Bilston & Sedgley Petty Sessions: Bilston and Sedgely Divisions, Court of Summary...

The records include:

Fee Books and Court Registers

Juvenile Court Registers

Adoption Registers

Licensing Records

Justices Note Books of Decisions

Financial Records

Other administrative records

• <corpname>Bilston Petty Sessional Division</corpname>
• <corpname>Sedgely Petty Sessional Division</corpname>

Some records are closed to the public, please ask staff for advice if you require access to a particular item.

The Bilston and Sedgley Petty Sessional Division appears to have been made up of two sub-divisions, the Bilston Division and Sedgley Division.

The Bilston Division covered the following areas:

Bilston, part of Moxley, Bradley, Coseley, part of Sedgley, Priestfield, Ettingshall & part of Princes End. This division met at the Police Court in Bilston every Tuesday and Friday.

The Sedgley Division covered the following areas:

Sedgley, Upper Gornal, Lower Gornal, Coseley, Woodsetton, Gornal Wood, Gospel End & Ettingshall. This division met on every alternate Monday at the Police Court (in Bilston?).

The two divisions seem to have shared the same clerk to the Magistrates and the clerk was based at Bilston. The court dealt with minor criminal offences and civil matters such as licensing. In 1872 the regulation and licensing of all beer shops came under the control of justices of the peace. From this date licensing registers are present among the records. A separate Juvenile Court was formed under the Summary Jurisdiction (Children and Young Persons) Rules, 1933.

Following Local Government reorganisation in 1966, the Petty Sessional Division of Bilston was transferred to the Wolverhampton Borough Magistrates' Court.