Master in Chancery

An officer of the Court of Chancery who dealt with matters referred to them by the court, examining evidence, investigating accounts, and preparing reports on cases for the Chancellor or other Chancery judges. In the nineteenth century there were several Masters in Ordinary, whose offices became associated with delay and expense in Chancery proceedings. The Master in Chancery Abolition Act 1852 abolished the offices as part of reforms intended to make Chancery proceedings faster and less costly; their functions were transferred largely to the judges and their clerks.