Assizes
Captial offences were heard at assize courts. These crimes included murder, manslaughter, rape, treason, major fraud or theft, arson, riot and rebellion. Being found guilty of any of these offences at one of the regional assize courts could lead to a death sentence.
Assize courts dealt with a wide variety of criminal and civil cases. It is worth remembering that assize courts did not only deal with serious individual criminal cases. Cases detailing legal arguments over the maintenance of roads, for example, can be found in the records. A non-exhaustive list of types of crime would include manufacturing counterfeit coins and sheep stealing.
The number of capital offences increased between 1688 and 1832. Many of those convicted of these crimes were not executed but were transported, see Transportation of Prisoners.
Counties were grouped together into assize 'circuits', with visiting judges. The vast majority of the assize court records are held by The National Archives at Kew. For more information see National Archives guide to Assize records. Stray records can be traced via the online indexes of the National Register of Archives.
Courts were held several times a year in the county towns of England and Wales from the medieval period through to 1971.In 1971 they were abolished (in 1956 for Liverpool and Manchester) and replaced by the crown courts.
Before 1733 most assize records are in Latin. They do not normally give the age of the accused or details of family. Aliases were common, and occupations and place of abode are not trustworthy. The assize records are not indexed by personal name. They are arranged by assize circuit, and then by record type. To find a particular case, you must know the name of the accused; the county or circuit where he/she was tried and the approximate date of the trial.
The assizes for the county of York were held at York, and the expenses were met jointly by the three Ridings. The establishment of a separate assize for the West Riding, because of the volume of criminal business and the inconvenience of attending the court at York, had been an issue from at least the 1830s. By the 1860s the principal point at issue was whether the proposed assize court should be located at Wakefield or at Leeds, with the government deciding in favour of the latter in 1864.
Prisoners for York Assizes cases are recorded between 1867 and 1898 on the general calendar of prisoners (ref: QS7/11 - QS7/300. There are also some lists in the West Riding Prosecuting Solicitors files (ref: WRD17). Indexes of Leeds Assizes cases 1920 - 1971,Leeds Assizes calendars of Prisoners 1968-1970, York Assizes Calendar of Prisoners 1969-1970, Sheffield Assizes Calendar of Prisoners 1968 -1970. Access to these files may be restricted