VPRS 16995 County Court Common Law (Civil) Register, Bendigo

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 and was generally used by County Courts until 1869 or early 1870.

This series was used to register common law actions. Examples include damages for negligence, personal injuries, property damage and loss of profit.

An entry in the register was initiated upon lodgement of a summons ([com]plaint) with the court by the plaintiff. Recordings were then made as the case progressed towards trial. Register details include:

- Number and date of the [Com]plaint
- Names and addresses of the plaintiff and defendant
- The nature of the action and amount of the claim
- Details pertaining to the judgement, and if necessary
- Details of the exaction of the judgement and the returns of warrants.

Entries will also be annotated to indicate if the action did not proceed to trial. This includes actions that were struck out, settled out of court, withdrawn or were simply discontinued. Case files are not in Public Record Office custody.

During late 1869, the format of County Court registers changed. The register was effectively divided into three parts, each a different volume which recorded a particular type of case. These volumes were

- County Court Registers, Part I, Common Law
- County Court Registers, Part II, Equity, and
- County Court Registers, Part III, Probate and Administration.