Search Victoria Petty Sessions Registers

The Court of Petty Sessions was created to hear minor criminal cases such as those involving drunkenness and theft. These cases, brought before a magistrate, would usually not involve a jury.

Each result will provide you with a transcript and an image of the original court register. The original records are kept at Public Records Office Victoria in North Melbourne, Australia. The registers for the years 1854 to 1985 are included in this collection, totaling more than three million records.

Transcripts of records from the Court of Petty Sessions may include the following information:

• First name(s)
• Last name
• Year
• Event date
• Role (plaintiff, defendant, etc.)
• Cause or reason
• Court
• Description
• Sessions date
• Archive reference
• State

Images may provide additional details such as

• How an individual was brought before the court – arrest on view, warrant, or summons
• Fees
• Decision, memo of conviction, or order
• Remarks

The details found in such documents may hint at further insight into your ancestor regarding rank, status, property ownership, or occupation.

Dating back to colonial days, the Court of Petty Sessions first convened in 1838 in Melbourne. Such courts were additionally spread across Victoria; by 1880, there were 235 locations. There were usually two or more Justices of the Peace needed for a Court of Petty Sessions.

Minor criminal matters and committal proceedings were brought before the court. Complaints regarding money were originally limited to sums not exceeding £20. Today, the Magistrates’ Court addresses issues that would have been brought before the Court of Petty Sessions.

There are 74 courts included in these records.

• Alberton Courts (1900-1902), totaling 234 records
• Alexandra Courts (1888-1910), totaling 6,223 records
• Amherst Courts (1859-1868), totaling 3,065 records
• Bacchus Marsh Courts (1863-1888), totaling 9,787 records
• Bannockburn Courts (1864-1909), totaling 5,919 records
• Bealiba Courts (1864-1888), totaling 2,542 records
• Bendigo and Eaglehawk Courts (1858-1965), totaling 24,989 records
• Bendigo Courts (1860-1873), totaling 71,805 records
• Branxholme Courts (1869-1929), totaling 5,427 records
• Brighton Courts (1888-1985), totaling 387,069 records
• Broadford Courts (1891-1975), totaling 33,750 records
• Carlton Courts (1878-1888), totaling 21,011 records
• Castlemaine Courts (1862-1958), totaling 92,359 records
• Chewton Courts (1865-1915), totaling 7,771 records
• Colac Courts (1858-1950), totaling 172,119 records
• Dargo Courts (1888-1897), totaling 492 records
• Dunolly Courts (1859-1888), totaling 16,353 records
• Eaglehawk Courts (1861-1972), totaling 92,745 records
• El Dorado Courts (1869-1885), totaling 4,316 records
• Flemington and Kensington Courts (1916-1952), totaling 57,081 records
• Footscray Courts (1860-1955), totaling 317,030 records
• Fryerstown Courts (1858-1890), totaling 10,662 records
• Gaffneys Creek Courts (1888-1891), totaling 149 records
• Geelong Courts (1809-1962), totaling 275,303 records
• Geelong West Courts (1889-1938), totaling 27,911 records
• Gisborne Courts (1862-1930), totaling 5,772 records
• Healesville Courts (1888-1956), totaling 24,652 records
• Heathcote Courts (1888-1941), totaling 24,234 records
• Heidelberg Courts (1888-1976), totaling 139,092 records
• Heywood Courts (1800-1927), totaling 7,455 records
• Huntly Courts (1879-1915), totaling 2,106 records
• Indigo Courts (1860-1871), totaling 6,750 records
• Inglewood Courts (1863-1888), totaling 10,662 records
• Jericho Courts (1873-1885), totaling 949 records
• Keilor Courts (1869-1887), totaling 651 records
• Kensington Courts (1888-1921), totaling 46,628 records
• Koroit Courts (1868-1877), totaling 4,815 records
• Kyneton Courts (1863-1960), totaling 55,474 records
• Lilydale Courts (1875-1976), totaling 89,991 records
• Longwood Courts (1864-1868), totaling 724 records
• Majorca Courts (1864-1888), totaling 6,940 records
• Maldon Courts (1862-1890), totaling 16,897 records
• Malmsbury Courts (1861-1947), totaling 19,655 records
• Maryborough Courts (1861-1888), totaling 24,562 records
• Moe Courts (1888-1981), totaling 131,303 records
• Mortlake Courts (1861-1956), totaling 22,064 records
• Mount Moriac Court (1862-1894), totaling 3,409 records
• Newstead Courts (1863-1890), totaling 3,897 records
• North Melbourne Courts (1860-1887), totaling 39,369 records
• Northcote Courts (1888-1978), totaling 270,494 records
• Oakleigh Courts (1888-1976), totaling 42,230 records
• Oxley Courts (1874-1904), totaling 3,011 records
• Portland Courts (1877-1878), totaling 858 records
• Prahran Courts (1856-1888), totaling 66,851 records
• Pyramid Hill Courts (1885-1963), totaling 13,826 records
• Queenscliff Courts (1858-1964), totaling 21,071 records
• Raywood Courts (1865-1938), totaling 10,501 records
• Rokewood Courts (1888-1967), totaling 5,382 records
• Romsey Courts (1868-1909), totaling 10,744 records
• Sale Courts (1862-1888), totaling 29,040 records
• South Barwon Courts (1859-1899), totaling 6,300 records
• Steiglitz Courts (1853-1899), totaling 9,938 records
• Swan Hill Courts (1862-1969), totaling 14,159 records
• Tarnagulla Courts (1860-1888), totaling 6,417 records
• Tylden Courts (1865-1872), totaling 1,324 records
• Wahgunyah Courts (1860-1916), totaling 7,826 records
• Wangaratta Courts (1854-1871), totaling 5,659 records
• Warrnambool Courts (1852-1888), totaling 39,614 records
• Wedderburn Courts (1859-1889), totaling 7,479 records
• Williamstown Courts (1869-1958), totaling 98,639 records
• Winchelsea Courts (1865-1944), totaling 7,829 records
• Woodend Courts (1871-1963), totaling 24,925 records
• Yandoit Courts (1888-1905), totaling 1,694 records
• Yarrawonga Courts (1888-1975), totaling 54,923 records