Criminal cases in Surrey (including those resulting in transportation) could be heard either before the Court of Quarter Sessions or at the Assizes. As a rule more serious cases were heard at the Assizes.
Surrey History Centre holds the records of the Surrey Quarter Sessions (QS).
The Assize records are held at The National Archives.
Kingston and Guildford Boroughs held their own Sessions of the Peace. Surrey History Centre holds the Guildford Borough Sessions records. For details of surviving Kingston Borough records, contact Kingston History Centre.
Surrey Quarter Sessions (QS)
The main records of the Court fall into two series: the order books, which survive from 1659, and the Sessions rolls, from 1660. The order books are the central record of the decisions made at the Sessions - the judicial and administrative orders issued by the Court. The rolls are files of documents including lists of justices and county officers, indictments and presentments of criminals and recognizances (financial bonds) to appear at court. Other series of records also survive including minutes books of the court from 1694, and process books (listing all those tried for criminal offences) from 1671. From the early 18th century subsidiary documents from the rolls were stored in separate bundles known as the Sessions papers, which included calendars of prisoners in the county gaols and houses of correction, accounts and bills of county contractors, reports on the state of county bridges, coroner's expenses, examinations and witness statements relating to alleged crimes and papers relating to poor law cases. Other series of records were also stored separately, including indictments in criminal cases from 1759.
Legislation required various activities to be registered at Quarter Sessions. This led to the preservation of records relating to Protestant nonconformist and Roman Catholic meeting houses, printing presses, friendly societies, building societies and licensed victuallers. Under various Acts of Parliament, certain records were ordered to be deposited with the records of Quarter Sessions for local preservation and consultation. These included maps and awards for the enclosure of common land and plans of proposed public undertakings such as canals, railways and later, gas and electricity.
- Surrey Jury-Qualified Freeholders and Copyholders Lists 1696 to 1824 (reference QS3/10A/1-9) are available to search and view online on ancestry.co.uk.
- Surrey Licensed Victuallers Registers 1785 to 1903 (reference QS5/10/2a, 3, 4-5, 22-23) are available to search and view online on ancestry.co.uk.
- Calendars of prisoners whose cases were heard at Surrey Quarter Sessions and Assizes 1848 to 1902 (reference QS3/4/1-21) are available to search and view online on ancestry.co.uk.
- Our index to returns of prisoners whose cases were heard at Surrey Quarter Sessions and Assizes 1912 to 1918 (reference QS3/4/25-26) is available to search online. See Criminal court and prisoner indexes.
Ancestry can be used free of charge in all Surrey Libraries and at Surrey History Centre.
- Surrey Quarter Sessions 1780 to 1820 hearing transcripts are available to search online on Find My Past. They are also available on the Surrey Quarter Sessions 1780-1820 CD.
Find My Past can be used free of charge in all Surrey Libraries and at Surrey History Centre.