Crown Office Precognitions - Search Result

Order a Copy of the Precognition, Trial Papers and Trial Minutes

These records can help you trace your family tree and understand the lives of your ancestors. Order a copy of the Precognition, Trial Papers and Trial Minutes for £45.00. Watch our video to find out what you will receive.

The records of the High Court are truly amazing and are one of the most comprehensive sources relating to your family you are likely to find. The witness statements are fascinating and give us a glimpse into our past. To find out more about these wonderful documents visit our Learning Zone.

There are three main sets of records relating to each trial and we can help you access these by providing high quality images for a small research fee. You can either order all three (recommended) or you can order the precognition alone (see below). If you have any questions please contact us and we can advise you.

The precognition was made before the trial and may contain information not used at trial. The indictment is usually contained in the precognition papers and this will give you an outline of the facts of the case, but the main part of the precognition is normally made up of detailed witness statements.

The trial papers or ‘High Court of Justiciary Trial Papers’ contain some of the same information that you will find in the precognition, but you will also find additional information. Any paper evidence supplied to the court such as maps etc. will be contained in these records. You can see an example of one of the exciting items we found in our Learning Zone.

The minute book is the third record we recommend searching. Although briefer than the precognition and trial papers, this record tells you what happened on the day(s) of the trial and the outcome of the case, it completes the picture.

For the research fee of £45 we will copy all three of these records for you (please note that if the case is particularly extensive we will limit the research time to 80 minutes). By clicking 'Add to Cart', you will place an order for this entry in your PayPal 'Shopping Cart'. There is a link to the Shopping Cart at the foot of each page on the site so that you can review or amend your order at any time.

As this involves a trip to the National Records of Scotland in Edinburgh, it can take a few weeks to process your order. We usually complete all orders within 4 weeks. Once we have received your order, we will advise you of the lead time for your research.

From time to time the National Records of Scotland withdraws access to original documents. For example, sometimes the documents are too fragile to be handled. If for any reason this record cannot be produced for us we will provide a full refund and an explanation of why we can’t access the original record.

Order a Copy of the High Court Precognition (only)

- £25

For the research fee of £25 we will locate and copy the precognition for you (please note if the case is particularly extensive, we may limit the copying time to 40 minutes, but this is unusual). By clicking 'Add to Cart', you will place an order for this entry in your PayPal 'Shopping Cart'. There is a link to the Shopping Cart at the foot of each page on the site so that you can review or amend your order at any time.

As this involves a trip to the National Records of Scotland in Edinburgh it can take a few weeks to process your order. We usually try to complete all orders within 4 weeks.

From time to time the National Records of Scotland withdraws access to original documents. For example, sometimes the documents are too fragile to be handled. If for any reason this record cannot be produced for us we will provide a full refund and an explanation of why we can’t access the original record.

Do You Have a Question?

If you are not sure if this is the item you need or if you have another question, email our genealogist Emma Maxwell, and she will do all she can to help.

We also have a Facebook group where you can learn more about the records that we are indexing.