Legal documents in Law
Society archives uncover historical secrets
Historical legal documents, some
dating back to the 17th Century, are being examined by experts at
the Law Society in a nationwide project.
The documents, kept in storage
by the Law Society until now, are passed on from solicitors firms
that no longer operate or exist. It is not always possible to
repatriate these documents and they cannot be destroyed for legal
reasons.
Approximately 27,000 boxes are
being examined by archiving experts for historical importance.
Contents range from property deeds and wills, which are hand
written on vellum and stamped with the wax seal of Charles II, to
personal diaries of society ladies from the early 19th
Century.
These were originally stored in
the solicitor's offices but were never claimed by the
clients.
This is a joint project with the
Law Society and the SRA (Solicitors Regulation
Authority).
As well as finding historical
gems, the archivists also hope to repatriate some of the contents
with any remaining legal owners- such as decendants of the
original owners.
The Law Society and the SRA are
now working with the Records Preservation Section of the British
Records Association in order to sort out the documents of interest
and loan them to public archives.
Law Society CEO Desmond
Hudson said this is a fascinating project, which offers a great
insight into Britain's legal history.
'We know the Law Society
archivists and the volunteers from the British Records Association
have a mammoth task on their hands. Everything from jewellery to
wills are stored in the archives and we hope, and assume, many
documents of great public interest and historical
relevance.'
“We are keen to hand over
these documents to public archives to make sure that they are
preserved and available to whoever needs them.”
Any documents will be deposited
with the appropriate regional archives on the basis that we would
be able to retrieve them should the owner come forward and ask for
them.
Ends
Journalists, for further
information, please contact Rebecca Kiernan, Law Society press
office on 020 7316 5592.
www.lawsocietymedia.org.uk
The British Records Association
is a charity founded in 1932, which has, since its foundation, had
close connections with legal firms and specialises in finding
suitable places of deposit for their records, both the clients'
papers and the records of the businesses themselves. Further
information about them can be found on their websitehttp://www.britishrecordsassociation.org.uk/.
The Law Society has made a
charitable donation to the British Records Association.