51 courtrooms for King’s Bench and Common Pleas were maintained. During Term, trials at the Guildhall were often conducted of an evening by Lord Mansfield after a day’s work at Westminster Hall. After Term, he sometimes alternated days at Westminster Hall and Guildhall; at other times, he stayed several days in succession at one location or the other. It was customary to release the schedule of trial sittings to the newspapers. Here is an example from the London Chronicle, December 31, 1757—January 3, 1758: Sittings for LordMansfield Hilary Term 1758 Middlesex London Sittings During Term Saturday, January 28 Wednesday, February 1 Friday, February 10 Monday, January 30 Tuesday, February 7 Saturday, February 11 Sittings After Term Tuesday, February 14 Wednesday, February 15 A comparison of the calendars in the newspapers with Lord Mansfield’s trial notes show that, while adjustments were made, the calendars were reasonably accurate. The trial notes demonstrate, however, that the sittings after Term often continued for many days, and as Lord Mansfield’s court became more popular, the number of days required to dispose of the business increased. It is possible to isolate some data about case loads. Lord Mansfield told James Boswell in May 1768 that he decided about 700 causes a year.‘^ It is unclear whether Lord Mansfield referred to matters coming before the full Court of King’s Bench for resolution or to the trial docket, but since the number of cases reported in Burrow of full-court activity in a year was vastly fewer than 700, probably the reference was to trials. Also, Boswell’s figure fits with Burrow’s later observation that, as of May 1776, “at the sittings for London and Middlesex only, there are not so few as eight hundred causes set down a year; and all disposed of Burrowadded that “notwithstanding this immensity of business, it is notorious that, in consequence of method and a few rules which have been laid down to prevent delay, nothing now hangs in court”. Not one to complain. Lord Mansfield nevertheless wrote to the Duke of Rutland on December 11, 1785: “The load of business grows too great; since the last termI have 107 causes in Middlesex and 118 in London, and they must all be dispatched before Christmas day”.-° Scott and Pottle, eds.. The Private Papers ofJames Boswell FromMalahide Castle, p. 7: 207. ” 4 Burr. 2583. Historical MSS Commission, Fourteenth Report, Appendix Part I, Rutland MSS, p. 3:268.
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