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Hi Netti,

It was not at all uncommon for Chancery cases to drag on for years, largely because of the way that Chancery operates. In most cases the parties involved are not required to attend the court in person. The complainant(s) make written complaints to the court, which the defendant(s) is/are then required to answer in writing. If witness testimony was involved a commissioner (usually a local solicitor) would be appointed. He would be given a written list of Interrogatories (questions) and would then summon witnesses to apppear at his offices, where their verbal answers were dictated to a clerk. The whole set of documents would then go to an engrossing clerk, whose job was to create the official recod to be sent to Chancery.

As you can imagine, all of this could take quite a while. I am currently working on the details of a case in which the official complaint was mad to the court in June 1845 but the defendant wasn't asked to reply until December 1847. The whole thing was only about the sale value of a coaching inn but dragged on until at leat 1854. Maybe Dickens knew more than he was letting on whem he wrote about Jarndice v. Jarndice

This link may help you in searching for Chancery judgments.
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/RdLeaflet.asp?sLeafletID=165

Good luck

Keith

Jim,

Many thanks. These are extremely useful.

It's interesting to see that your second map shows both Coldbath and Swanshurst Farms yet doesn't show Ashleigh Grange, which stood on Windermere Road at the same time. If anyone has a photo of that, which stood until at least 1917, I'd be very grateful. I have a photo of Swanshurst Farm and have read that Ashleigh was a very similar buiding.

Brickmaking seems to have been a common trade in the area back in the day. I have several references to brickmakers' cottages on several local roads including Brook Lane and School Road.

Keith

Billsat,

Only just found your post from last June.

I am a local historian and have several photos and old maps of the Moseley, Billesley, Yardley Wood area, particularly the old farms, all of which I can place exactly. I'd be happy to share them with you if you're still interested. Question is, how?

keitht