Cause Papers Database (UK)

The Cause Papers Database is a searchable catalogue of more than 14,000 cause papers relating to cases heard between 1300 and 1858 in the Church Courts of the diocese of York. The original records are held in the Borthwick Institute for Archives at the University of York, and are the most extensive records of their type in the United Kingdom. They offer an extremely valuable resource for family and local historians and scholars interested in social, ecclesiastical, economic and legal history. The catalogue is designed to enhance access to the papers by presenting key information about each cause and by allowing users to search these details. The Basic and Advanced Search functions can be used to search for information about people and places involved in the cases and to refine searches by factors such as date and type of case