Petty Sessions were courts of summary jurisdiction at which two or more local Justices would meet to deal with the more minor criminal cases and routine business that threatened to overwhelm Quarter Sessions. Formal records of their proceedings often survive from no earlier then the mid- late 19th century. In 1974, the Petty Sessions courts were replaced by Magistrates Courts
Cambridgeshire
Anciently, the county was split into several Petty Session Divisions; Arrington and Melbourn, Bottisham, Cambridge Borough and Cambridge County, Caxton, Linton, Newmarket, Whittlesey, Wisbech Borough, Wisbech Division, Ely and South Witchford, North Witchford (divided in to Chatteris and March sub-divisions).
In the main, the records consist of registers of the court and the Juvenile Court which provide a summary account of proceedings. Minute books of the court may also survive which tend to be more detailed. These records are closed for 30 years. Registers of licences (most commonly for beer and ale houses and clubs) are available for many divisions although these usually cover only the late 19th- early 20th century. From 1927 adoptions had to be approved by magistrates meeting in a Petty Sessions Court and each court maintained a register. These registers are closed to public inspection for 75 years.
Details of the Cambridgeshire Petty Sessions records held at Cambridgeshire Archives are available by clicking on the link below.
Please note that the records of Cambridge Borough Petty Sessions Court are held in off-site storage, therefore viewing needs to be arranged well in advance. Please contact Cambridgeshire Archives using the link to the right.
Huntingdonshire
The main Petty Sessions divisions were based on the historic "hundreds" (groups of parishes) of Hurstingstone, Leightonstone, Norman Cross and Toseland, but the towns of Huntingdon, Godmanchester and Ramsey had their own divisions. Records held at Huntingdonshire Archives include:
Godmanchester Borough 1872-1901
Huntingdon Borough 1872-1958
Huntingdon and Leightonstone Division 1957-1990
Hurstingstone Division 1844-1978
Leightonstone Division 1878-1958
Norman Cross Division 1872-1960
Ramsey Division 1909-1974
Toseland Division 1878-1974
Please note that some records may be closed to general public access, under data protection legislation.