London and Middlesex Exchequer Equity Pleadings, 1685-6 and 1784-5: A Calendar

The cases presented at the Court of Exchequer contain a wealth of information about many aspects of London history such as commerce, colonial trade, property and social customs. The aim of this volume is to illustrate the potential rewards of searches in the Exchequer equity records for students of the history of London by calendaring the pleadings in equity (bills, answers and related documents) for the 151 London cases in 1685-6, and the 194 cases in 1784-5. The pleadings consisted of the litigant’s complaint and, very often, the defendant’s answer or other response, along with subsequent pleadings. In some cases there are also witnesses’ depositions and the submission of documentary proof, such as deeds. Occasionally the outcome of the case is also recorded. There are indexes of the names and subjects recorded in each set of pleadings.