The Eastern Caribbean Court, St Vincent, has custody of numerous historic manuscript documents connected with the colonial administration of the island. The earliest records date from 1763, when St Vincent became a British possession. Among the documents are Deed Books, wills, powers of attorney, administrations, other legal records, land grants, and governors' incoming and outgoing correspondence.
This collection contains 3 series of multiple volumes and 3 standalone volumes.
- EAP1013/1/1: Deed Books 1774-1857 [20 volumes]
- EAP1013/1/2: Power of Attorney 1789-1880 [14 volumes]
- EAP1013/1/3: Secretary's Record Book 1812-1813 [1 volume]
- EAP1013/1/4: St Vincent Marriages, Baptisms and Burials Register 1765-1820 [1 volume]
- EAP1013/1/5: Wills 1800-1835 [3 volumes]
- EAP1013/1/6: Unknown French Volume [Power of Attorney 1789-1800] [1 volume].
Custodial history: The records at the Eastern Caribbean Court House have been kept there since they were first compiled. The earliest records date from 1763. Custody of these records lies with the Legal Registrar of the Court House.
Arrangement: The Deed Books, Wills and Power of Attorney documents were compiled systematically by the Colonial Secretary or Registrar of Saint Vincent from 1763 onwards. They have been deposited ever since their creation in the Eastern Caribbean Court House, Kingstown, Saint Vincent. Custody of these manuscript records lies with the Legal Registrar at the court house. The physical collection is divided into two locations. Some of the Deed Books, and all of the Power of Attorney and Will volumes are in the Court vault: here, in terms of the present physical storage, there is no system of arrangement, the documents being stacked in a cramped vault, without curation. A substantial number of the Deed Books are now held in the St Vincent National Archive (though remaining in the ownership of the Court): here, they are well looked after and the volumes arranged in chronological order within the arhive's repository.
