Oxford City's justices were first recorded in 1390
surviving records of proceedings [minute books and order books] start in the 17th century although there is a register of alehouse licences dating from 1579
surviving sessions papers date from 1737 with several gaps; in many cases the missing information can be found in other sources e.g. order books, volumes of recognizances
the city's right to hold its own quarter sessions was confirmed in 1836
unlike the County Quarter Sessions City business was limited primarily to judicial proceedings with few administrative responsibilities e.g. overseeing the Poor Laws, enforcing religious penalties, licensing alehouses
quarter sessions courts were abolished in 1972
for further information see Victoria County History of Oxfordshire vol 4 pp336-340
for the purposes of this catalogues the records have been organised into two categories: papers relating to the court in session [Sessions Papers] and the general administrative papers and registers usually maintained in between sessions by the clerk of the peace [Court Administration]
re-catalogued by Chris Gilliam Jan 2023