Legal Definitions - hanaper

Hanaper is a historical legal term with two related meanings within the English Chancery system:

• First, it referred to a physical basket or hamper used to store important legal documents, such as writs (formal written orders from a court) and returns (reports on the execution of those writs).
• Second, and more significantly, it designated the treasury or financial department of the Chancery. This fund was primarily sustained by the fees charged to individuals for the issuance of legal writs.

Here are some examples to illustrate the historical use of the term:

• Imagine a clerk in the 14th-century English Chancery, diligently preparing a series of writs for various petitioners. Once each writ was officially sealed, the clerk would carefully place it into a large, sturdy hanaper—a designated storage basket—alongside other newly issued documents. This ensured that these crucial legal instruments were kept organized and protected until they could be dispatched or permanently archived.

  This example illustrates the hanaper as a physical container, highlighting its role in the organized storage and preservation of legal documents within the historical court system.

• When a medieval landowner sought to initiate a lawsuit or obtain a specific legal remedy through the King's Chancery, they were required to pay a fee for the issuance of the necessary writ. This payment, along with countless others collected from various petitioners, would be deposited into the hanaper, which functioned as the Chancery's primary financial account. These accumulated funds were then used to cover the administrative costs of the court, including the salaries of its officials and the maintenance of its operations.

  This example highlights the hanaper as the treasury or financial department of the Chancery, demonstrating how fees for legal documents contributed to the court's financial sustenance and operational funding.