NRS-2657 | Case papers

These papers contain all documents deposited in the Civil Court for each case heard before the Court. The quantity of papers for each case varies to a considerable extent. Some cases were very simple, some were undefended, while in other instances the defendant either did not appear or could not be found. In addition some cases involved small amounts of money, while others (especially cases involving merchants as litigants) involved amounts running into many thousands of pounds. There is a corresponding variation in the number of documents which relate to various cases. In some instances no documents at all survive, while in others only a capias (that is a warrant empowering the Provost Marshal to arrest the defendant) remains; by contrast, in the more substantial cases the surviving case papers might amount to two or three hundred pages. Other than the routine writs of capias and execution (authorising the Provost Marshal to arrest the defendant) case papers may include the plaintiff's memorial (normally a full statement of the case, indicating the grounds of the action), the defendant's memorial in reply, affidavits of witnesses and rules of Court. In more substantial cases, all kinds of documentary evidence in the form of accounts, copies of letters, protests of bills of exchange, and other documents were accumulated in the records of the Court. Where an appeal was made against the decision of the Court the relevant case papers are sometimes filed in the Court of Appeals: Case papers.The dates for this series are based upon the contents dates of the State archives held in custody. All related case papers for the period 1788 to 1809 have been interfiled with the relevant minutes in Rough minutes of proceedings.(5/2278-91). 14 boxes.Note: This description is extracted from Concise Guide to the State Archives of New South Wales, 3rd Edition 2000.

本数据集涵盖新南威尔士州民事法院审理的每宗案件归档的全部文书。各案件的文书数量差异显著：部分案件案情极为简易，部分无被告抗辩；另有部分案件中，被告未出庭应诉或无法寻获。此外，涉案标的额亦各不相同，部分案件标的额极低，而部分案件（尤其是以商事主体为诉讼当事人的案件）标的额高达数千英镑。不同案件的留存文书数量亦存在对应差异：部分案件未留存任何文书，部分仅留存逮捕令（capias）——即授权执达主任逮捕被告的法律文书；相较而言，案情复杂的案件中，留存的案件文书可达两百至三百页之多。除常规的逮捕令及执行令（均授权执达主任执行相关执法行为）外，案件文书还可包含：原告案情陈述书（通常为完整列明案件事实及诉讼理由的文书）、被告答辩案情陈述书、证人宣誓证词以及法院规则文件。在案情更为复杂的案件中，法院档案中还会留存各类书证材料，包括账目、信函副本、汇票拒付证明书及其他相关文书。若当事人对法院作出的判决提起上诉，相关案件文书有时会归档至上诉法院，此类文书亦属于本数据集涵盖的案件文书范畴。本系列文书的时间范围以馆藏州档案的内容日期为准。1788年至1809年期间的全部相关案件文书，已与《庭审笔录底稿》（5/2278-91）中的相关庭审记录合并归档，共计14箱。注：本数据集说明节选自2000年第三版《新南威尔士州州立档案馆简明指南》。