Ireland, Petty Sessions Court Registers - FamilySearch Historical Records

Ireland

What is in the Collection?
This collection will include court records from 1828-1912. Most small criminal and civil cases were handled by the Petty Sessions Court. Petty Sessions Courts even handled minor matters such as dog registration.

These records were originally filmed at the National Archives of Ireland. The index was created by FindMyPast.com.

Collection Contents
Court records may contain the following information:
 * Individual’s name
 * Date and place (county) of court order
 * Individual's role (witness, complainant, or defendant)
 * Other information specific to the court case

How Do I Search the Collection?
This section includes tips and information about searching the collection. To begin your search it is helpful to know the name of the ancestor you would like to find.

To search this collection by name: Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the individuals in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Court orders usually identify the county. Search this county to find other local records, such as census records and parish registers, that may contain your ancestor.
 * Search the court case information for family names or clues about your ancestor’s situation or life story.
 * Take a look at the image of the actual record to verify that the information in the index is correct. As with any index, transcription errors may occur.

Citing this Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection citation: Record citation (or citation for the index entry):