Victoria, Australia, Petty Session Records, 1854-1922

About the Victoria, Australia, Petty Session Records, 1854-1922

General collection information

This collection includes images of the original records from the proceedings of Australian Courts of Petty Sessions between 1854 and 1922. The court registers in this collection typically have criminal, civil, and licensing cases mixed together, but the busiest courts may have recorded each type of case in separate registers. Entries in the court registers were typically organized chronologically and were handwritten, making some information difficult to read.

Using this collection

Records in this collection may include the following information:

This collection can be used to confirm that your ancestor made an appearance before a Court of Petty Sessions at a specific time and place. The information in these records may help you add names to your family tree. Knowing where your ancestor lived at the time of their court appearance gives you a location to search for other church and government records.

Collection in context

The records were created by officials working for Courts of Petty Sessions in Victoria, Australia. The original documents are primary historical sources, and the information in them may not be available in other records. The original register books are housed at the Public Record Office Victoria in Melbourne.

The powers and jurisdiction of the Courts of Petty Sessions were established by a parliamentary act in 1832. These local courts were conducted by two or more justices hearing cases together and commonly making decisions without the input of a jury. The most common criminal cases heard in Petty Sessions were for theft, drunkenness, and disorderly or dishonest conduct. People also were charged with failure to show up for work or were accused of speaking to their employer in abusive language. Courts of Petty Sessions also handled civil cases and the issuance of licenses. However, in 1886, separate courts were established to process liquor licenses.

Bibliography

Local Court New South Wales. "New Courts of Petty Sessions-1832." Accessed May 12, 2023. https://www.localcourt.nsw.gov.au/about-us/history.html#New4.

Public Record Office Victoria. "Court of Petty Sessions Cause List Books (1860-1888); Court of Petty Sessions Registers (1888-1968)." Accessed May 12, 2023. https://prov.vic.gov.au/archive/VPRS1387/about.

---. "Home." Accessed May 12, 2023. https://prov.vic.gov.au/.