Petty Sessions courts grew out of the authority of Justices of
the Peace to exercise summary jurisdiction in cases of petty crime,
without having to wait for the next Quarter Sessions court.
Records, if they were kept at all, were limited mainly to minute
books containing brief notes on cases heard. The petty sessional
divisions were based on the 'hundreds' (groups of parishes). Petty
Sessions courts have evolved into today's magistrates courts.
Typical records include court registers, registers of licences
of alehouses and beerhouses, and magistrates' meeting minutes. The
records are public records as defined by the Public Records Act
1958, and therefore some records are still closed to public
access.
Northamptonshire Record Office holds the following records of
the Liberty of Peterborough Petty Sessions:
- Registers and accounts 1845-1907 (incomplete).
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