Quarter Session Records

Quarter Sessions records are among the most voluminous records held by County Record and Archive Offices. Dating from the 12th century through to 1972, when Quarter Sessions were replaced by Crown Courts, the records create a huge amount of information of interest to family and local historians.

To date, few Quarter Sessions records have been indexed in any detail, or transcribed. The aim of this booklet is to give a brief history of Quarter Sessions and then describe the main judicial and Administrative Records that may help researches to discover new and possibly totally unexpected information about their ancestors..

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Recent Reviews

This splendid little book is one of the best in the “Basic Facts about…Series.” I do sincerely recommend it, with its descriptions of one of the lesser used but larger collections held by County Record and Archives Offices. It is filled with the names of documents included among Quarter Sessions Records which can date from the 12th Century to 1972. However the pages are not just filled with lists of documents. Richard tells us exactly what we might find, what the documents look like, and how this information might be used to put the meat on the bones of our ancestors. Not only this, but his enthusiasm for this subject made me feel inclined to dash off to the nearest Record Office immediately and plunge in. Added to all these tempting records, we are given a “Select Bibliography” of other books which might help with our searches into Quarter Sessions Records.

Sad to say, unfortunately for a researcher, one of these useful books – the Gibson Guide, “Quarter Sessions Records for Family Historians” is currently out of print. So borrow one from a friend, ask at your library, look in second hand bookshops and try and contain a copy. But, above all, don’t try to mange without this Richard Ratcliffe Basic Facts Book. Even if you don’t find your own ancestor in any Quarter Sessions Records, you will have a fascinating time reading about the villains and heroes who belong to other people.

Joyce Finnemore
The Midland Ancstor (BMSGH journal), June 2007.

NB : A new edition of the Gibson Guide Quarter Sessions Records for Family Historians has now been published by The Family History Partnership shortly. Click here for details.

Basic Facts about...