A STUDY IN LEGAL ADMINISTRATION AND RECORDS SHARON ...

Equity cases. These volumes also contain Caunty Courts, Chambers, other
Queenss Bench, and Appeals cases.
Most Equity records, with the exception of the case files, are wntained
within the covers of registen and ledgers. The key that opens the door to the
records is General Index, Equw9 This large register was created as the
"iocating devicen which would lead to the pleadings registers, minutes of
proceedings, decree registers, money ledgers, and case files. The index is
divided into alphabet letter sections, in the style of an address book. Within
each alphabet letter section suits are listed by style of cause, that is, by
plaintiff s surname followed by defendant's surname, for example, "Bonneau v
Goulet 607." ("Versus" is abbreviated as "v" or "vs.") The number is that which
was assigned when the case was filed; this is the cross-reference leading to al1
related documents. Cases within an alphabet letter section are in numeric-
chronological rather than alphabetical order. A typical listing of cases might
begin with nurnbers 5, 19, 23, 29, 41. The reason for the gaps is that sequential
numbers are dispersed across twenty-seven alphabet letter sections. The extra
or twenty-seventh section contains the "Mc" and "Macn surnames.
Case numbers in the general index incorporate al1 of the 8254 actions
described in the registers of pleadings. The index ernploys ascending nurnber
order (with gaps as noted above) in al! of its alphabet letter sections. There is
one exception to this pattern, the Mc section. This section begins with nine
cases not in the normal ascending order: