| Description | Sheriffs' files principally contain documents relating to cases in the pentice court. These might include declarations by the plaintiffs; defendants' pleas; and replications by the plaintiffs. If an action was not defended, the defendant produced a sealed letter of attorney appointing someone to confess the action on his behalf. The files also contain writs of fieri facias, instructing ministers of the court to levy the sums due; inventories, appraisals and bills of sale; and records of debtors' imprisonment. In addition, sheriffs' files contain documents relating to the sheriffs' other duties, for example election indentures (see SIE) and letters. As well as material relating to the pentice court, there are lists of cases (on parchment) and files of proceedings in the passage court. When sheriffs' files were repaired in the 1930s, some of this material was removed to form two separate series, passage court rolls (SPR) and passage court files. The latter, dating from post 1630, have been re-united with sheriffs' files. Gaps before c.1552. |