| Catalogue Reference | R/JQ |
| Title | Borough Quarter Sessions |
| Description | Reading was granted a separate Commission of the Peace by Charles I's charter of 1638. This Commission was restated in James II's charter of 1686. After the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 (5 & 6 Will IV c76) a new Commission was granted to the reformed corporation by the charter of 1836.
Almost no records survive for the pre-1836 quarter sessions : only a sessions diary for the 1680s, and some papers presumably from the sessions rolls, 1764-1784, with a few stray survivals, 1817-1836. From 1836-1919 (inclusive) a basic series of sessions papers were kept (R/JQ3), augmented from 1839 by separate series of case papers filed with the Court of Quarter Sessions - various documents from the borough petty sessions (R/JQ4-5) and the coroner's court (R/JQ6) - together with separate series of other quarter session papers (eg R/JQ7). The various series (R/JQ3-5) were originally given an identical numerical sequence for each sessions.
Quarter Sessions were abolished by the Courts Act 1971.
Recorders
[Before 1836 the court normally sat before the mayor and justices only, although there is evidence that a recorder was occasionally present.]
1836-1864 Henry Alworth Merewether
1864-1870 Henry Tyrwhit Jones Macnamara
1870-1894 James Olliff Griffits
1895-1922 Arthur Hewett Spokes
1922-1951 St John Gore Micklethwait
1951-1971 Robert Crompton Hutton
Clerks of the Peace
[Before 1836 the Town Clerk probably held the office of Clerk of the Peace concurrently. However the small quantity of pre-1836 quarter sessions material which survives makes it difficult to be certain.]
1836-1876 Joseph Whatley
1876-1882 Joseph Osbert Whatley
1882-1899 William Sherwood
1899-?[1946] Arthur Hugh Sherwood
1946-1967 George Francis Darlow [also Town Clerk]
1967-1971 William Henry Tee [also Town Clerk]
Coroners
1833-1866 John Jackson Blandy
1866-1912 William Weedon
1912-1971 John Lancelot Martin
1971-1974 Arthur Edwin Sheppard |
| Date | 1682-1969 |
| Repository | Berkshire Record Office (code: GB 005) |
| Level | Sub-Sub-Fonds |
| Extent | 8 vols, 638 bdls, 2955 docs, 6 files |
| Arrangement | Arrangement
The Court in Session
R/JQ1 Pre-1836 court records, 1682-1817
R/JQ2 Sessions minutes, 1836-1969
R/JQ3 Sessions papers, 1836-1919
R/JQ4 Depositions and convictions at petty sessions, 1848-1915
R/JQ5 Summary convictions at petty sessions, 1839-1912
R/JQ6 Coroners' inquisitions, 1839-1912
R/JQ7 Calendars of prisoners, 1836-1969
Registration, enrolment and deposit
R/JQ8 Paupers
R/JQ9 Alehouse and victuallers' licencing records |