The records of the Chancery court are the most wonderful source for local history, as they cover every aspect of life.  A quick glance at an index shows that cases were brought by men, women, children, companies, landowners, tenants, tradesmen and just about anyone else.  The disputes are mostly about the possession of property and often recite deeds that no longer exist giving field names and acreages. 19th century cases bring life to the industrial revolution and the spread of the railways, as well as the usual family disputes over property. 

Sue Swalwell will share an example case entitled ‘Hiding in the Chancery Cupboard: The Trials & Tribulations of an 18th Century Wife’ about the joy of Chancery records and the stories they can reveal. It is a case study based on her investigation of Richard & Elizabeth Swalwell of Whitby, Yorkshire, in the first half of the 18th Century and more particularly the presence of Elizabeth in the Chancery records for approximately sixty years and beyond her death.

This will be followed by Susan Moore describing the records themselves, how to find them, what they consist of, and how to interpret them. They can be daunting to look at, but a few signposts will open these records up to all researchers.

Susan has spent all her working life in archives and libraries carrying out historical and genealogical research for clients, and now specialises in Chancery Proceedings and other legal records, particularly those in the period 1500 to 1800.  Clients have included those writing biographies, local histories, or house histories, lawyers, churches, bodies such as the National Trust, village historians and genealogists.  She is the author of “Family Feuds - An Introduction to Chancery Proceedings” and “Tracing Your Family History in the Courts of Equity.”  A trustee and chair of the outreach committee of BALH, Susan is also a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.

Sue grew up on a farm in North Yorkshire, England. When her parents sold the farm, Sue rescued the family archive from her father’s bonfire. That was the start of her journey into researching her family history, and subsequently, a One-Name Study focused on the Swalwell surname registered with the Guild in 2012. Sue loves re-discovering and re-building the often forgotten stories of bearers of the Swalwell surname. Mrs Elizabeth Swalwell, who is the focus of this talk, is one of those forgotten stories.