New York State Supreme Court of Judicature (Albany) Special Bail Pieces J0096

New York State Supreme Court of Judicature (Albany) Special Bail Pieces

Some content may contain outdated and offensive terminology. See: New York State Archives Statement on Language in Descriptive Resources

Overview of the Records

Repository:

New York State Archives
New York State Education Department
Cultural Education Center
Albany, NY 12230

Summary:

The special bail piece is a memorandum filed with the court stating that the defendant has been delivered to bail. It gives the names of the defendant and plaintiff; name, occupation or rank, and residence of the bail (two persons are named, but generally one is fictitious--"John Doe" or "Richard Roe"); and type of common law action. There are relatively few bail pieces for the period 1831-1847 because of the liberalization of bail requirements by the Revised Statutes of 1829 and because bail pieces were then customarily included in the judgment rolls.

Creator:

New York (State). Supreme Court of Judicature (Albany)

Title:

Special bail pieces

Quantity:

16.3 cubic feet

38 boxes

Inclusive Dates:

1797-1847

Series Number:

J0096

Arrangement

1797-1807: Chronological by term.

1808-1826: Chronological by year or years, then rough alphabetical by name of attorney.

1827-1847: Chronological by year or years, then rough alphabetical by name of defendant.

Scope and Content Note

The special bail piece is a memorandum filed with the court stating that the defendant has been delivered to bail.

It gives the names of the defendant and plaintiff; the name, occupation or rank, and residence of the bail (two persons are named, but generally one is fictitious--"John Doe" or "Richard Roe"); and the type of common law action. The bail piece is signed by the bail and acknowledged before a Supreme Court Justice or a Circuit Judge, a Supreme Court Commissioner, a judge of the Court of Common Pleas, or other court officer. The amount of the bail bond is not stated. On the dorso of the special bail piece are found the title of the cause, the name of the defendant's attorney, and the filing date. A few bail pieces have exceptions by the plaintiff objecting to the bail. There are relatively few bail pieces for the period 1831-1847 because of the liberalization of bail requirements by the Revised Statutes of 1829 and because bail pieces were now customarily included in the judgment rolls.