr. Journ., II,
p. 371 ; MS. Catalogue.
Archdeaconry Records (Ripon). — 1800 Rep., p. 317 ; 1902 Rep.,
p. 124 ; S.St '853 ; 1914 Rep., loc. cit. ; 1919 Rep., loc. cit.
Public Institutions, etc. — Yorkshire is rich in charities and schools ;
for the latter, see A. F. Leach, " Early Yorkshire Schools " ; for Trinity
House (Hull) and other charities, see 1902 Rep., p. 34 ; and H.M.C. 18th
Rep., p. 354. The Yorkshire Philosophical Society (York), and the York
shire Archaeological Society (Leeds), have valuable collections, and some
public libraries, especially Sheffield, have collected and described many
local Deeds, etc. ; for these see respective publications * and transactions
of local societies.
Private Collections. — Many collections have been reported on by
the H.M.C. (18th Rep., p. 354). The MSS. of the Duke of Leeds include
a quantity of Departmental Records which belong to the series at the Pub
lic Record Office.
1 Ripon has no ancient Diocesan Records. There are modern
Bishoprics of Knaresborough, Richmond, Hull, Beverley, Wakefield, and
Sheffield. 'e.g. by T. Walter Hall (Sheffield).

APPENDIX A.
SUMMARY LIST OF ENGLISH ARCHIVES.
I. Central Archives.
A. Public Records.
(a) Records in the custody of the Master of the Rolls.1
(b) Records transferred to the actual charge and superin
tendence of the Master of the Rolls.1
(c) Records not yet transferred to the above custody, etc.2
B. Semi-Public Records.3
(a) National Institutions and Central Authorities.
(b) Central Professional Bodies or Trading Companies.
(c) Learned Societies and Benevolent Associations.
II. Local Archives.
A. Local Records of a Public Nature.
(a) Records of Courts of Justice, Registries, and Govern
ment Departments in local custody.*
(b) Local Records in the custody of Civil Authorities.5
1 See pp. 161 sq. and Introduction, and Part I (passim).
* Ibid., these theoretically include the Local Records in II A (a),
below. 3See pp. 145 sq. and 172 sq. With few exceptions, these are archives
centralized in London.
4 Including District Registries of the Supreme Court of Justice,
Palatine Courts and Local Courts with Ordinary Jurisdiction. See pp. 74 sq.,
93 sq. and Part III (passim).
5 Including Statutory Authorities and Trusts, County Records, Town
Records, and Urban, Rural, and Parish District Councils. See pp. 97-134
and Part III (passim). (255)

256 APPENDIX a
(c) Local Records in the custody of Ecclesiastical
Authorities or Religious Bodies.1
B. Local Records of a Private Nature}
(a) Muniments of Corporate Bodies (other than II, A, (a),(b).
(b) Muniments or collections in the possession of Societies
or Institutions (other than I, B).
(c) Title Deeds or collections of Private Individuals.
1 Including Bishops, Deans and Chapters, Archdeacons, Incumbents
or Churchwardens, and Nonconformist Bodies. See pp. 134-144 and Part III
(passim). * See pp. 145-158 and Part III (passim).

APPENDIX B.
LIST OF MUNICIPAL AND REPUTED BOROUGHS.
THE Boroughs included in the following list are those mentioned
in the 1796, 1833, 1835, 1837, 1880, 1902, and 1919 Reports,1
and the Reports of the Historical Manuscripts Commission, to
gether with a few towns omitted from these Reports, but men
tioned in Gross's Municipal Bibliography or Ballard's Borough
Charters. This list (which was made independently of the
lists printed in Part II of the 19 19 Report) is not, however,
exhaustive or authoritative, as it is known that there are
omissions and inconsistencies in the Municipal Commissioners'
Reports. Moreover, some towns which have or had a quasi-
municipal government and which do or may possess ancient
records are omitted from this list because there is no authority
for their inclusion.
At the same time the list will probably save students much
trouble and may serve as the basis for a more complete com
pilation ; but, apart from the fact that the official lists are in
complete, those published in bibliographies do not necessarily
indicate the existence of records. Thus, many towns which
figure in the 1837 Report and the well-known work of C.
Gross, "are now devoid of local archives, while others, not in
cluded here, have interesting documents.
Abingdon. Amersham. Aylesbury.
Agmondesham. , Andover. Bamborough.
Alcester. Appleby. Banbury.
Aldeburgh. Arundel. Bamsley.
Alnwick. Ashburton. Barnstaple.
Alresford. Ashton-u.-Lyne. Barrow-in-Furness.
Altrincham. Axbridge. Basingstoke.
1 See Key to Abbreviations (p. xxxv).
(257) S

258

APPENDIX B

Bath.Beccles.Bedford.
Bedwin (Great).
Bere Alston.
Berkley.Berwick-on-Tweed.
Beverley.Bewdley.
Bideford. Birkenhead.
Birmingham. Bishop's Castle.
Blackburn.Blandford.
Bletchingley.
Bodmin. Bolton. Bootle.Boroughbridge. Bossiney.
Boston. Bournemouth.
Bovey Tracey.
Brackley. Bradford.
Brading.Bradninch.
Bramber. Bridgnorth.
Bridge water.
Bridport. Brighouse. Brightlingsea.
Brighton.
Bristol. Buckingham.Burford.
Burton-on-Trent. Bury (Lanes).
Bury St. Edmunds.
Callington.
Galne.

Cambridge.
Camelford.Canterbury. Carlisle.
Castle Rising.
Chagford.
Chard.
Chatham.Chelmsford.
Cheltenham.
Chester.
Chesterfield.
Chichester. Chippenham.Chipping Camden.
Chipping Norton.
Chipping Sodbury.
Christ Church.
Cirencester. Clitheroe. Clun.
Cockermouth.Coggeshall. Colchester.Colnbrook.Congleton.Corfe Castle.
Coventry.Cricklade. Crowcombe.
Croydon. Darlington.Dartmouth.
Darwen. Daventry. Deal. Derby.
Devizes.Devonport.Dewsbury.Doncaster.Dorchester.
Dover.

Downton.Droitwich.
Dudley. Dunmow.
Dunstable.
Dunwich.
Durham. Dursley.
Eastbourne.Egremont.
Ellesmere.
Ely.
Evesham.Exeter. Eye.Falmouth.Farnham. Faversham.
Feversham. Finsbury.
Folkestone.
Fordwich.Fowey.Frodsham. Frome.
Gainsborough.Garstang.
Gateshead.Gatton.Glastonbury.
Gloucester. Godalming.Godman Chester.
Grampound. Grantham.Gravesend.Greenwich.Grimsby.
Grinstead (E.).
Guildford. Halifax.Hanley.
Hartlepool.

Hartorr.
Harwich.
Haslemere. Haslingden. Hastings. Havering atte Bower.
Hedon.Helston. Hemel Hempstead.
Henley (in Arden).
Henley (on Thames).
Hereford. Hertford.
Hexham. Heytesbury. Heywood. Higham Ferrers.
Hinckley.
Hindon.
Honiton. Horsham.Huddersfield.Huntingdon.Hythe.
Ilchester.Ilkeston.Ipswich.
Jarrow. Kendal.Kidderminster. King's Lynn.
Kingston-on-Hull. Kingston-on-Thames.
Kirkham.Knaresborough. Knutsford.
Lambeth.
Lancaster. Langport.
Launceston. Leeds.
Leek. Leicester.

APPENDIX B
Leominster.
Lewes. Lichfield.
Lincoln. Liskeard.Liverpool.
London.Longton. Looe (E.).
Looe (W.).
Lostwithiel.
Loughborough.
Louth. Lowestoft.
Ludgershall. Ludlow. Luton.
Lydd.
Lydford. Lyme Regis.
Lymington.
Macclesfield.Maidenhead.
Maidstone.
Maldon. Malmesbury.
Manchester.
Marazion. Marlborough. Melton Mowbray.
Melcombe, Weymouth.
Midhurst. Milborne Port.
Minehead.Mitchell. Modbury. Monmouth.
Morpeth. Nantwich.
Newark. Newbury.Newcastle-on-Tyne. Newcastle-under-Lyme.

259

New Malton.
Newnham.
Newport (Cornwall).
Newport (Hants).
Newport (Mon.).
Newport (Salop).
Newtown (Lanes).
Newtown (Hants).
Northallerton.
Northampton. Northleach.
Norwich. Nottingham.
Oakham.
Okehampton. Oldham.Old Sarum.
Orford.
Oswestry. Over. Overton.Oxford. Paignton.
Penryn.
Penzance. Peterborough. Petersfield.
Pevensey. Plymouth. Plympton Earle.
Pontefract.
Portsmouth. Poole.
Preston. Queenborough. Ravenspurne.
Reading. Ramsgate.
Reigate. Retford (East).
Richmond (Yorks).
Ripon.Rochdale.

260

APPENDIX B

Rochester.
Romford.Romney (New).
Romney Marsh.
Romsey.Ruyton.Rye.
Saffron Walden.
St. Albans.
St. Germains.
St. Helens.
St. Marlow.
St. Mawes.
St. Michael (Mitchell).
Salford. Salisbury.Saltash.
Sandwich. Scarborough.
Seaford. Shaftesbury.Sheffield.Shoreham.
Shrewsbury.
Solyhull. Southampton. Southend.
South Molton.
South Shields.
Southwark. Southwold.
Spalding. Stafford.
Stamford. Steyning.
Stockbridge.Stockport.

Stockton-on-Tees.
Stoke-on-Trent.Stratford-on-Avon.Stroud.
Sudbury. Sunderland.
Sutton Coldfield.
Swaffham.
Tamworth.Taunton.
Tavistock. Tenterden.Tewkesbury. Thaxted.
Thetford.Thirsk. Thornaby-on-Tees. Thornbury.
Tintagel.
Tiverton. Todmorden.
Torquay. Torrington.
Totnes.Tower Hamlets.
Tregony. Trowbridge.
Truro.
Tunbridge Wells.
Tutbury.Tynemouth.
Usk.Uttoxeter. Uxbridge.
Wakefield. Wallingford.
Walsall.

Wareham.
Warkworth. Warrington.
Warwick. Watchet.Wednesbury.Wells.
Wendover.
Wenlock.
Weobley. Westbury. Westminster.
Whitby.Whitchurch.Whitehaven. Wickwar.
Wigan.
Wilton. Winchcombe.
Winchelsea.
Winchester. Windsor.
Wisbech. Witney.Wokingham.
Wolverhampton. Woodstock.
Wootton Basset.
Worcester.Wotton-under-Edge.Wycombe.
Yarmouth (Great).
Yarmouth (I. of W.).
Yeovil.
York.

APPENDIX C.
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE.
IT was the original intention of the compilers to have included a
Select List of printed authorities in an Appendix, but no space
remained at their disposal. It will be found, however, that
reference has been made in the Preface to some general works
which have been largely used for the present purpose. Many
other works of special or local interest are referred to in the
Introduction or in the Repertory itself, though many others
which were used have not been cited. Similarly, no attempt
has been made to refer to all the printed Statutes or State
Papers that deal with the custody or use of Records of a
public nature.
It may, however, be helpful to students who have not made
a special study of the Bibliography of Archives to keep in
view the following outline classification of the subject1
Publications Relating to Archives.
i. Bibliographies (including Library Catalogues, Printed
or in MS.).
2. Directories or " Guides ".
3. Inventories or Lists (including official Lists in MS.).
4. Calendars and Indexes (including those in MS.).
5. Texts (including Extracts and MS. Transcripts).
6. Modern Works relating to Archives, or to Local History-
(Regional, County, Municipal, Parochial, Ecclesiastical), Local;
Institutions, and Biography.
JFor details see Hall, Studies, pp. 101-110.
(261)

262 APPENDIX C
It is important to note that valuable specimens of most of
the above types occur in Periodical Publications, e.g. Parlia
mentary Papers, official Reports, and Proceedings of Learned
Societies, or Local Antiquarian Journals.1
1 Gross, Sources and Literature and Municipal Bibliography ; H. Hall (and
others), Bibliography of Mediaval Economic History (Appendix).

INDEX

Accounts, ig, 45-50, 73.
Administrative proceedings, 45-64.
Admiralty, High Court of, 29, 80.
Archdeaconry records. See Church
Records.
Archives, bibliography of, xxix-xxxiii,
261-2.
— growth of the, ix-xix.
— administration of the, xix-xxxiii.
— State, xvii, xix-xxvii, 1 sq., 161-72,
255-6.
— central, ix, xn, 163-74, 255-
— local, xxvii-xxix, 93-158, 174-254.
— ¦ directory of, i6r-254.
— Scottish, 162.
— Irish, 162.
— Welsh. See Wales.
— Foreign, xix, xxi, xxx.
— of Departments connected with the
War, 161-3.
— of legations, etc., 43, 44.
— - list of, 257.
Assize records, 6g.
Augmentations, Court of, 30, 85, 87.
Bank of England, 149, r72.
Bankers' Institute, Museum of the, 150.
— records, 155 n.
Barmote Courts. See Mineral Courts.
Bedfordshire archives, r74, 175.
Berkshire archives, 175-7.
Bibliography of the Archives, v-viii,
xxix-xxxiii, 163-254 and passim.
Bishopric records. See Church Records.
Boroughs. See Towns.
Buckinghamshire archives, 178-8.
Cambridgeshire archives, 178-80
Cathedral records. See Church Re
cords.
Certificates, rg, 35-38.

Chancery records, 1-28, 31-41, 50-1,
54-8, 67-8, 70-2, 88-g, 163, 164.
Chancery, Records of the. See Diplo
matic Documents, Surveys, Nomi
nal Lists and Judicial Records,
passim.
— suits, 150.
— masters. See Chancery records.
Chapter records. See Cathedral re
cords.
Charity commissions, 148.
— organisations, 174.
— commissioners, 102, 106.
Charters, 1-16, 26-8, 31-3, 122, 124, T41,
157, and see Diplomatic Docu
ments, passim.
Cheshire archives, 180-2.
Chester. See Palatinate Records and
passim.
Church records, 81, 134-44.
 classified list of, 141-4.
 repositories of, 175-253, passim.
Churchwardens' accounts, 126-34, and
175-253, passim.
Cinque Ports. See Kent, Sussex.
Circuit records, 6g.
Commissions, Royal, archives of, r2,
14, 44, g8, gg, 162, 17^2.
— • special, 5, 51.
Committees, local or district, 98-105,
!33, 214-
— statutory or departmental, gg-T05,
171-2.
Confirmations (charters), 3-16.
Cornwall, archives in, 182-4.
— Duchy records, 27, 77, 182.
Corporations, academic, 145-58.
— municipal, 116-26, 175-253, 257.
— professional, 145-58, 173, 2ig.
— trading, 145-58, 173, 2ig.
Correspondence. See Diplomatic Docu
ments.

1 The Index is not exhaustive : to have made it so would have involved an
analysis of the whole contents which have been classified here and indicated by
a Table of Contents. (263)

264

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS

Councils, district, records of, 108, 116,
105-7. See North and West.
County Council records, ZT4-6.
— records, repositories of, ^4-252.
Courts of Law, records of, 65-87, 163-4.
Courts of Justice, local, 93-7.
 records of, 93-7. See
Palatinate Records and
Records, Local.
— Mineral, 103, 107.
Crown Office (House of Lords). See
Chancery.
Cumberland, archives in, 184-6.
Cursitors' records. See Chancery.
Customs records, 169 and 179-252.
Custos Rotulorum, 108.
Deeds, 31-3. See Diplomatic Docu
ments.
Delegates, High Court of, 29, 68, 80, 82.
Departments : see Records.
Derbyshire, Z86-7.
Devonshire archives, r87-go.
Diocesan records. See Church Records.
Diplomatic Documents, ^8-42, 152,
157-
— — unsealed, 16-g, 2Z, 37-43.
 subsidiary, r6-8.
 incidental, ig-20.
Docquets, z8.
Dorsetshire archives, igo-2.
Drafts, Z7, 8g.
Durham, archives in, 192-4.
— Palatinate records, 28, 78, 192.
— See also Palatinate records.
Ecclesiastical officers. Set Church
records.
— Courts. See Church records and
I75-253. passim.
Ely, Palatinate records, 78, 79, 178,
179.
— See Palatinate Records and Cam
bridgeshire.
Entry books, 43.
Essex archives, 194-6.
Exchequer records, 20, 46-7, 73-4, 163
and passim.
Exhibits. See Chancery Masters Docu
ments.
Family muniments, 15 1-8.
First Fruits and Tenths, Court of, 30,
86, 87, r7o n.
Flint. See Palatinate records and
Welsh Records.
Formula Books, 18.

Gloucestershire archives, 196-8.
Great Seal. See Seal, Diplomatic Docu
ments, Chancery.
Hampshire archives, 199-200.
Herefordshire archives, 201-2.
Hertfordshire archives, 202-3.
High Commission, Court of, 86.
Hospitals, r48, 2rg.
Huntingdonshire archives, 204.
Improvement Commissioners, Z03.
Inclosure Awards. See County and
Parish records.
Inclosures. See State Papers.
Indentures, r2, 15.
Inns of Court, Z49, 173.
Inquisitions, 4, 5.
Institutions, public, documents pre
served in, 145-Z58.
Instruments. See Diplomatic Docu
ments.
Intelligence. See Official and Depart
mental Correspondence.
Inventions. See Patents.
Jewish records. See Synagogue
records.
Judicial proceedings, 65-87.
Justices of the Peace, 108-12.
Kent archives, 204-7.
Lancashire archives, 207-10.
Lancaster, Duchy records, 27, 77, 78.
— Palatinate records, 27, 78, 207.
— See Palatinate records and passim.
Law Society, Z55.
Leases, 12, 15.
Leicestershire archives, 210-rr.
Letters, r, 3-8, 1,3 16-9, 33-44, 97, 152,
and see Diplomatic Documents,
passim.
— Letters Close, 2, 7-15.
— Patent, 2, 6-7, g-z6, 26, 28.
— Royal, 38-42.
— under the Great Seal, 4-16.
 smaller Seals, 20-5, 40.
Libraries, Public, 172, 219.
— Acts of Parliament for, 146, Z47
— See Literary Institutions.
Lieutenancy records, 108-16, 158.
Lincolnshire archives, 211-13.
Lloyd's, Z49, 173.
Local records. See Records, Local.
London archives, 213-20.
— Charities, 214.
— County Council records, 214, 215.

INDEX

265

London Metropolitan Borough records
m, 2Z5.
— Vestry records of, 2Z5.
— Parish records of, 2rs-6.
— Church records of, 2r6-8.
— Nonconformist records in, 2Z6-8.
— records of public institutions in,
2Z8-20.
— libraries in, 2zg.
— Learned Societies in, 2ig.
— schools in, 2ig.
— trading companies in, 2rg, 220.
— private collections of MSS. in, 220.
Marches (of Wales), Council of the, 87.
See Wales.
Memoranda, 17, 8g.
— Rolls. See Exchequer Records.
Metropolitan Water Board, Z4g, 214.
— Asylums Board, 2t4-
Middlesex archives, 220- r.
Municipal corporations. See Towns.
Museums. See Institutions.
National Portrait Gallery, records in,
173-
Nominal lists, 54-64.
Nonconformist records, Z39-41, 144.
Norfolk archives, 221-3.
North, Council of the, 87.
Northamptonshire archives, 223-6.
Northumberland archives, 226-8.
Nottinghamshire archives, 228-30.
Oxfordshire archives, 230-2.
Palatinate records, 27-9, 76-8, g6, 108,
rro, z66. See also Chester, Corn
wall, Durham, Ely, Wales.
— Courts, 26-g, 76-80, 108.
Papacy, jurisdiction of, in England, 134,
135. 139. i4°-
Parish chest. See Parish records.
— Councils, 129-30, Z33.
— officers, records of, 126-8, r3Z.
— registers, Z28, T3r, and ^5-253,
passim.
Parish records, 126-34, and T75-253,
passim.
 types of, r28-3Z.
 classified list of, r3i-4.
 legislation for, 128-34.
Patents, 6, 7, r3, 15, 165. See Letters
Patent.
Petitions, 19.
Petty Bag Office. See Chancery.
Peveril, Honour of, 2g, g7.
Poor Law records, 100, Z05.
Port of London Authority, 2t4.

Precedent Books, r8, 43.
Private collections, 145, Z58, 175-254.
— seals. See Deeds.
Privy Seal. See Seal, Diplomatic
Documents, Chancery.
Probate registries, Z64, and Part III,
passim.
Proclamations, 14, t6.
Public Record Office, growth of the,
xi sq.
 administration of the, xxii
sq.
 contents of the, 161-3, 255-6.
 records transferred to the,
163-72.
 Act (1838), r6r «.
 (1877), xxvi.
 (r8g8), xxvi.
 — " Schedules " for disposal
of records prepared
under, r6i »., T63-72.
Public records. See Records.
Public Utility Companies, Z50.
Quarter-Sessions records, ro8-r6.
 local interest of, 113-4.
Records, administrative, 45-64, r52.
— bibliography of, v-viii, xxix-xxxiii,
163-254 and passim.
— judicial, ix-xii, 65-87, Z50, 15T, rs8,
161-4.
— local, xvii-xix, xxvii-xxix, g3-z58,
I74-256.
— departmental, xv-xvii, xxiii-xxvu, 3g,
4i-4g, passim, Z57, T61-3, Z65-72,
Z79-252, passim.
— miscellaneous, 88, 89.
— manorial, Z51-3, Z56-8.
— public, xi-xxvii, xxix-xxxiii, 93-7,
16T-72, 255-6.
 classified list of, i-8g, Z63-72.
 repositories of, ix-xvii, xx, xxii,
93-5. r6z-74.
 in local repositories, 78-7g, 93-7,
T50, i7g-252, passim.
 in private collections, xiii, xv,
xxii, xxix, 83, 150-z, Z53,
156-8, Z72-4.
 destruction of, xiii-xvii, xix-xxix.
 disposal of. See Public Recdrd
Office Acts.
 sales of, rsr.
— dispersion of, 145 n., xiii-xvii, xix-
xxix.
— semi-public, xv, r45, Z53-8, r72-4,
175-254i passim.

266

ENGLISH PUBLIC RECORDS.

Records. See Diplomatic Documents,
Subsidiary Documents, Statutory
Authorities, Courts of Justice,
State Papers.
Reformation and ecclesiastical jurisdic
tion in England, r34, T35.
Registries, records in, T64-5.
Requests, Court of, 30, 85, 87.
Rolls Chapel Office. See Chancery.
Royal Colonial Institute, records in,
173-
Royal Hospital (Chelsea), r72.
Royal Household, 35, 82-7.
Royal Letters. See Letters, Royal.
Royal Institution, records in, T73.
Royal United Service Institution, re
cords in, 173.
Rutland archives, 232-3.
Schools of Science and Art, r46 n.
Scotland, records of, xxi, 162.
Seal, Great or Chancery Seal of
England, 2-33, passim.
— Privy Seal, 20-8, passim.
— known as the "Signet," 2Z-38,
passim.
— called " Coket," rg, 35 n., 36.
Seals, warrants for the. See Warrants.
Sessions. See Quarter-Sessions.
Sewers, Commissioners of, g8-i03, Z05-
107.
Shropshire archives, 233-5.
Signet. See Seal, Diplomatic Docu
ments, Chancery, State Papers.
— Office, 26.
Sign Manuals. See Warrants.
Six Clerks' Office. See Chancery.
Societies, learned, 145-58, 174, 2rg.
— charitable, etc., 147-8, T74, 2tg.
— religious, 174, 2rg.
Somerset archives, 235-7.
Special commissions. See Commissions,
special.
— jurisdictions, 2g, 30, 82-7.
Specifications. See Inventions.
Staffordshire archives, 237-g.
Staple, Statute, records, 35, 36.
Star Chamber, Court of, 30, 85, 87.
State Departments, records in, r65-7Z.
See Records, departmental.
— Papers, xii-xv, xxii-xxvii, 1, 33-44,
150, T51 »., Z56, 161-2.
Stationers' Company, r47 ».
Statutory Authorities, records of, 97-
T07.

Stock Exchange (London), T4g.
Subsidiary Documents (diplomatic), 16-
20, 2T, 26, 43, 89.
 (judicial), 8g. See Records.
Suffolk archives, 23g-4r.
Surrey archives, 241-3.
Surveyors (General), Court of, 30, 86, 87,
Surveys, 50-54.
Sussex archives, 243-5.
Synagogue records, I4r.
Taxes, Commissioners of (London),
2t4.
Thames Conservancy, 2T4.
Town records, 116-26 and 175-253,
passim.
 classified list of; 124-6, 25g.
 types of, 122-6.
 legislation for, ri7-g.
 reports on, Z17-22 and 175-252,,
passim.
— trusts, zt8.
Towns, rise or decay of, Z16-8.
Treaties, 6-ro, T2-T4, z6, 38-44, and set
Diplomatic Documents, passim.
Treaty Papers. See Treaties.
 13, z6.
Trinity House, 147 s., 172,
Trusts, Statutory, ior, ro2.
Turnpike Trusts, Z02.
Vestries, legislation for, i27-3r.
— records of, 128-33.
Wales, records of, xxi, 27, 76.
— Council of, 87.
— See Palatinate records and passim.
Wards and Liveries, Court of, 30, 85,
87.
War (igi4-zgz8), records of the, 162-3.
Warrants for the Great or Smaller
Seals, 20-8, 37, 4Z.
— under the Sign Manual, 20-40.
— departmental, 33-40.
— executive, 20-2.
— issued by special jurisdictions, 26-38.
Warwickshire archives, 245-7.
Westmoreland archives, 247-8.
Wiltshire archives, 248-g.
Worcestershire archives, 24g-5r.
Writs, 3-6, 18, 20-30, and see Diploma
tic Documents and Judicial Pro
ceedings, passim.
Yorkshire archives, 251-4.

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