Records of the South Western Magistrates Court, 1891-1981, including court registers; probation orders; Married Women Act orders; Guardianship of Infants Act orders; bastardy complaints; matrimonial case registers and indexes; separation and maintenance orders; warrants for desertion; and motoring offences records.
Court registers record the date of the hearing, the name of the informant or complainant (often the police), the name of the defendant, a brief note of the offence and the decision of the magistrate.
Matrimonial cases: a married woman under the provisions of the Summary Jurisdiction (Married Women) Act 1895 and subsequent Acts could go to a magistrates' court and apply for orders which in certain circumstances would enable her to separate from her husband, have custody of any children and receive maintenance from him. Under the Poor Law Amendment Act 1844 a mother expecting a bastard child or who had given birth to one could obtain a maintenance order against the putative father.
South Western Magistrates Court