Title and statement of responsibility area
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Class of material specific details area
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Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
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1876-1987 (Creation)
- Creator
- Nova Scotia. County Courts
Physical description area
Physical description
- 121.75 m of textual records
- 5 microfilm reels
Publisher's series area
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Administrative history
The County Courts were established in 1874 by an act that divided Nova Scotia into judicial districts, each presided over by a judge appointed federally pursuant to the Constitution Act of 1867. Of the seven districts, comprehending all eighteen counties, District Number One comprised Halifax County; District Number Two: Lunenburg, Shelburne, and Queens counties; District Number Three: Annapolis, Digby, and Yarmouth counties; District Number Four: Kings, Hants, and Colchester counties; District Number Five: Pictou and Cumberland counties; District Number Six: Inverness, Antigonish, and Guysborough counties; and District Number Seven: Cape Breton, Victoria, and Richmond counties. The new County Courts divested the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia of some of its original civil jurisdiction, which it had exclusively exercised since the statutory abolition in 1841 of the Inferior Courts of Common Pleas (county/district/township). The County Courts heard actions for debt not exceeding $400, tort actions for damages not exceeding $200, and appeals from the summary judgments of magistrates. Legislation in 1889 conferred a limited criminal jurisdiction on County Court judges, subject to a right of appeal to the Supreme Court.
Custodial history
Scope and content
- Fonds consists of 74 Series: 14 for Halifax County "District Number One" includes Case Files (1872-1948), Judgment Books (1877-1980), Judge Wallace's chambers notes (1901-1928), Chambers Decision Books (1878-1903), Docket Books (1877-1918), Proceedings Books (1877-1973), Cause Books (1876-1980), Decision books (1877-1927), Chambers docket books (1876-1993), Case file registers (1877-1929), Evidence books (1876-1927), County Court Judge's Criminal Court evidence books (1890-1926), County Court Judge's Criminal Court proceedings books (1889-1972), and County Court Judge's Criminal Court cause books (1921-1980);
- 2 series for Lunenburg County "District Number Two" includes Case Files (1876-1924), and Judgment Books (1877-1890);
- 1 series for Queens County "District Number Two" Case Files (1875-1949);
- 6 series for Shelburne County "District Number Two" include Case Files (1876-1927), Judgment Books (1865-1965), Docket book (1884-1962), Praecipe Book (1876-1957), Warrant Book (1860?-1879), and Bill of Costs Books (1877-1943);
- 5 series for Annapolis County "District Number Three" includes Case Files (1877-1936), Cause Books (1884-1967), Judgment Books (1876-1951), Proceedings Book (1884-1919), and Inquest Case Files (1939-1970);
- 5 series for Digby County "District Number Three" includes Case Files (1876-1971), Naturalization records (1887-1964), Inquest records (1911-1969), Docket books (1885-1972), and Judgement books (1876-1976);
- 1 series for Yarmouth County "District Number Three" of Case files (1877-1949);
- 8 series for Colchester County "District Number Four" includes Case Files (1877-1972), Judgment books (1876-1917), Docket books (1876-1907), Minute books (1886-1959), Criminal Cases Minute book (1889-1948), and Warrants of Attorney Register (1876-1886), and County Court Judge's Criminal Court case files (1878-1945);
- 6 series for Hants County "District Number Four" includes Case Files (1897-1949), Judgment books (1897-1987), Minute books (1898-1987), Naturalization and Citizenship case files (1915-1964), Cause books (1897-1939), and Inquest records (1896-1975);
- 5 series for Kings County "District Number Four" includes Case files (1896-1970), Judgment books (1876-1945), Docket books (1884-1907), Minute book (1900-1918), and Criminal Cases Minute book (1936-1943).
- 1 series for Cumberland County "District Number Five" of Case Files (1888-1982);
- 1 series for Pictou County "District Number Five" of Case Files (ca.1858?-ca.1903?);
- 3 series for Guysborough County "District Number Six" includes Case Files (1972-1988), Docket Book (1923-1977), and Judgment books (1891-1965);
- 1 series for Inverness County "District Number Six" Case files (1876-1971);
- 5 series for Cape Breton County "District Number Seven" includes Case Files (1841-1974), Cause books (1889-1949, predominant 1922-1949), Judgement books (1925-1946), Chambers book (1889-1892), and Civil Proceedings books (1877-1943);
- 9 series for Richmond County "District Number Seven" includes Docket books (1884-1975), Judgment books (1876-1975), Sheriffs' writ books (1893-1973), Writs of Execution record books (1887-1973), Praecipe book (1896-1907), Daily record books (1936-1968), Record of Costs (1937-1957), Naturalization index (1919-1970), and Sheriff's financial records (1968-1975);
- 3 series for Victoria County "District Number Seven" includes Docket books (1887-1930), Judgment book (1887-1947), and Minutes of Cases (1877-1950).
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Arrangement
By court-assigned District Numbers One to Seven. Each District contains several counties.
Language of material
Script of material
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Finding aids
Series descriptions available.
Associated materials
Pre-1876 records relating to civil actions may be found in 144 to 161 the fonds of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, in each of the counties, and Inferior Court of Common Pleas fonds (RG 37).