Did your ancestor have their day in the Irish court of Chancery? Discover more about their case with the aid of this collection of records spanning over 250 years of accompanying legal proceedings.
Did your ancestor have their day in the Irish court of Chancery? Discover more about their case with the aid of this collection of records spanning over 250 years of accompanying legal proceedings.
Information contained in these records can vary, but you will usually find record of:
Each transcript links to a scan of an original document, which can give more detail about your chosen individual and their dealings with the court.
The Court of Chancery was an equity court of Ireland, presided over by the Lord Chancellor of Ireland, that existed until abolition as part of the 1877 reform of the court system. It was based in Dublin.
The Lord Chancellor was originally considered to be "keeper of the king's conscience", charged with giving relief in any case where common law courts were unable to provide remedy, though over time it developed into a legal system of its own called 'Equity', that stood parallel to common law.
Although these records are from proceedings in courts based in Dublin, your ancestors from all over Ireland may be contained within. Be prepared to inspect records, regardless of your family birth location.
While case details are generally not recorded in these books, there are very many family disputes and those relationships are noted. Those taking cases to Exchequer tended to be land owners, merchants, business owners, professionals and the larger farmers as it was expensive for anyone else to attend court in Dublin. However defendants in cases could come from a broader sector of society.