The Circuit Superior Court of Law and Chancery was established in 1831 and replaced in 1850 by the Circuit Court. For these cases the court sat in chancery which meant it acted as a court of equity. Equity law is a body of legal and procedural rules and doctrines which supplement or override common and statute law to protect rights and enforce duties defined or fixed by substantive law. The court usually dealt with cases which did not need a jury,...

The Circuit Superior Court of Law and Chancery was established in 1831 and replaced in 1850 by the Circuit Court. Common law is the body of law developed primarily from judicial decisions based on custom and precedent, unwritten in statute or code. Orders are judgments based on those laws.

District Court for Accomack County District covered the counties of Accomack and Northampton. Court was held at the Accomack County Courthouse. In 1808 the District Counts were abolished and replaced by the Superior Courts of Law.

Vols. 1-2 and 4 were not originally published as part of the set but were included later by the editor of this book. Vol. 1 is considered to be County Court records of Accomack-Northampton, Virginia, 1632-1640 / edited by Susie M. Ames; v. 2 is County Court records of Accomack-Northampton, Virginia, 1640-1645 / edited by Susie M. Ames, and v. 4 is considered to be Northampton County, VA, orders, deeds, & wills, 1651-1654 / transcribed by Frank V....

"The editor has selected from these early records samples that reveal the true picture of life in the first permanent English colony in America." -- P. [1].

Accomacke County covered the Eastern Shore which included the counties of Accomack and Northampton. Northampton County was established in 1634 under the name Accawmak (spelling varies) and the name was changed in 1643 to Northampton. Accomack County was formed from Northampton in 1663.