| Description | This series includes both citations of clergy, churchwardens and schoolmasters to attend episcopal visitations (which are thus similar to the contents of libri cleri), and also citations of individuals to attend peripatetic meetings of the consistory court, at which the main business was probate of wills. Certain office cases usually arising from visitation proceedings were also heard. The latter citations are called citations quorum nomina being citations of people "of whom the names" are listed.
Documents relate to a particular hearing in a particular church, under its Deanery name. Of the citations of individuals, many of these are to assist in the proving of a will, or division of goods. Other cases are noted, such as fornication, clandestine marriages. Oaths were also administered including for midwives, schoolmasters and parish clerks. Many cases end in excommunication, which is annotated, and likely to be due to non-attendance at the visitation.
The papers begin in 1605, but the only survivals before 1660 are for 1605 (metropolitical visitation, Stafford and Salop only), 1609 (metropolitical visitation sede vacante), 1620 (episcopal visitation, Stafford only) and 1626 (episcopal visitation, Stafford and Derby). From 1661 until the mid-18th century there are triennial bundles of visitation citations and annual bundles of court citations. The citations are arranged as received, as a single series by date irrespective of whether they related to court or to visitation proceedings.
The documents were partially written in advance, listing the name of each parish in the deanery, but only some parishes had cases recorded in any session. Further notes were added later, such as the excommunications.
For the second half of the 18th century, visitation citations alone survive. The latest document is a Salop archdeaconry process.
Documents which were separate from the main series were deposited as part of LD412. There are in addition: citations and processes, 1752-1787 (Ex D & C B/V/4). |