Petty Sessions began at the beginning of the 18th century as extra meetings to lessen the burden on Justices of the Peace in Quarter Sessions. The normal practice was to subdivide a shire into geographical divisions with each magistrate being assigned to a particular division. The Sessions were held twice monthly in each division as opposed to the Quarter Sessions, which were held every three months.
The Petty Sessions dealt mainly with minor cases such as drunkenness, assaults, larceny, trespassing, fraud and juvenile cases, as well as ale licensing and adoption. They required the presence of two Justices of the Peace but no jury.
Llangollen Petty Sessional Division (also includes Ceiriog Division) covered the areas of Llangollen Urban District; Llangollen Rural; Llantysilio; Bryneglwys; Chirk.
The firm of Charles Richards and Sons, Solicitors of Bank Buildings, Llangollen were clerks to the Petty Sessional Divisions of Llangollen and Upper Chirk. Courts in the latter area were held at the Memorial Institute, Glyn Ceiriog, the court house, Llansilin and at Llanrhaeadr yn Mochnant. The firm of Richards and Sons were taken over by Gwilym Hughes and Partners, Solicitors at the Old Bank, Llangollen, where the volumes were previously located.
This collection includes: minute books, court registers, juvenile court registers and financial records.
Related material-
PSD/Q- For later records, see the catalogue of records, deposited by the Clerk to the Magistrates, Bodhyfryd, Wrexham in 1991 (AN1926).
DD/R- Richards and Sons were clerks to the Llangollen and Upper Chirk/Ceiriog division until 1959
PSD/B- Upper Chirk/Ceiriog Petty Session records