Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Lancaster   County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1722-1936, use digital images found on the Chancery Records Index available electronically at the website of the Library of Virginia.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Lancaster   County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1722-1936. (Cite style of suit and chancery index no.). Local government records collection, Lancaster   County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

These records came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court papers from Orange County (Va.) in 2012 under accession number 50291 and under an undated accession. An additional record was returned from the National Archives in November 1949 under accession number 23476d.

Processing Information

Lancaster   County was processed in three separate batches. The first batch was completed in 1994. Additional records were later found at the Library of Virginia and processed in 2008. The final batch was completed in 2012 after an additional accession was transferred to the Library of Virginia from the Lancaster   County Circuit Court. Each successive batch of processed records was indexed and filed at the end of the series rather than interfiled.

Digital images were generated by Crowley Micrographics in 2007 through the Library of Virginia's Circuit Court Records Preservation Program.

Additional records transferred to the Library of Virginia in 2012 were digitized by Backstage Library Works in 2013 through the Library of Virginia's Circuit Court Records Preservation Program

Item previously cataloged as " Lancaster   County (Va.) Will of Archibald Hinton, 1854" under accession number 23476d has been interfiled in the cause 1856-012: Admr. of Archibald Hinton etc. vs. John Robbins etc. by J. Taylor; 2023.

Encoded by G. Crawford: 2007; Updated by J. Taylor: August 2023.

Historical Information

Context for Record Type: Chancery Causes are cases of equity. According to Black's Law Dictionary they are "administered according to fairness as contrasted with the strictly formulated rules of common law." A judge, not a jury, determines the outcome of the case; however, the judge is basing the decision on findings compiled and documented by Commissioners. Chancery causes are useful when researching local history, genealogical information, and land or estate divisions. They are a valuable source of local, state, social, and legal history and serve as a primary source for understanding a locality's history. Chancery causes document the lived experiences of free and enslaved individuals; women; children; people living with physical disabilities or mental health struggles; people living in poverty; defunct institutions and corporate entities; or those that may not have otherwise left traditional written histories.

Locality History: Lancaster   County was named probably for the English county. It was formed from Northumberland and York Counties sometime between 26 March and 16 September 1651. The county court first met on 1 January 1652. The county seat is Lancaster  .

Scope and Content

Lancaster   County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1722-1936, consists of cases concerning issues of equity brought largely by residents of the county and filed in the circuit court. These cases often involve the following actions: divisions of estates or land, disputes over wills, disputes regarding contracts, debt, divorce, and business disputes. Other less prevalent issues include freedom suits, permissions to sell property, and disputes concerning trespass. Predominant documents found in these chancery causes include bills (documents the plaintiff's complaint), answers (defendant's response to the plaintiff's complaint), decrees (court's decision), depositions, affidavits, correspondence, lists of heirs, deeds, plats, wills, records involving enslaved individuals, business records or vital statistics.

Arrangement

Organized by case, of which each is assigned a unique index number comprised of the latest year found in case and a sequentially increasing 3-digit number assigned by the processor as cases for that year are found. Arranged chronologically.

Arrangement of documents within each folder are as follows: Bill, Answer, and Final Decree (if found.)

Related Material

Additional Lancaster County Court Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia. Consult "A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm."

Adjunct Descriptive Data