Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
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Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
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1805-1957 (Creation)
- Creator
- Nova Scotia. Supreme Court (Colchester County)
Physical description area
Physical description
11 m of textual records
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
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Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
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Archival description area
Name of creator
Administrative history
In 1774, the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia's circuit system was established by an act of the legislature. In this system, judges travelled to outlying areas to hold court. By 1834 the initial requirement to have cases heard in the presence of two or more judges was removed and a single judge hearing cases on circuit was invested with the full powers and jurisdiction of the court in Halifax. Sittings in the District of Colchester (part of Halifax County until Colchester became separate in 1835) were established in 1802. Although initially in Onslow, the court's place of sitting moved to Truro in 1804.
Custodial history
Most of these records were transferred directly from the court administration, or prothonotary's office, in Truro. Some volumes were acquired in 1951 from Frank Patterson, a long-time Colchester County lawyer, and later Supreme Court judge. The books may have been in the procession of his uncle, County Court Judge George Patterson.
Scope and content
Series forms part of Supreme Court on county circuit sous-fonds and consists of official record books and case files of the court sitting at Truro.
Notes area
Physical condition
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Arrangement
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Script of material
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Finding aids
Sub-series descriptions available.
Associated materials
The archives of the Colchester Historical Museum has some record books of the same provenance. These date between 1892 and 1945 and appear to be from other records series. Some material originally described in this series has been re-described as part of the Archibald, Campbell and successor law firm fonds.
Accruals
Further accruals are expected.
General note
Case files of the County Court Judge's Criminal Court of District Number 4 (Colchester County), previously and erroneously thought to be Supreme Court case files, have been appropriately re-described. Formerly described as Supreme Court of Nova Scotia in Colchester County fonds.