Plea rolls are parchment rolls recording details of
legal
Law is a set of rules that are created and are law enforcement, enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. ...
suits or actions in a court of law in England.
Courts began recording their proceedings in plea rolls and filing writs from their foundation at the end of the 12th century. Most files were kept by the
Custos Brevium
The Custos Brevium was an official in the English court system: in the Court of Common Pleas and Court of King's Bench. The post was abolished by Act of Parliament in 1830.
In the Court of Common Pleas the Custos Brevium served as Chief Clerk, in ...
(established in 1246) but files of writs of
covenant
Covenant may refer to:
Religion
* Covenant (religion), a formal alliance or agreement made by God with a religious community or with humanity in general
** Covenant (biblical), in the Hebrew Bible
** Covenant in Mormonism, a sacred agreement b ...
were kept by the chirographer because of their association with
feet of fines, which were kept separately by the chirographer (established by
King John's reign).
The court's records were at first held by its justices and their clerks. From 1257 on, non-current records were passed to the
treasury
A treasury is either
*A government department related to finance and taxation, a finance ministry.
*A place or location where treasure, such as currency or precious items are kept. These can be state or royal property, church treasure or i ...
at the Exchequer. From 1288 to 1731, non-current records, plea rolls, files of fines, and writs were transferred from the court to the Treasury of the Receipt of the
Exchequer
In the civil service of the United Kingdom, His Majesty’s Exchequer, or just the Exchequer, is the accounting process of central government and the government's '' current account'' (i.e., money held from taxation and other government revenu ...
; and thence, eventually, to
The National Archives
National archives are central archives maintained by countries. This article contains a list of national archives.
Among its more important tasks are to ensure the accessibility and preservation of the information produced by governments, both ...
at
Kew.
The Plea Rolls for the Courts of Common Pleas and King's Bench are in bundles by law term: Hilary, Easter, Trinity, and Michaelmas, or winter, spring, summer, and autumn. They are in Latin, though some items, such as indentures and direct quotations in cases of defamation, are in English. Most of the plea rolls have not been indexed, but modern indexes for some terms are availabl
Plea Rolls for the Courts of Common Pleas, King's Bench, and Exchequer of Pleas, from the 13th century to the 17th, can be viewed at the Anglo-American Legal Tradition sit
See also
*
Assize Court
The courts of assize, or assizes (), were periodic courts held around England and Wales until 1972, when together with the quarter sessions they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court. The assizes e ...
*
Henry de Bracton
Henry of Bracton, also Henry de Bracton, also Henricus Bracton, or Henry Bratton also Henry Bretton (c. 1210 – c. 1268) was an English cleric and jurist.
He is famous now for his writings on law, particularly ''De legibus et consuetudinibus ...
References
*
* Pleas Before the King or His Justices 1198–1212. Volume IV, Rolls or Fragments of Rolls From the Years 1207-1212 by
Doris Mary Stenton.
The National Archives, Kew.
English law
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