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The Prerogative Court, Doctors Commons, 1850. Creator: Unknown
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The Prerogative Court, Doctors Commons, 1850. Creator: Unknown
The Prerogative Court, Doctors Commons, 1850. Illustration to an article by Thomas Miller and Godfrey Malvern. Interior of...the chambers where the wills of the dead are deposited [near the corner of St. Paul's Churchyard in London];...through those doors by which many a beating and anxious heart enters, to return disappointed, or half delirious with delight through dreaming of the many pleasures which riches will procure...We have gazed on those dark-bound volumes...and thought that if the dead were permitted to return again, what ghastly forms would enter that room, shrieking aloud names once beloved, and blotting out for ever such as they had in their blind passion inserted...There is a smell as of death about the place, as if grey old departed spirits lurked in the musty folios, and had scattered their ashes amid the yellow and unearthly -looking parchments...'. From "Illustrated London News", 1850
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Bureaucracy Bureaucratic Clerk Clerks Document Documents Eerie Inheritance Ledger Ledgers Miller Thomas Office Official Thomas Miller Wills
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EDITORS COMMENTS
The Prerogative Court at Doctors' Commons, 1850: A Glimpse into the Chambers of the Dead This evocative image, taken from an article in the Illustrated London News in 1850, offers a haunting glimpse into the Prerogative Court at Doctors' Commons in London. The authors, Thomas Miller and Godfrey Malvern, describe the scene as the place 'where the wills of the dead are deposited,' located near St. Paul's Churchyard. The photograph captures the interior of the court, with its dark-bound volumes and heavy ledgers, which once held the final wishes of the deceased. The doors, through which many a heart entered with hope and trepidation, are framed by the shadows cast by the heavy curtains. The atmosphere is eerie and otherworldly, as if the ghosts of the dead might return to claim their last possessions. The musty folios and yellowing parchments seem to hold the ashes of the departed, and the smell of death lingers in the air. The scene is filled with bureaucratic activity, as clerks and officials busily attend to their duties, poring over the documents with meticulous care. The male and female clerks, dressed in their formal attire, are a stark contrast to the ghostly presence that seems to haunt the room. The Prerogative Court at Doctors' Commons was a vital part of Victorian society, responsible for the administration of wills and probate. This image offers a fascinating glimpse into the past, transporting us back to a time when the dead were still very much present in the lives of the living.
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