Quarter Sessions
The
Courts of Quarter Sessions or
Quarter Sessions were periodic courts held in each
county and
county borough in
England and Wales until
1972, when together with the
Assize courts they were abolished by the
Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent
Crown Court of England and Wales.
The Quarter Sessions derive their name from the fact that they were required by a statute of
1388 to be held at least four times a year. These were later settled as
Epiphany,
Easter,
Midsummer and
Michaelmas sessions.
Quarter Sessions were also held in the colony of
New South Wales. They also existed in
North American colonies, and sometimes known as
Courts of General Sessions. In
Malaysia, the Quarter Sessions have evolved into permanent
Sessions courts.
The Quarter Sessions generally heard crimes which could not be tried summarily by the
Justices of the Peace without a jury in
petty sessions, which were sent up by the process of
indictment to be heard in Quarter Sessions. The Quarter Sessions in each county was made up of two or more Justices of the Peace, presided over by a Chairman, who sat with a
jury. In
county boroughs which were entitled to have their own Quarter Sessions, there was a single
Recorder instead of a bench of justices.
The Quarter Sessions did not have jurisdiction to hear the most serious crimes, most notably those which could be punished by
capital punishment or later
life imprisonment. These crimes were sent for trial at the periodic
Assizes.
The Quarter Sessions also had some limited civil jurisdiction, and until
1888 also had an important administrative function in their respective counties. These functions included:
*Repair of
roads and
bridges
*Highway diversions
*Construction and maintenance of county buildings
*Administration of the county gaol
*Supervision of public and private
lunatic asylums
*Supervision of
petty sessions *Licensing of
public houses
*Supervision of the
Poor Law (pre-1834)
*The county militia
*The
police *Setting county rates
Much of the court's administrative business was delegated to committees of
magistrates, who had specific responsibillities. Most of these administrative functions were transferred to
county councils when they were established in 1888.
In some counties there were multiple Quarter Sessions, quite apart from the urban areas: for example,
Yorkshire had its
North Riding,
West Riding, and
East Riding; whilst
Northamptonshire's
Soke of Peterborough was administered separately. These divisions were carried on to the
administrative counties that county councils covered.
The following Quarter Sessions were abolished by the
Justices of the Peace Act 1949 on
October 1,
1951.
*
Berwick-upon-Tweed*
Bideford*
Bridgnorth*
Carmarthen*
Chichester*
Faversham*
Haverfordwest*
Hythe*
Ludlow*
Maldon*
Oswestry*
Richmond*
Liberty of Ripon*
Rye*
Saffron Walden*
Sandwich*
South Molton*
Stamford*
Sudbury*
Tenterden*
Thetford*
Tiverton*
Warwick*
WenlockIt also saw a separate Quarter Sessions set up for the
Isle of Wight.
*
Courts of England and Wales
