Chapter 13: Courts of law

13.1 Westminster Court of Burgesses | 13.2 Petty sessions | 13.4 Coroner's records

The Westminster Court of Burgesses was established by Act of Parliament in 1585 and originally dealt with minor criminal and moral offences. After the appointment of justices of the peace for Westminster in 1618, the Court of Burgesses dealt mainly with lesser cases such as weights and measures offences until its abolition in 1901. The records of the justices in Westminster Sessions are held by the London Metropolitan Archives which also holds the records of the Middlesex Sessions including the Paddington and St Marylebone areas. These include licensed victuallers’ recognizances and registers of alehouses up to 1829. Paddington Borough Council’s register of summonses for licensing offences, nuisances and so on is listed with the Council records in Section 10.3. Westminster Coroner’s Court records for 1760-1880 are held at Westminster Abbey Muniment Room. Those for 1880-1944 are not extant and a sample of those from 1944 onwards are held at the London Metropolitan Archives (but see also the mortuary registers listed below). Paddington Coroner’s Court records from 1892 are also held at the London Metropolitan Archives. There are access restrictions to recent records.

13.1 Westminster Court of Burgesses

Grant of arms, 1601; Minutes, 1610-1616, 1705-1901; Annoyance jury presentments, amercements and registers of weights offences, 1799-1832, 1857-1889; Jurors' rolls, appointments etc, 1684-1901 WCB; Acc 10/344-345, Acc 25, Acc 97/48, Acc 348, Acc 1354, Acc 1738

13.2 Petty Sessions

Westminster Petty and Special Sessions. Minutes re rate arrears, poor law and licensing (partly indexed) for the following parishes:

St Anne Soho, 1749-1792
St Clement Danes, 1734-1767
St James Piccadilly, 1765-1796
St Margaret and St John, 1707-1801 (gaps)
St Paul Covent Garden, 1711-1729 (gaps)

and the following divisions:

Hanover Square, 1902-1956
St James (including St Anne), 1825-1955
St Margaret Westminster, 1927-1956
St Martin-in-the-Fields, 1851-1853
Strand (including St Clement, St
Martin, St Mary, St Paul), 1853-1956
Westminster (all areas), 1959-1962

Paddington Petty Sessions. Minutes, 1834, 1875-1955, and court register, 1941-1956 P; Acc 1653 (in P)

St Marylebone Petty Sessions. Minutes, 1730-1932 (gaps), register of convictions before the court of summary jurisdiction, 1882-1935, and registers of alehouses, 1822-1941 T; Acc 804

Registers of licences and transfers (partly indexed) for the following parish:

St Anne Soho, 1754-1813
and the following divisions:
- Hanover Square, 1903-1957
- St James (including St Anne Soho), 1828-1961 (gaps)
- St Margaret, 1921-1957
- Strand, 1873-1959
- Westminster, 1961-1972
Registers of licensing convictions for the following division:
- St James, 1837-1870, 1903-1920
Register of offences under the Education Acts (partly indexed) for the following divisions:
- Strand, 1919-1929
- Westminster, 1949-1965
Summons books for rate arrears for the following parishes:
- St James, 1800-1872 (gaps)
- St Margaret, 1802-1843 (gaps)
Jury lists for the following parish:
- St Margaret, 1758, 1826-1838, 1873-1889
A, B, D, E, H (parishes): Acc 402, 804 (divisions) Access to recent records is restricted.
Westminster recognizances: Transcript of registers of licensed victuallers, 1793 (original at the London Metropolitan Archives)
Gatehouse Prison: Photocopy of court book, 1496 Acc 45 (original at London Metropolitan Archives)
13.4 Coroner’s records
Information Sheet 7 - Coroners Records, provides further details on where Westminster coroners records can be located

Bailiffs and coroners of Middlesex: Photocopy of list, 1594 Acc 47 (original at London Metropolitan Archives)

Paddington Coroner’s Court: Coroner’s inquest reports, 1840-1864 P

Westminster Coroner’s Court: Registers of bodies in the mortuary, 1900-1983 (access restricted) Acc 1391

Records of civilian war dead in the mortuary, administrative memoranda and correspondence, and plans of wartime mortuaries, 1939-1945 Acc 1214