How to look for records of... Civil court cases: assize courts 1656-1971

How can I view the records covered in this guide?

How many are online?

  • None

1. Why use this guide?

Use this guide for advice on how to find National Archives records of civil trials held at assize courts. It covers trials in England since 1656 and in Wales since 1843, up until 1971 when assize courts were abolished and replaced by Crown courts.

If you know which county a trial was held in and when the trial took place, use the tables and advice in this guide to determine which National Archives record series to look within for records of the trial.

2. What were assize courts?

Assize courts were based in the main county towns in England and Wales but cases were only heard at the courts twice yearly, and in the 20th century three or four times yearly, when judges from the higher courts in London visited and presided over cases.

Often known simply as ‘the assizes’, the courts heard both civil and criminal cases. Civil cases could include disputes over:

  • Land
  • Money or debt
  • Personal injury
  • Negligence
  • Libel

From the early 20th century the assizes also handled divorce cases, which had previously been the sole preserve of the central courts in London.

2.1 The timetable

Until the 20th century there were typically just two sittings a year for each assize court, defined as Summer and Lent. Usually the Lent sessions would take place in March or April and the Summer sessions in July or August but there was some flexibility. In the late 19th and 20th century the number of sittings increased to three or four a year in the following order: Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn.

2.2 Circuits

England and Wales were divided into judicial circuits, each circuit making up the areas covered by a set of visiting judges. Up until 1876 there were six circuits whose composition changed from time to time. These circuits were:

  • The Home Circuit
  • The Oxford Circuit
  • The Midland Circuit
  • The Western Circuit
  • The Norfolk Circuit
  • The Northern Circuit

In 1876 a seventh circuit, the North Eastern, was added.

3. Types of records and what they contain

A hefty, bound minute book covering Western Circuit civil trials that took place between 1962 and 1971 (catalogue reference ASSI 22/61).

A minute book covering Western Circuit civil trials that took place between 1962 and 1971 (catalogue reference ASSI 22/61).

Assize courts produced over twenty different types of records. They include:

Minute books

Minute books are the primary records for a trial. The assize clerks recorded brief details of a trial in minute books, including names of parties, type of case and judgment order. They also give any judgment orders given on appeal.

Pleadings

These records set out the details of the claim made by the plaintiff and the response or defence from the defendant. They can also include the judgment order.

Judgment orders

Judgment orders in cases – in other words what the outcome of the case was and what the consequences were for the parties involved – are found either in minute books or on a part of the record known as posteas. Posteas were forwarded to the central courts in London and give brief details of the case as well as its outcome. Posteas do not always survive.

A clip from a minute book showing a hand written judgment order for a trial in 1970 (catalogue reference: ASSI 22/61).

A clip from a minute book showing a judgment order for a trial in 1970 (catalogue reference: ASSI 22/61).

Posteas, which were usually very brief, are only of value if there are gaps in the surviving records of other types – then it may be the only surviving record.

Cause books

Cause in the context of a civil trial refers to the ’cause of action’, in other words the legal basis on which a claimant is suing. A cause of action might be, for example, breach of contract, or fraud.

Cause books and postea books generally record the names of the parties to the cause (that is, the claimants, also referred to as plaintiffs), the names of their legal representatives, the nature of the cause, the verdict, and the amounts of any damages and costs awarded.

Correspondence

This was correspondence of the assize clerks, mostly administrative and concerned with the running of the courts.

Financial records

These records provide details of court fees, meaning the cost of bringing a case to trial, as well as other costs. The person or institution bringing the case to trial pays the fees but these costs, known as Bills of Costs, or a proportion of them, usually end up being paid by the losing side, dependent on whatever the judge orders. that lawyers submit after a case and are assessed by the court.

4. How to search for records

Before you begin you will need to have at least a rough idea of when the trial took place (a range of around ten years but ideally an exact year) and the county or at least the circuit it took place in for a realistic chance of finding any records.

4.1 Searching in the assize court records

The tables in the following sections of this guide provide National Archives record series references for the different types of records that exist for civil trials. There is usually one series for minute books and several others covering all the other record types, whether pleadings, judgment orders, correspondence, financial records or any others.

There are several ways that you can conduct a search:

  1. Click on the series references in the tables below and search using record types as keywords, such as pleadings, along with dates.
  2. Click on the series references in the tables below and search by date only, thus ensuring no record is missed.
  3. Use the advanced search option in our catalogueto search across all assize records (using department code ASSI) by year and/or record type.

For more information on whether to browse or search, see our Discovery help pages.

4.2 Searching in the records of other courts (for details of assize court cases)

Although only of value if there are gaps in the surviving assize records, it may prove necessary to try searching within the records of other courts to which details of assize court trials were forwarded or returned (in some cases it may be the only surviving record). Posteas were forwarded to the central courts in London and contain brief details of the case as well as its outcome.

Use the advanced search to search by year, using ‘postea’ as your keyword and one or more of the department codes below, to search in the following National Archives departments:

  • Court of King’s Bench (departments code KB)
  • Court of Common Pleas (departments code CP)
  • Exchequer (departments code E)
  • Palatinate of Durham (department code DURH)
  • Palatinate of Lancaster (department code PL)

From 1876 all civil cases heard by the assize judges were held at district registries of the High Court. For pleadings in assize cases from 1876 it is therefore also worth searching in J 54, which covers pleadings in several types of court including district registries of the High Court, by initial letter of the plaintiff’s surname in the advanced catalogue search. For more detail see the advice on pleadings in our guide to Chancery cases in the Supreme Court after 1875.

5. Key to records of civil cases in the English assizes 1656-1971

Click on the series references in the table below to search for records within each respective series using the instructions in section 4.

County Date range Minute books Other records
Bedfordshire 1783, 1850-1876
1932-1943
ASSI 32
ASSI 14
ASSI 34, ASSI 38, ASSI 39, ASSI 15
Berkshire 1803-1971
1854-1890
ASSI 1
ASSI 8
ASSI 4, ASSI 9, ASSI 10, ASSI 93
Buckinghamshire 1783, 1850-1876
1932-1943
ASSI 32
ASSI 14
ASSI 34, ASSI 38, ASSI 39, ASSI 15
Cambridgeshire 1783-1971
1870-1890
ASSI 32
ASSI 37
ASSI 34, ASSI 38, ASSI 39
Cheshire 1876-1924
1914-1926
1867-1912
1945-1970
ASSI 57
ASSI 58
ASSI 60
ASSI 78
ASSI 59, ASSI 63, ASSI 66, ASSI 67
Cornwall 1656-1971
1810-1957
ASSI 22
ASSI 28
ASSI 24, ASSI 30
Cumberland 1877-1904
1909-1915
1970-1971
ASSI 54 ASSI 43, ASSI 46, ASSI 47, ASSI 93
Derbyshire 1932-1943 ASSI 14 ASSI 15
Devon 1656-1971
1810-1957
ASSI 22
ASSI 28
ASSI 24, ASSI 30
Dorset 1656-1971
1810-1957
ASSI 22
ASSI 28
ASSI 24, ASSI 30
Durham 1938-1971 ASSI 41 DURH 19, ASSI 46, ASSI 47, ASSI 93
Essex 1792-1971
1870-1890
ASSI 32
ASSI 37
ASSI 34, ASSI 38, ASSI 39
Gloucestershire 1803-1971
1854-1890
ASSI 1
ASSI 8
ASSI 4, ASSI 9, ASSI 10, ASSI 93
Hampshire 1656-1971
1810-1957
ASSI 22
ASSI 28
ASSI 24, ASSI 30
Herefordshire 1803-1971
1854-1890
ASSI 1
ASSI 8
ASSI 4, ASSI 9, ASSI 10, ASSI 93
Hertfordshire 1792-1971
1870-1890
ASSI 32
ASSI 37
ASSI 34, ASSI 38, ASSI 39
Huntingdonshire 1783-1971
1870-1890
ASSI 32
ASSI 37
ASSI 34, ASSI 38, ASSI 39
Kent 1792-1971
1870-1890
ASSI 32
ASSI 37
ASSI 34, ASSI 38, ASSI 39
Lancashire 1877-1904
1909-1915
1970-1971
ASSI 54 PL 28
ASSI 46, ASSI 53, ASSI 93
Leicestershire 1864-1875
1932-1943
ASSI 32
ASSI 14
ASSI 15, ASSI 34, ASSI 38, ASSI 39
Lincolnshire 1932-1943 ASSI 14 ASSI 15
Monmouthshire 1803-1971
1854-1890
ASSI 1
ASSI 8
ASSI 4, ASSI 9, ASSI 10, ASSI 93
Norfolk 1783-1971
1870-1890
ASSI 32
ASSI 37
ASSI 34, ASSI 38, ASSI 39
Northamptonshire 1864-1876
1932-1943
ASSI 32
ASSI 14
ASSI 15, ASSI 34, ASSI 38, ASSI 39
Northumberland 1938-1971 ASSI 41 ASSI 43, ASSI 46, ASSI 47, ASSI 93
Nottinghamshire 1932-1943 ASSI 14 ASSI 15
Oxfordshire 1803-1971
1854-1890
ASSI 1
ASSI 8
ASSI 4, ASSI 9, ASSI 10, ASSI 93
Rutland 1864-1876
1932-1943
ASSI 32
ASSI 14
ASSI 15, ASSI 34, ASSI 38, ASSI 39
Shropshire
(Salop)
1803-1971
1854-1890
ASSI 1
ASSI 8
ASSI 4, ASSI 9, ASSI 10, ASSI 93
Somerset 1656-1971
1810-1957
ASSI 22
ASSI 28
ASSI 24, ASSI 30
Staffordshire 1803-1971
1854-1890
ASSI 1
ASSI 8
ASSI 4, ASSI 9, ASSI 10, ASSI 93
Suffolk 1783-1971
1870-1890
ASSI 32
ASSI 37
ASSI 34, ASSI 38, ASSI 39
Surrey 1792-1971
1870-1890
ASSI 32
ASSI 37
ASSI 34, ASSI 38, ASSI 39
Sussex 1792-1971
1870-1890
ASSI 32
ASSI 37
ASSI 34, ASSI 38, ASSI 39
Warwickshire 1929-1944 ASSI 14 ASSI 15
Westmoreland 1877-1904
1909-1915
1970-1971
ASSI 54 ASSI 43, ASSI 46, ASSI 47, ASSI 53, ASSI 93
Wiltshire 1656-1971
1810-1957
ASSI 22
ASSI 28
ASSI 24, ASSI 30
Worcestershire 1803-1971
1854-1890
ASSI 1
ASSI 8
ASSI 4, ASSI 9, ASSI 10, ASSI 93
Yorkshire 1877-1904
1938-1971
ASSI 54
ASSI 41
ASSI 15, ASSI 43, ASSI 46, ASSI 47, ASSI 93

6. Key to records of civil cases in the Welsh assizes 1843-1970

Click on the series references in the table below to search for records within each respective series using the instructions in section 4.

County Minute books Other Records
Anglesey 1843-1924
1914-1926
1867-1912
1945-1970
ASSI 57
ASSI 58
ASSI 60
ASSI 78
ASSI 59, ASSI 63, ASSI 66, ASSI 67
Breconshire 1846-1943
1945-1970
ASSI 75
ASSI 78
ASSI 73, ASSI 77
Caernarvonshire 1843-1924
1914-1926
1867-1912
1945-1970
ASSI 57
ASSI 58
ASSI 60
ASSI 78
ASSI 59, ASSI 63, ASSI 66, ASSI 67
Cardiganshire 1846-1943
1945-1970
ASSI 75
ASSI 78
ASSI 73, ASSI 77
Carmarthenshire 1846-1943
1945-1970
ASSI 75
ASSI 78
ASSI 73, ASSI 77
Denbighshire 1843-1924
1914-1926
1867-1912
1945-1970
ASSI 57
ASSI 58
ASSI 60
ASSI 78
ASSI 59, ASSI 63, ASSI 66, ASSI 67
Flint 1843-1924
1914-1926
1867-1912
1945-1970
ASSI 57
ASSI 58
ASSI 60
ASSI 78
ASSI 59, ASSI 63, ASSI 66, ASSI 67
Glamorganshire 1846-1943
1945-1970
ASSI 75
ASSI 78
ASSI 73, ASSI 77
Merionethshire 1843-1924
1914-1926
1867-1912
1945-1970
ASSI 57
ASSI 58
ASSI 60
ASSI 78
ASSI 59, ASSI 63, ASSI 66, ASSI 67
Montgomeryshire 1843-1924
1914-1926
1867-1912
1945-1970
ASSI 57
ASSI 58
ASSI 60
ASSI 78
ASSI 59, ASSI 63, ASSI 66, ASSI 67
Pembrokeshire 1846-1943
1945-1970
ASSI 75
ASSI 78
ASSI 73, ASSI 77
Radnor 1846-1943
1945-1970
ASSI 75
ASSI 78
ASSI 73, ASSI 77