Essex County (Va.) Chancery Causes, 1728-1914, consists of cases concerning issues of equity brought largely by residents of the county and filed in the circuit court. These cases often involve the following actions: divisions of estates or land, disputes over wills, disputes regarding contracts, debt, divorce, and business disputes. Other less prevalent issues include freedom suits, permissions to sell property, and disputes concerning trespass. Predominant documents found in these chancery causes include bills (documents the plaintiff's complaint), answers (defendant's response to the plaintiff's complaint), decrees (court's decision), depositions, affidavits, correspondence, lists of heirs, deeds, plats, wills, records involving enslaved individuals, business records or vital statistics.

Commonly found surnames among the plaintiffs and defendants include Andrews, Atkins, Banks, Baylor, Beazley, Bird, Bohannan (also spelled Bohannon), Boughan, Boughton, Bray, Brizendine, Brockenbrough, Broocke, Brooke, Brooks, Brown, Burke, Campbell, Carter, Cauthorn, Clarke, Clements, Covington, Cox, Crow, Croxton, Daingerfield, Davis, Dillard, Dishman, Dobyns, Dunn, Durham, Dyke, Edmundson, Eubank, Evans, Fauntleroy, Fisher, Games, Garnett, Gatewood, Gordon, Gouldman, Gray, Greenwood, Haile, Hawkins, Henley, Hill, Howerton, Hundley, Hunter, Jeffries, Johnson, Jones, Latane, Lewis, Lumpkin, Mann, Matthews, Micou, Miller, Mitchell, Montague, Moody, Motley, Munday, Muse, Newbill, Noel, Owen, Parker, Pitts, Purkins, Rennolds, Richards, Richardson, Roane, Robinson, Rowzee (also spelled Rowzie), Sale, Saunders, Scott, Shackelford, Smith, Spindle, Taylor, Thomas, Trible, Upshaw, Walker, Waring, Webb, Wright, and Young.

These records also contain 1 folder of “Orphan Chancery,” which has been processed but not indexed. These records contain parts, often single items, of chancery causes that could not be further identified as belonging to a certain case.