Showing 115 results

Records of Woolwich Magistrates Court, 1898-1979, including court registers; court minute books; Married Women Act orders; Guardianship of Infants Act orders and bastardy complaints.

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. Court minute books or notebooks are rough notes of the proceedings recording the gist of the evidence given.

Domestic proceedings: 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.

Records of Woolwich County Court, 1872-1995, including minute book; ordinary summons books; ordinary actions books; judges' note books; bills of sale and court service expenditure ledger.

Records of courts within Willesden Petty Sessional Division, 1873-1986. Records include court registers for Harlesden Magistrates Court; court registers, juvenile court registers and court minute books for Willesden Magistrates Court; court registers, juvenile court registers and court minute books for Acton Magistrates Court and licensing registers for Willesden, Acton and Chiswick.

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. Court minute books or notebooks are rough notes of the proceedings recording the gist of the evidence given.

Records of the Westminster Quarter Sessions of the Peace, 1619-1860, including lists of prisoners awaiting trial; lists of prisoners already tried; lists and rolls of fines; court minutes; lists and registers of charges; sessions papers; sessions rolls; writs of venire facias and trial process records.

Note on the Quarter Sessions records: Although Westminster has fewer surviving records than Middlesex, the City's sessions would have produced similar records to those of the County, but they would have been smaller in quantity, and have included less administrative material. Also, as with all Quarter Sessions records, "seeing that the Custos Rotulorum was a private gentleman or nobleman and the Clerk of the Peace an attorney with a private practice it is likely that many county records were (if not lost or destroyed) handed down to their families or their professional successors" and many may still remain to be found in private hands (Emmison and Gray, County Records, 1987). Those records that have survived are often difficult to read or understand because of the handwriting, use of Latin (until 1733), or legal jargon and abbreviations; although standardised legal formats were used and printed pro formas introduced by the nineteenth century.

For the Middlesex and Westminster records there may also be confusion over the records' arrangement resulting from the attempts at classification by previous generations of archivists which have left many records split up into unnatural groupings. Originally they would not have been sorted into any cohesive arrangement. These were records that were "kept for administrative convenience rather than as sources for future generations" (G. Jones, Quarter Sessions records in the Leicestershire Record Office).

Because of this overlapping between many classes of record, any study of the Westminster records should include consultation of those for Middlesex. There was in any case a lot of co-operation between the two courts during the period covered by the records. Judicial (Gaol Delivery Sessions for example) and administrative functions were shared, as were court personnel (including justices). Westminster prisoners could elect to be tried at the Middlesex sessions, as these were held more frequently than their own.

The sessions records are a very useful source for family history, studying trends in law and order, and the life of the City and its inhabitants over a relatively long period of time. The capital was an area with high levels of crime, the natural place for riot and conspiracy, and attracted a wide variety of people from the whole country and abroad. The main record of proceedings at the sessions will be found in the sessions rolls (MJ/SR and the uncatalogued WJ/SR - index in WJ/CB); the (partially uncatalogued) sessions books (WJ/SB, MJ/SB); and the (partially uncatalogued) sessions papers (WJ/SP, MJ/SP). City administrative work is in the records of the County Day sessions (WJ/O), and for one particular type, in the records of the street surveyors (WJ/SS). Records of judicial procedure are in the records of court fines (WJ/E), writs to summon juries (WJ/W), and the trial process (WJ/Y); Lists of prisoners made at various times during the trial process are in WJ/CC and WJ/CP.

Letter from Charles, 2nd Viscount Townsend, to Lord Delaware, chairman of the sessions of the peace for Westminster, announcing the decision that the Treasury Solicitor will in future defend all constables and other peace officers of Westminster in actions brought against them 'for searching houses where Felons and other disorderly Persons resort' by warrant of the justices. Dated 26 October 1728.

Document relating to a plea heard at Westminster, 1807: Crichton Horne and Edward Finch, (plaintiffs) v John Moore.

Records of Westminster Magistrates Court, 1896-1943, including court registers; rates registers; means enquiry summonses; summonses indexes; Married Women Act orders; bastardy complaints and letter book.

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. Court minute books or notebooks are rough notes of the proceedings recording the gist of the evidence given.

Domestic proceedings: 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.

Documents relating to the Westminster Bridge inquisitions, 1739-1746. The documents relate to the acquisition of land in Westminster. For each case there is a precept for summoning a jury, a list of jurymen and their resulting inquisition. The list records the general location of the property and the owner or leaseholder concerned.

Records of West London Magistrates Court, 1877-2001, including court registers; registers for means enquiries, Small Tenement Act cases, civil debt cases, ex-parte cases, and licence renewals; Married Women Act orders; bastardy orders; domestic court proceedings; maintenance registers and Guardianship of Infants Act orders.

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.

Domestic proceedings: 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.

Records of West London County Court, 1847-1948, including minute books; ledger of equity proceedings; plaint book; default summons books; ordinary summons books; bankruptcy administration ledger; Workmen's Compensation Act register; judge's register; register of agreements and committal summons book.

Records of Wandsworth Petty Sessional Division, 1870-1950, comprising court minute books; court registers; licensing registers and licensing transfers. 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. Court minute books or notebooks are rough notes of the proceedings recording the gist of the evidence given.

Records of Wandsworth County Court, 1911-1968, including ordinary summons books; default summons books; defended default books; judgement summons books and funds ledgers.

Calendars of prisoners for various Courts of Law, 1881-1961, including:

Rochester Sessions;
Central Criminal Court;
Middlesex Sessions;
Surrey Sessions;
Surrey Assizes;
Kent Sessions;
Kent Assizes;
County of London Sessions;
Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire Sessions;
Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire Assizes;
Essex Sessions;
Essex Assizes;
Gravesend Sessions;
Maidstone Sessions;
Tenterden Sessions;
West Ham Borough Sessions;
Croydon Borough Sessions;
Guildford Borough Sessions;
City of London Sessions;
Hertford, Saint Albans and Saffron Walden Assizes.

Please note that some of these calendars are closed under the Data Protection Act.

Records of Uxbridge Petty Sessional Division, 1855-1986, including court registers; court minutes; juvenile court registers; minutes of Probation and After-Care Committee and of Justices' Meetings and committals registers. 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. Court minute books or notebooks are rough notes of the proceedings recording the gist of the evidence given.

Records of Tower Bridge Magistrates Court, 1889-1953, comprising court registers and court minute books. 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. Court minute books or notebooks are rough notes of the proceedings recording the gist of the evidence given.

Records of the Thames Magistrates Court, 1804-1971, including court registers; clerk's letter books and papers; and wreck enquiry notes. 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.

Records of Stoke Newington Magistrates Court, 1890-1956, including court minutes; court registers; licensing registers and Justices' attendance books. 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. Court minute books or notebooks are rough notes of the proceedings recording the gist of the evidence given.

Legal papers from the office of Sir George Stephen, barrister and solicitor, 1807-1841, including writs issued to Sheriffs of London to take up various persons to answer charges in the Court of King's Bench and Court of Exchequer, 1807, 1822, 1826, 1827, 1832 and 1838; memorial of assignment of lease of land in Saint George Hanover Square, 1815; petition for commission in bankruptcy, by Robert Lang of Wilson Street, Finsbury, merchant, against William Abbott, merchant, dealer and chapman, partner with Richard Arthur Maitland of Madras, East Indies, in firm of Abbott and Maitland, 1820; subpoenas for various persons to appear at Gaol Delivery Sessions for City of London to testify against William White and others for felony, 1821; subpoena for George Holt to appear at Middlesex Sessions of the Peace to testify touching bill of indictment against Thomas Odderley Phipps for libel, 1821; correspondence, 1834-1835, and form of proposal for sale of reversionary interest in personal property of Henry Laing of Camberwell, 1841.

Records of Feltham Magistrates Court (part of Spelthorne Petty Sessions Division), 1873-1962. Records include court registers; registers of matrimonial cases; juvenile court registers; adoption files (closed); court notes; Justice's Meeting minute books; licensing registers; Probation Committee minute books and plans.

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. Court minute books or notebooks are rough notes of the proceedings recording the gist of the evidence given.

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.

Records of Southwark County Court, 1820-1961, comprising attorneys roll book, 1820-1933 and legal case files for the following cases:

Parfett v C. Coules and son and another, 1900
Edwards v Measures Bros Ltd, 1907
Medcalf v Surrey Commercial Dock Co, 1908
Finnis v Owners of S.S. 'Grive', 1909
Martin v Morris, 1909
Roberts v E Wells and Sons Ltd, 1911
Maisey v London Brighton and South Coast Railway Co, 1912
Fenton v F and H F Higgs, 1912
Sketton v Owners of the ship 'South Point', 1913
Hood v Bellamys Wharf Ltd, 1913
Doolan v Port of London Authority, 1914
Eyles v Lipton Ltd, 1915
Dinnes v Holland Hannen and Cubitts Ltd, 1916
Davis v Samuel Barrow and Brother Ltd, 1916
Baldock v E Lazenby and Son Ltd, 1917
Runnalls v London General Omnibus Co Ltd, 1917
Seabrook v E Lazenby and Son Ltd, 1919
Armstrong v H J Enthoven & Sons Ltd, 1919
Allan v Andrews, 1920
McCoy v Peek Frean and Co Ltd, 1920
Spencer v W T and E Yates, 1923
Finn v Southern Railway Company, 1924
Harrigan v Canadian Pacific Steamships Ltd, 1926
Friend v Pimm and Burrows Ltd, 1926
Walker v Southern Railway Company, 1927
Knight v Barclay Perkins and Co Ltd, 1927
Colbert v Gatesby Ltd, 1932
Bowie v Wakeley Brothers and Company Ltd, 1932
Vaughan v F W Barnard Ltd, 1933
Callan v J T Healey & Co Ltd, 1933
Rainsbury v G Bernardes and Son, 1933
Dillon v Bermondsey Borough Council, 1934
Jeal v Butler's Wharf Ltd, 1934
Dawes v E Ashby and Co, 1935
Kitsell v Maybury, 1935
Sivyer v W S Shuttleworth and Co Ltd, 1935
Bull v W J Hall Ltd, 1935
Ward v Waldron, 1935
Curtis v Hares, 1936
Marchant v Butler's Wharf Ltd, 1937
Bertie v Grey and Marten, 1937
Saunders v J Bowbrick and Sons, 1937
Rodgers v A Cohen and Company Ltd, 1938
Leahy v Bermondsey Borough Council, 1938
Whiffin v Eldorado Ice Cream Co Ltd, 1938
S eet v Beck and Pollitzer Ltd, 1946
Quigley v Unit Construction Co Ltd, 1947
Henderson v Levy, 1948-1957
Wheatley v T F Maltby Ltd, 1949
Hubble v Lawrence Bros, 1949
Laker v Boots Pure Drug Co Ltd 1950
Felton v T Wallis Ltd, 1951
Murphy v London County Council, 1952
Buckle v London County Council, 1953
Goldsmith v Rosser and Russell Ltd, 1954
Purdy v Port of London Authority, 1961.

Records of the Southwark Coroner's Court, 1837-1932, including inquests, inquisitions, depositions and no inquest volumes (if a death was reported to the Coroner upon which he decided no inquest was necessary, then a report with details of the death was bound in the series of volumes of No Inquest Cases).

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.

This collection contains records of South Mimms Magistrates Court, 1880-1923 and 1929-1941, and consists of Court Registers. 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.

Collection of Diocesan records; including surveyors plans for City of London properties in the estates of the Diocese of Southwark; precedent and case books for ecclesiastical jurisdiction; baptisms, marriage and burial register for the garrison at the Cape of Good Hope, 1795-1803; transcripts and calendars of various Diocesan records; list of the bishops of London, 1540-1787; and a parish register for Saint Mary's, Leyton, 1575-1783.

Papers collected by Sir John Silvester, Recorder of the City of London, on various aspects of the administration of justice within the City of London; including precedents of indictments and pleadings, copies of charges, notes on points of law and legal customs.

Records of Saint Pancras Petty Sessional Division, 1823-1956, comprising court minute books, court registers and licensing registers. 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. Court minute books or notebooks are rough notes of the proceedings recording the gist of the evidence given.

Records of the Manor of Saint John of Jerusalem, Clerkenwell, including court books for courts baron, courts leet and views of frankpledge, 1602-1926; minute books, 1806-1906; estreat roll, 1839; plan of properties in the Manor, undated; agreement and other papers relating to the sale of the manorial rights to the Tottenham and Hampstead Junction Railway Company, 1869; and admissions, 1877.

Records of the Ratcliff Gas Light and Coke Company, including Bill and Act (4 Geo. IV cap. xcviii) for lighting with gas the parishes of St. Botolph, Aldgate, St. Paul, Shadwell, and parts of St. George-in-the-East, St. John, Wapping, Mile End Old Town and Ratcliff, 1823; notices; particulars of sale of shares in the company; agreements and contracts; papers relating to legal actions and lawsuits; correspondence; and papers relating to Company premises in Stepney and Wapping.

Records of Queenhithe Ward, Corporation of London. The records comprise minutes, assessments, wardmote inquest verdicts and a list of voters. They were catalogued by members of Guildhall Library at various dates.

Records of Old Street Magistrates Court, 1905-1980, including court registers; Married Women Act orders; Guardianship of Infants Act orders; bastardy complaints and bastardy arrears complaints.

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.

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.

Records of the North West Kent Coroner's District, comprising case papers, 1951-1965.

Records of the North London Magistrates Court, comprising court registers, 1909-1965. 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.

Records of the Newington Petty Sessional Division, 1775-1966, including court minute books; licensing calendars and registers; registers of rates recovery, registers of weights and measures offences and registers of Fire Brigade Act offences.

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. Court minute books or notebooks are rough notes of the proceedings recording the gist of the evidence given.

Pardon for prisoners at Millbank Prison, 1828.

Letter from Harold G Broadbridge, Coroner for the County of Middlesex Western Division, to Mr G Chandler, County Councillor, regarding the holding of his first sitting at the Court at Ealing Town Hall.

Records of Middlesex Quarter Sessions of the Peace, 1907-1982. Records relating to Justices of the Peace including registers of attendance of justices; Registers of Justices' oaths; Middlesex Victoria funds; Quarter Sessions Society; Chairman's notebooks; Society of Chairmen of Quarter Sessions; Justices' Property Committee; Conferences of Justices' draft minutes; official registrations; Justices' clerks' fees and accounts and lists of Justices of the Peace.

Records of the Court in session, including Sessions rolls; Court minutes; depositions; calendars; registers of cases; registers of appeals; general orders of the Court; probation reports and registers of probation orders; recogizances; Criminal Justice Act papers; County Day papers; records of convictions; register of cases committed for trial; oaths, bibles and swearing aids; case papers and registers under tuberculosis orders and standing orders of court and committees.

Administrative papers of the Quarter Sessions including prison reports; costs papers; maps and plans; accounts of fees and fines; papers of committees including the Parliamentary Committee, Petty Sessional Boundaries Committee, Rota Committee, County Confirming and Compensation Committee, London Area and Advisory Committee and Middlesex Sessions Area Administrative Committee; and Court year books.

Papers deposited with the Clerk of the Peace including highway diversions, register of fines and cost and jurors' books. Papers of the Clerk of the Peace including reference files; papers relating to ceremonial occasions and receipt book. Also financial accounts of the County Treasurer.

Records of Middlesex Quarter Sessions relating to Petty Sessions and summary jurisdiction, 1774-1915. Generally, records of summary jurisdiction and petty sessions are not regularly found before the mid Nineteenth Century because there was no obligation to return any to the Clerk of the Peace before then, and their survival rate is low. Some were voluntarily returned (mainly convictions and depositions), and there is record of cases within the main sessions records, particularly on the sessions rolls (see MJ/SR). An Act of 1847 required details of juvenile convictions to be returned to the Clerk; an Act of 1848, required details of fines, depositions and case papers; but it was the Criminal Justice Act of 1855 which laid down that all petty sessional records should be returned for filing in the main sessions records at the next Quarter Sessions following. The quantity of records that have survived for the Middlesex petty sessions is small and date mainly from the Nineteenth Century. MSJ/PR are poor law removal orders; MSJ/F are returns of fines imposed at petty sessions; MSJ/R are returns of offenders and bastardy maintenance orders; and MSJ/C and MSJ/CY are records of convictions.

Records of the Justices of the Peace for Middlesex, 1648-1974. MJP/C contains the original Commissions of the Peace and of Oyer and Terminer issued to the Justices of the Peace; MJP/L are lists of the justices in those commissions; MJP/D contains names of justices who had paid subscriptions for dinners held at the Sessions House; MJP/EC concerns the election of a Chairman of the sessions in 1872-1873; MJP/O contains a record of oaths taken by justices upon their appointment to the commission. The series in MJP/Q, MJP/QC and MJP/R are concerned with the qualifications needed by justices in order to be eligible for appointment.

Records of the Middlesex Sessions of the Peace comprising extracts from minutes of the orders of court relating to County business. The extracts were first made in 1819 for the period 1716-1829. Only two entries were made between 1826 and 1829.

Records relating to the Middlesex Quarter Sessions of the Peace, comprising a recognizance to appear at the next session, 1722.

Records of the Middlesex North Eastern Coroner's District, comprising case papers, 1890-1892.

Records of the Middlesex Eastern Coroner's District, comprising case papers, registers, daily records and annual returns, 1892-1965.

Records of the Middlesex Central Coroner's District comprising depositions, 1862-1874. A deposition is the testimony or statements given in a court of law by witnesses. It can be taken down in writing to be read out in court if the witness cannot appear.

Records of Marylebone Magistrates Court, 1905-1994, including court registers; means registers; legal aid registers and licensing registers. 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.

Records of Marlborough Street Magistrates Court, 1896-1991, including court registers; rates registers; registers of means enquiries; registers of ex-parte cases; registers of applications for time to pay; Married Women's Act orders; Guardianship of Infants Act orders; Affiliation orders and domestic proceedings registers.

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.

Domestic proceedings: 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.

Papers relating to the Mansion House Justice Room, including records of cases brought before the Mayor, 1624-1990; administrative records; regulations and duties of the clerks and officers of the court, evidence produced at trials, rotas of attendance of justices, orders from the court of aldermen and other miscellaneous historical material.

Records of the London Western Coroner's District, comprising case papers, 1927-1964.

Records of the London Southern Coroner's District, comprising case papers, 1927-1964.

Records of the London South Western Coroner's District, comprising case papers, 1927-1945.

Records of the London South Eastern Coroner's District, comprising case papers, 1927-1934.