In addition to their roll in trying criminal cases, the Quarter Sessions had many administrative functions. These have left many useful records for family historians, including:
- Issuing licences a whole range of activities: from pubs and guns to non-conformist meeting houses.
- Records of the local militia and their families
- Records of oaths – which will include records of non-conformists and recusants
- Taxation and electoral records
- Plans for new infrastructure such as canals and railways
- Records of Poor Law disputes over issues such as settlement and removal and paternity.
For more information on these records and how to find them, see the report below.
Quarter Sessions - Other Records