Wiltshire Quarter Sessions. 



3 



arraignment or set of prisoners upon whose trials they had been 

 sworn. All these are on parchment. The presentments from the 

 hundreds are for the most part written on paper, as are the confessions 

 and depositions of accused persons and witnesses, petitions of appli- 

 cants to the court, official communications to the justices, and 

 narratives of nuisance or misbehaviour proceeding from a scandalized 

 or irritated neighbourhood. Last of all comes the precept for the 

 sessions, agreeing generally with the form 1 given in Keble's Justice, 

 and the parchment wrapper, which bears the caption of the sessions 

 and a schedule of the hundreds making returns thereto. 



It is interesting to learn that in 1606 the justices were taking 

 heed to their archives, and that then, as within recent memory, the 

 prison was assigned as the home of the county records. 



Hilary, 1605-6 :-— 



" Whereas the house and tenement w th thapp'tenances scituate w tb in the 

 Borough of the Devizes in the foreseid countye nowe cornonly called Bridewell 

 als the house of correccon was longe since p' chased in fee simple at the gen'all 

 charge of the foresaid Countje for the publique use and service of the same 

 countye, and that yf care should not be had thereof yt would in short time growe 

 ruinous and in great decaye and thereby become onfitt for the publique use and 

 service aforesaid or for any other publicque service for this countye And whereas 

 at this p'sent there is noe certen place appointed for the keepinge of the records 

 of this countye And thai yt is considered of by the foresaid justices that the 

 foresaid messuage and Tenement may be most meete for the said use Yt is or- 

 dered That John Kent gentleman Gierke of the Peace of this 



Countye being a publique Officer of the same Countye shall enter into and holde 

 the possession of the said messuage and tenement in the name and to thuse of 

 the same countye and see the same maynetayned and kept in good and sufficient 

 reparacons for the uses above menconed And shall also view and surveye whether 

 the same messuage and tenement or any p'te thereof maye be made fitte for the 

 safe Keepinge of the foresaid records of this Countye to thintent that yf upon 

 such view thereof by him made he shall certifie the foresaid Justices .... 

 [they] maye take course for makinge the same .... fitt and meete for 

 the safe Keepinge of the foresaid records, or for suche other publique use for this 

 Countye as to their wisdomes and discrecons shall hereafter seeme most meete 

 and convenient." 







1 The Wiltshire precept, with the sheriff's return thereto, is set out in full in 

 the appendix. In the form given by Keble the precept is issued in the names of 

 I the subscribing justices : in Wiltshire it runs in the name of the sovereign, and 

 I bears the conventional signature of the Clerk of the Peace. 



B 2 



