Ancestry Network researches all Irish family history sources and archives. If you need help, you can describe your needs here and we will let you know what we can do for you. The original documents of the Republic of Ireland are in the National Archives of Ireland, but not all court documents have survived. For example, there are no cases for Dublin City Petty Sessions and only for 2 courts in Leitrim. However, there are records for 22 courts in Mayo, 26 in Cork and 35 in Galway. Most of the online records currently available begin around 1851, but some are later. A few began in 1834, including Castletownbere (Cork); Bray (County Wicklow) and Enniscorthy (County Wexford); that those of Moate (County Westmeath) begin in 1828; and for the city of Cavan in 1830. The records of nearly 8 million people are fully digitized and can be searched by name, territory and time period. There is also a “keyword” function where addresses or other terms can be added to the search criteria. An excellent source that can provide such insight is the records of the small session courts made available on the www.findmypast.ie website. The Petty Sessions were the lowest courts in the Irish judicial system until the early 20th century. They dealt with minor matters and were presided over by unpaid justices of the peace, who were usually landowners or local dignitaries.

These judges could make summary judgments in cases, and there was no jury. Meetings were daily, weekly or monthly, depending on the size of the cases. Cases heard by small session courts typically included minor violations of the law such as public disorder or drunkenness, poaching and other petty theft, stray animals, as well as individual complaints of non-payment of debts, border disputes, quality of goods purchased, and minor attacks. The above description of a small session court is from the Illustrated London News. The most serious cases were referred to “quarterly sessions” where a jury heard the case. The corresponding Irish courts today would be the district courts and the circuit courts – see here for a full overview. In our working sessions, there was always time for stories and anecdotes. The details of the files vary according to the custom of the local clerks. One court employee might note that the defendant was involved in a “robbery,” while another will provide the defendant`s interesting details “falling within the plaintiffs` domain. and threatens to knock out the plaintiffs` brains with a stone. ».

In March 2020, Ancestry also added this collection to its Irish records database. It is fully indexed and can be searched by name or by the court. If the court did not have jurisdiction over a case, that is, if the matter was too serious, justices of the peace were required to refer it to quarterly sessions or to jury court. In these cases, the accused was usually sent to the local jail to await trial. The more serious cases requiring a jury were held in quarterly sessions, which, as the name suggests, were held four times a year. The most serious cases, such as murder or treason, which carry the death penalty, are presided over by at least one judge trained in courts held twice a year. Juries used a system known as the Commission d`Oyer et Finir, a French Norman expression meaning to see and judge. There were two jurors, a grand jury that weighed the strength of the prosecution`s case and the trial jury that would hear the case if the grand jury decided the case was strong enough to go to court. That was the end of routine business, and the court rose shortly thereafter. The small sessions dealt with the majority of small court cases, both criminal and civil.

They were headed by unpaid justices of the peace and often without formal legal training. The position had no salary, so the role was usually assumed by those who had their own income – in practice, mainly landowners or eminent gentlemen. Justice was handed down summarily in these courts, that is, without a jury. The following examples provide only basic information about the accused. These are reproduced with the kind permission of FindMyPast. Figure 1 refers to Michael Ryan, from Ballylahey to Tipperary, charged at Clonmel Crown Court on 19 November 1851 with “leaving her and her car on the path of the town of Templemore”. For the avoidance of doubt, a “and car” in this context is a donkey and a cart. He was fined a penny and a shilling of costs.

He became the little merchant of low birth who used the language of the hands of his jam. These illustrate the color that can be added to our ancestry from these records. My great-grandfather was Morgan Cregan (1850-1912), a stonemason born in Limerick but living in Killorglin, County Kerry. I have all the usual files on him. Birth, marriage, death, obituary, census and even a beautiful photo. However, what color can be added to his life by the details of his little troubles with the law? It appears several times in the archives. In 1889 he was prosecuted for being “found” on a Sunday afternoon outside licensing hours “on the grounds” of a restaurant.