The Mortmain Act of 1736 (9 Geo. n, c.36) required devises of property in trust to be enrolled in Chancery. In 1871 the 32nd Report of the Deputy Keeper of the Public Records printed an index to all the deeds so enrolled on the dorse of the Close Rolls. The index was compiled from the original annual indexes to the Rolls and no attempt was made to check these against the original entries. Since the annual indexes were apparently made from the endorsements on the original deeds there was considerable opportunity for errors to creep in. The printed index therefore contains even more errors and entries can vary from two or three words to two or three lines of details. Although the arrangement of this index is alphabetical by the first letter of the parish or hamlet it is then chronologically arranged, making it necessary to read through all the entries. For more information about the enrolment of trust deeds in Chancery see R.W. Ambler, ‘Enrolled Trust Deeds’ (Archives, vol 20, 1993, pp. 177-186)

The references given here are to the year (regnal or calendar) followed by the number of the roll, and the number of the deed on the roll. If more than one number is given for the deed there is usually a lease and release. To consult the originals at the Public Record Office these references have to be converted to the new C54 reference numbers. For deeds after 1865 there is an index in the search room.