| Description | Opening with Hugh Ellis's deputation as undersheriff for T. Assherton Smith in Caernarvon County in 1774, these papers extend to 1831.
During the lifetime of Ellis they are rather meagre, consisting mostly of occasional letters, bills of costs, accoutns of writs etc. After 1808 however they are much fuller. While this type of document still persists, in addition there appear papers of several individual shrievalties as well as annual nomination lists. John Evans himself acted as deputy to Thomas Parry Jones Parry, Madryn, in Caernarvon County in 1811 and again in 1812 and 1921 for Sir Joseph Huddart, and one or other of his assistants acted similarly for G.F. Barlow in 1814 and Rice Thomas in 1817, both Anglesey sheriffs. In these cases we have, in fairly complete order, the papers issuing out of the office in the way of letters, bills, vouchers, accounts of fines, fees and estrays, bonds, files of writs and on two occasions, the sheriff's letters patent itself.
One of the functions of the prothonotary of the North Wales Circuit was to forward nominations lists of sheriffs for the three counties within the circuit, and this accounts for their presence here. They are almost complete in final or draft form from 1810 to 1831, together with a list of the sheriffs of Caernarvon and Denbigh counties since the days of Henry VIII. |