Research

Scope and Content Note

This series consists of common orders issued by the Clerk in the name of the Vice Chancellor in the 7th Circuit in mortgage cases, by which a Master was ordered to determine the amount of principal and interest owed to the complainant.

The orders contain the names of the complainant, his solicitor and the defendant, the date the order was issued, the county of residence and sometimes the name of the Master to whom the case was referred and the substance of the order.

The orders direct a Master to ascertain and report in the court on the amount of money owed by the defendant to the complainant, future payments due and the dates, total amount outstanding in the mortgage, the condition of the property, and whether it would be more beneficial to all parties to sell the property in one or several parcels. The copies of the orders are on printed forms with the information relevant to each case inserted in the appropriate location. On occasion additional directions have been added at the end of the printed order. Court of Chancery rules allowed the issuance of these orders in cases where the bill of complaint was taken as confessed by the defendant