Writs 1857-2008

Civil actions brought before the Supreme Court, Southern District, Brisbane. Includes divorce files 1894-1961. The records are held at Queensland State Archives.

The file on each case contains the writ of summons and associated documents such as entry of appearance, affidavits, bill of costs, certification of taxation, pleas, declaration, notice of motion for a new trial, joinder of issue, praecipes, fi fa, exhibits, replication, bond, interpleader, application of search, consent order, certificate of lower scale (costs), papers for the judge, petition, summons for directions, judgment nisi, judgment by default for want of appearance, judgment, discontinuance of action etc.

Writs include cases of admiralty, defamation, unpaid debts or wages, negligence (sometimes resulting in death), breach of agreement or contract, trespassing, damages, dissolution of marriage, dissolution of partnership, negligent driving, possession of land, income tax, injunctions restraining, etc

Matrimonial writs are marked "Mat" or "Matrimonial". Matrimonial petitions were kept as a separate series from 1861 to 1894 and from 1961 to 1976; from 1894 to 1961 they were kept together with other writs.

Note: The majority of writs for 1961 and 1962 were destroyed in a Supreme Court fire in 1968.