The National Archives
Search The National Archives
Advanced search
Photograph of a man pulling out empty pockets (Catalogue reference: COPY 1/14)

This is a brief guide to help you with your research. Few detailed case files for bankruptcy proceedings survive. Records at The National Archives are mostly brief, formal entries in register series that establish bankruptcy but provide little background detail. Many records are not indexed, so you might have to be very patient when searching for information about a particular person.

  • What do I need to know before I start?

    • Try to find out:

      • the name of the person
      • a date range to focus your search
      • whether the case was heard in London or elsewhere

  • What records can I find at The National Archives at Kew?

    • Bankruptcy case files (c.1759-c.1979)

      Search a 5% sample of bankruptcy case files from record series B 3 and B 9 by the bankrupt's last name or B 10 by joint-stock company name.

    • Records of Fleet Prison, Marshalsea Prison, Kings Bench Prison and Queens Prison (1628-1862)

      Browse the Catalogue in PRIS for records of the Fleet Prison, Marshalsea Prison, Kings Bench Prison, and its successor the Queens Prison.

    • Registers and indexes of people served with petitions for bankruptcy (1884-1923)

      Browse the Catalogue in BT 293 for people served with a petition for bankruptcy from 1884 to 1923. The records cover the High Court and County Courts, and are listed in alphabetical ranges.

    • Registers of documents filed in bankruptcy proceedings (1733-1925)

      Browse the Catalogue in B 6  for registers of documents filed in bankruptcy proceedings from 1733 to 1925. Indexes from 1820 are in B 8.

  • What records can I find in other archives and organisations?

    • Records held locally

      Search the Access to Archives (A2A) and National Register of Archives (NRA) databases to find records held in local archives. County courts heard most cases outside London after 1861, and local archives may well hold information. They might also have records of debtors in local prisons and records relating to bankruptcy cases outside London after 1842.

  • The National Archives is not responsible for the content of external websites.

Related guides

Did you know?

Debtors were held in local prisons, often for life: imprisonment for debt did not stop until 1869.

Debtors who were traders and owed large sums were usually subject instead to bankruptcy proceedings.

From 1861 the term 'insolvent debtor' was used for someone who had debts they could not pay. From that date insolvent debtors could also apply for bankruptcy - this was far preferable, as once the value of the bankrupt's belongings was distributed among their creditors they could be released from debt.

The records of bankruptcy cases in London, dealt with by the London Court of Bankruptcy, are held at The National Archives under the department code B.

Quick animated guides