A STUDY IN LEGAL ADMINISTRATION AND RECORDS SHARON ...

are gathered together under the new number. That number refers to the actual
case file, known as a "pocket." (The researcher, however, also needs to know
the previous numôer in order to access other related documents such as
registers of pleadings.)
The new system seems to have been introduced as a matter of
expediency, perhaps in an attempt to gain quicker access to the infants' pockets,
or perhaps because of a shortage of storage space for the pockets. The
practice had unfortunate results, however. Within some alphabet letter sections
batches of sumames were brought under a single number. The "Nn section, for
example, combined two 'infantsn by the name of "Ness," one by the neme of
'Nolin," and four by the name of 'Normand," al1 under number 117. The 'W
section iumped five different infants' names under number 147. An economy of
numbering was achieved, but at the expense of individuals and the visibility of
their cases. Approximately 520 infants' petitions were reduced to 149 case file
numbers. (The infants' names can still be found in their original chronology in
the registers of pleadings.)
The seven registen of pleadings were created during the twenty-three
years that Queen's Bench, Equity operated. They encompass the pleadings for
all the cases listed in General Index, Equdy- Case numbers in the pleadings
registers correlate directly with those of the index. Each register of pleadings, in
addition, has its own unique index. There are two exceptions. The first register
has no index at all, althwgh originally there may have been one in a separate