iPedia Free Information Center

Information about 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, sometimes known as Courts of General Sessions, and were held in Pennsylvania until the constitution of that Commonwealth was rewritten in 1968, replaced by the Court of Common Pleas in each county. 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: Much of the court's administrative business was delegated to committees of magistrates, who had specific responsibilities. 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.

Changes

The following Quarter Sessions were abolished by the Justices of the Peace Act 1949 on October 1, 1951. It also saw a separate Quarter Sessions set up for the Isle of Wight.

See also

Not to be confused with a country.
A county is generally a sub-unit of regional self-government within a sovereign jurisdiction. Originally, in continental Europe, a county was the land under the jurisdiction of a count.
..... Click the link for more information.
County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (excluding Scotland), to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control.
..... Click the link for more information.
England and Wales are both constituent countries of the United Kingdom, that together share a single legal system: English law. Legislatively, England and Wales are treated as a single unit (see State (law)) for the conflict of laws.
..... Click the link for more information.
19th century - 20th century - 21st century
1940s  1950s  1960s  - 1970s -  1980s  1990s  2000s
1969 1970 1971 - 1972 - 1973 1974 1975

Year 1972 (MCMLXXII
..... Click the link for more information.
The Courts of Assize, or Assizes, is the name of criminal courts in several countries. In France, Belgium and Italy the court is still in use. The Assizes is the highest court.
..... Click the link for more information.
Acts of Parliament of predecessor
states to the United Kingdom
Acts of English Parliament to 1601
Acts of English Parliament to 1641
Acts and Ordinances (Interregnum) to 1660
Acts of English Parliament to 1699
Acts of English Parliament to 1706
..... Click the link for more information.
Crown Court is, together with the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal, one of the constituent parts of the Supreme Court of Judicature in England and Wales. It is the higher court of first instance in criminal cases, and is equal in stature to the High Court, which hears
..... Click the link for more information.
13rd century - 14th century - 15th century
1350s  1360s  1370s  - 1380s -  1390s  1400s  1410s
1385 1386 1387 - 1388 - 1389 1390 1391

:
Subjects:     Archaeology - Architecture -
..... Click the link for more information.
Epiphany (Greek: επιφάνεια, "appearance" or "manifestation") is a Christian feast intended to celebrate the "shining forth" or revelation of God to mankind in human form, in the person of Jesus.
..... Click the link for more information.
Christianity

Foundations
Jesus Christ
Church Theology
New Covenant Supersessionism
Dispensationalism
Apostles Kingdom Gospel
History of Christianity Timeline
Bible
Old Testament New Testament
Books Canon Apocrypha
..... Click the link for more information.
Midsummer may refer to the period of time centered upon the summer solstice and the diverse celebrations of it around the Northern Hemisphere, but more often refers to European celebrations that accompany the summer solstice, or to Western festivals that take place in June
..... Click the link for more information.
Michaelmas (pronounced /'mɪkəlməs/; also the Feast of Ss. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael or the Feast of Michael and All Angels) is a day in the Christian calendar which occurs on 29 September.
..... Click the link for more information.
New South Wales

Flag Coat of Arms
Slogan or Nickname: First State, Premier State
Motto(s): "Orta Recens Quam Pura Nites"
(Newly Risen, How Brightly You Shine)

Other Australian states and territories
Capital Sydney
..... Click the link for more information.


North America is a continent [1] in the Earth's northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the south and west
..... Click the link for more information.
Courts of Quarter Sessions were the courts for the British colonies in North America and existed until the creation of local court systems in Canada and the United States.
..... Click the link for more information.
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Flag of Pennsylvania Seal
Nickname(s): Keystone State, Quaker State,
Coal State, Oil State
Motto(s): Virtue, Liberty and Independence

Capital Harrisburg
Largest city
..... Click the link for more information.
In United States jurisprudence, Court of Common Pleas is a court of certain jurisdiction. It stems from the Court of Common Pleas in the English legal system and was brought to the United States by the colonial settlers along with the rest of the English common law tradition.
..... Click the link for more information.
Motto
"Bersekutu Bertambah Mutu"
"Unity Is Strength" 1
Anthem
Negaraku
..... Click the link for more information.
A Sessions Court is a court of law which exists in several Commonwealth countries.

India

In Indian cities, the Sessions Court is responsible for adjudicating matters related to criminal cases.
..... Click the link for more information.
A justice of the peace (JP) is a puisne judicial officer appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice and deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions.
..... Click the link for more information.
Magistrates' Court or court of petty sessions, formerly known as a police court, is the lowest level of court in England and Wales and many other common law jurisdictions.
..... Click the link for more information.
In the common law legal system, an indictment (IPA: /ɨnˈdaɪtmənt/) is a formal accusation of having committed a criminal offense.
..... Click the link for more information.
worldwide view of the subject.
Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page.


For "jury" meaning "makeshift", see jury rig.

..... Click the link for more information.
County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (excluding Scotland), to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control.
..... Click the link for more information.
In the Courts of England and Wales, a Recorder is a barrister or solicitor of at least 10 years standing who is appointed by the Queen on the advice of the Lord Chancellor as a part-time Crown Court judge. A Recorder has all the powers of a Circuit Judge. A Recorder can also sit i.
..... Click the link for more information.
Capital punishment, also called the death penalty, is the execution of a convicted criminal by the state as punishment for crimes known as capital crimes or capital offences.
..... Click the link for more information.
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime, nominally for the entire remaining life of the prisoner, but in fact for a period which varies between jurisdictions: many countries have a maximum possible period of time (usually 50 years) a prisoner may be
..... Click the link for more information.
The Courts of Assize, or Assizes, is the name of criminal courts in several countries. In France, Belgium and Italy the court is still in use. The Assizes is the highest court.
..... Click the link for more information.
8th century - 9th century - 10th century
850s  860s  870s  - 880s -  890s  900s  910s
885 886 887 - 888 - 889 890 891

:
Subjects:     Archaeology - Architecture -
..... Click the link for more information.
road is an identifiable route, way or path between two or more places.[1] Roads are typically smoothed, paved, or otherwise prepared to allow easy travel;[2]
..... Click the link for more information.


This article is copied from an article on Wikipedia.org - the free encyclopedia created and edited by online user community. The text was not checked or edited by anyone on our staff. Although the vast majority of the wikipedia encyclopedia articles provide accurate and timely information please do not assume the accuracy of any particular article. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License.
Herod_Archelaus


page counter