Court Procedures - Petty Court

At the Petty Courts summary cases (no formal indictment) were dealt with quickly. The accused would have very little time to wait between arrest and trial.

Court Room

There was no jury to be sworn in and the Magistrates (at least two) heard the cases and either passed sentence or referred the cases to a higher court. Procedures were not formalised and, in the early years of the 19th century, the events of the trial were often not written down.

An Example of a case at the Petty Sessions

Petty Sessions: Picture Gallery