Description |
For almost every service of heir for which an inquest was held, a complete set of papers has been preserved in this series, including the brieve from Chancery and its execution, the claim for service, the precept issued by the Sheriff the assize lists, the minutes of court, often with the depositions of witnesses, and the retour to Chancery. The brieve and the retour are in Latin, the other documents are in Scots/English. |
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history |
When an application was made to Chancery to be served heir, a Brieve was sent to the local Sheriff instructing him to set up an assize (or jury) and an inquest at which the application would be heard. The results of this inquest were sent back to Chancery (hence the name retour by which the outcome of these inquests was generally known). |