COURT IN SESSION

Called in most counties 'sessions rolls', these are not true rolls, but rolled files, on which were placed certain types of document and most of the miscellaneous papers received or created in the course of proceedings at Quarter Sessions and considered proper to preserve. There are, or should be, four rolls a year, one for each session. (1 doc only, Michs. 1728, files for Trin. 1730, Epiph. 1731, Easter 1734, Epiph; Easter, Trin. 1735, Trin; Michs. 1736, complete from 1737, except 1833).

Documents normally found on the rolls include grand jury presentements, accounts and justices' certificates for highway repairs, articles of the peace, coroners' claims for expenses, c.1750-1797 (sometimes with brief particulars of inquests), poor law settlement removal orders (very numerous), with some examinations, affiliation orders, decisions on appeals against assessments to the poor rate, releases of actions, nominations for high and petty constables. Highway diversion orders and plans have been removed from the rolls (check both Q/SR and Q/SRh). Among documents found at some periods or occasionally are depositions (c.1770-1812), sacrament certificates (c.1800-1838), gaolers' bills (c.1770-1790), convictions, petitions including petitions for licences for dissenters' meeting houses and theatrical licences. In some counties indictments and recognizances (filed as separate series in Gloucestershire) are found on the general sessions rolls.

No index to the order rolls exists, but a typescript calendar has been made showing the contents of the rolls for every 5th year, 1735-1840. The following examples drawn from this indicate the variety of unclassified documents and papers which occur: recommendation of a fuller at Cam as inspector of broadcloth, with a reference to a smallpox epidemic in Dursley (Easter and Trin. 1735), appeal for refund of duty on malt destryoed by fire (Trin. 1740), inventory of a pauper's goods (easter 1745), warrant to distrain on an Avening clothier for non-payment of wages (Michs. 1755), scheme for employing prisoners at Lawford's Gate house of correction in hemp manufacture (Easter and Trin. 1760), report of the deputy counrt treasurer (Michs. 1765), declaration of a debtor prisoner as to his afairs (Easter 1770), convictions of miners for felling timber in the Forest of Dean (Epiph. 1775), appeal against rating assessment for the 'Well commonly called the Cheltenham Spau' (Michs. 1775), appeal against election as constable of the manor of Dymock (Easter 1780), report of committee on gaol reform (Epiph. 1785) and medical report on outbreak of gaol fever (Michs. 1785, petition forgrant for building a bridge at Awre (Trin. 1790), applications for flax bounty (Trin; Michs. 1795), order concerning vagrants (Michs. 1800), petition for allowance of excise duty on a bargeload of Droitwich salt sunk in the Severn (Easter 1810), defence of a Bristol soap-boiler whose trade has been indicted as a nuisance (Epiph. 1815). The roll for Michs. 1756 has an important petition from weavers and counter-petition from the clothiers, concerning a wage dispute.