Back to results

University of Cambridge

The equity side of the exchequer: its jurisdiction, administration, procedures, and records

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

INTRODUCTION: The equity side of the court of exchequer "is by far the most obscure of all the English jurisdictions," declared Plucknett. The purpose of this essay is to shed some light upon this court and to explore its jurisdiction, to introduce its staff, to discover its procedures, to explain its equity records, and perhaps to render Plucknett's statement obsolete. Institutional history has an unfortunate tendency to dryness and remoteness, which coupled with the author's literary short-comings portends a tedious undertaking for the reader of this work. However, a reminder of the immense importance- of institutional history for both the lawyer and the historian will, hopefully, overcome this initial discouragement. Substantive law is inextricably intermingled with the procedures of the court; the practicalities of the prosecution of a lawsuit can never be neglected. Of initial and fundamental importance is that for which the petitioner prays. In practical terms this was a remedy for a grievance or a complaint; in larger terms and in the context of this study, this was the prayer for equitable relief. This study demonstrates that equity was bigger than the chancery and that others besides the lord high chancellor had a hand in its development . It is true that the court of chancery was the most important court of equity, but the existence of an alternative high court of equity in the exchequer had a significant effect upon the development of equity and upon the chancery itself. <…> NOTE: This thesis was published by Cambridge University Press as a book “The Equity Side of the Exchequer” in 1975 and is available as Print on Demand http://www.cambridge.org/gb/academic/subjects/history/british-history-general-interest/equity-side-exchequer?format=PB.

Degree

thesis:*
Name dc:type.qualificationname
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Level dc:type.qualificationlevel
Doctoral
Grantor dc:publisher.institution
University of Cambridge
Year dc:date.issued
1972

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Bryson, William Hamilton

Subjects

dc:subject × 8

Rights

dc:rights
Language dc:language
en

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
DOI dc:identifier.doi
https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.16181
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/254716

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Cambridge University
Base URL
api.repository.cam.ac.uk/server/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Bryson, William Hamilton. The equity side of the exchequer: its jurisdiction, administration, procedures, and records. Doctoral thesis, University of Cambridge, 1972. https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.16181