The court books and bundles of verdicts record proceedings at the regular sessions of the court leet and view of frankpledge for the barony of Dunham Massey held to hear pleas between parties (placita inter partes). The series contains three court books, 1651-1658, 1658-1661 and 1676-1683 (EGR2/1/8/1-2 & /5), two bundles of verdicts, 1661-1670/1 and 1670/1-1676 (EGR2/1/8/3-4), and verdicts found loose, 1649/50-1658 (EGR2/1/8/6).
All the court books and verdicts appear to be drafts, compiled in a rough, cursive hand during the proceedings of the court. Summary headings, containing the name of the court and the dates of the sessions, are followed by brief records of the cases heard. For some sessions lists of jurors are also provided, either before or after the verdicts. The information provided on cases is generally restricted to the names of the parties, the nature of the pleading (such as trespass, trespass on the case, or debt), the sum sought by the plaintiff, and the jury's verdict. Fuller details of cases are given in the files of subsidiary papers (EGR2/1/9 below). The conclusion of a court record is frequently marked by a line drawn across the page, the record of the next court following directly below.
[Pleas between parties are also recorded in court rolls for the following years: 1450-1455 (EGR2/1/3/3), 1544 (EGR2/1/3/4), 1582 (EGR2/1/3/5), 1583 (EGR2/1/3/7), ?1595 (EGR2/1/3/10) and 1596 (EGR2/1/3/11); and in court books for the following years: 1533/4-1534/5 (EGR2/1/4/1), 1536 (EGR2/1/4/2), 1539 (EGR2/1/4/3), 1541 (EGR2/1/4/4), 1543 (EGR2/1/4/5), 1550 (EGR2/1/4/6), 1554 (EGR2/1/4/7), 1561 (EGR2/1/4/8), 1566 (EGR2/1/4/9), 1574 (EGR2/1/4/10) and 1582 (EGR2/1/4/11).]