Bedfordshire Quarter Sessions Records

BEDFORDSHIRE:
Bedfordshire Quarter Sessions Records

Quarter Sessions records are arguably the oldest records and the main reason for creating the Record Offices for each county.

Bedfordshire Archives & Records Service, Bedford

Quarter Sessions records for the county and some for Bedford Borough are listed in the Guide to the Bedfordshire Archives & Records Service by Joyce Godber, Beds. County Council, 1957.

There is a Ts calendar of the Sessions Rolls 1714-1832, extracts only, with personal and place names and subject indexes, unindexed extracts, 1714-1832, are published in Bedfordshire County Records 1; Indictment Books, 1651-1660, are published in Bedfordshire County Records 2.

County

Sessions rolls, 1714-20th century (gaps 1715, 1717-20, 1723, 1774, 1794-96). To 1837 they are in bound volumes, they include sacrament certificates and oaths of allegiance, removal orders, bastardy papers, examinations and depositions, recognizances, indictments and presentements.
Indictment book, 1651-60 (published)
Session minutes, 1711-20th century (gaps 1718-27, 1732, 1762-67)
Calendars of prisoners at Quarter Sessions, 1799-1907 (includes Middlesex prisoners, 1863-1879) and Assizes 1785-1886, 1889-1907.
County Gaol, roll of debtors, 1770-1854, registers of prisoners, 1799-1879.
Land Tax Assessments, 1798-1832
Jury lists from 1780 (selection, 1780-1830, published in Bedfordshire Historical Records Society 4)
Hearth Tax.

Bedford Town Hall (North beds Borough Council)

Bedford Borough

Minutes, 1771-1831, 1846-1955
Rolls, 1750-1836 (incomplete series) and calendars of prisoners, 1829-35, 1846 and 1849. Ts calendar at Bedfordshire Archives & Records Service.

Some documents are at the Bedfordshire Archives & Records Service including Sacrament certificates 1751-1798.

For other records see Poll Books and Victuallers Licences.

It is strongly suggested that for further reading, Quarter Sessions Record for Family Historians compiled by Jeremy Gibson available from the Federation of Family History Societies, is used from which this information was derived.