VPRS 13318 County Court Common Law (Civil) Register, Morwell

Full description

Successive County Court Rules have required the registrar of the court to keep a register of all verdicts, orders and judgements of the court. The register is the authoritative record of the court.

This series was used to register common law actions. Examples include damages for negligence (motor car collision, master and servant claims), personal injuries, property damage / loss of profit.

Registration Process

An entry in the register was initiated upon lodgement of a summons with the court by the solicitor acting on behalf of the plaintiff. Recordings were then made as the case progressed towards trial. Register details include:

The names and addresses of the plaintiff and defendant
Number of the plaint
The legal practitioner acting for the plaintiff
The nature of the action
The amount of the claim
Date defence filed; and
The order of the Judge.

Note that register entries are not always complete. One reason was that cases may have been settled before going to trial. Unsystematic recordkeeping practice may also have played a part in some instances. For example, an order may have been recorded on the case file only (the file raised to hold the various process documents relating to each case). Case files are not in Public Record Office custody.