A STUDY IN LEGAL ADMINISTRATION AND RECORDS SHARON ...

had an impact on the production and retention of early Equity records.
The outward appearance of Equity records is not always a clear indicator
of their contents. Registers and ledgers, in particular, frequently Iack titles, or
carry misleading titles. The problem of deficiency in titling is exacerbated when
a register has been employed for more than one type of record. Further
complications occur if intemal documents are not labeled or are unclear in their
arrangement. Doubtless, these faults seemed of Me wnsequenœ at the time
of record creation. However, the impact of such weaknesses would have been
felt at the first occasion men a document could not be located. Changes of
administrative staff, altered filing systems, and eventual lack of use of materials
on a day-to-day basis would eventually make documents difîicult to access and
comprehend.
Equity documents themselves often display the idiosyncracies of their
immediate creators. Handwriting and formatting reveal the tastes and skills of
the writers. Spelling and word usage point to the wntinuing change in spoken
and written English. Variations in these elements, at the same time, is
constrained by the application of certain standards. Writing is affected by the
rules of penrnanship while fonnatting is influenced by foms. Spelling and word
usage become standardized through the introduction of printed legal forms.
These factors affect both the appearance and the understanding of individual
documents.
Some conclusions can be drawn from the study of Equity records and the