Fonds - Richmond County Court of General Sessions of the Peace

26 cm of textual records (2 boxes and 3 volumes)

The earliest court proceeding book (accession 1996-283) was borrowed for microfilming from the sheriff of Richmond County in 1983 who subsequently donated the original. The latter 2 volumes and courthouse floor plans book were donated in 2012 by the daughter of a county warden, who had received them through her family. The date of donation of the outgoing correspondence and other administrative material from justices of the peace (RG 34-320) is unknown.

Consists of three court proceedings books (1835-1837; 1847-1856; 1861-1864) in which the clerk of the peace recorded the actions of the court at Arichat, Richmond County, Nova Scotia; one file of assessment rolls for property taxes levied on residents of the townships of Arichat, Port Hawksbury, Lennox and Maitland (1843, 1862-1863); two files of outgoing correspondence of the justices to the provincial secretary at Halifax as well as certificates of their appointment, oaths of office, lists of justices, some sheriff appointment bonds, and witness statements and a petition in French from residents of L’Ardoise concerning justices of the peace conduct (1840-1879); one file of sheriff appointment bonds of surety along with a list of sheriffs (1837-1865); two files of lists (called returns) of all the criminal and civil cases heard each year, including minutes of the investigation prompted by the L’Ardoise petition (1835-1853); two books of revenues and expenses of the court kept by the Treasurer of the Grand Jury that includes messages to the Court justices, amounts of taxes collected and paid out to officials, and names of court officers, sheriffs, clerks, workmen and jury members (1831-1879); and one book of floor plans and expenses to build a new courthouse in Arichat (1851-1858).

Proceedings books include lists of members for the Grand and Petit Juries, dates of court hearings, names of plaintiff and defendant, the decision and any actions by the court, names of justices of the peace presiding, and taxes levied and paid out to officials. The earliest book, covering 1835 to 1837, also includes a list of supplies purchased for court operations in 1843.

Assessment rolls provide male names as “head of families” and amount of taxes owed organized by geographic district within the county.

The returns or lists of civil cases heard contain names of plaintiffs and defendants, their place of residence, court orders (called writs) issued, amounts of debt and fees owed. Criminal case lists include date of hearing, names of parties, offence charged, final judgment and punishment, and if carried out.