AGY-4831 | Darlinghurst Court of General and Quarter Sessions

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The Darlinghurst Court of General and Quarter Sessions appears to have been established by 1 February, 1842 following a Direction from the Governor "...that all future Quarter Sessions for the Town and District of Sydney, will be held in the New Court House, at Darlinghurst..".(1) Records show that Courts of General and Quarter Sessions were held in Sydney/Darlinghurst/Metropolitan and indicate that the domiciles were interchangeable. Initially, there was no district structure of the Court which met as required to hear less serious criminal matters. In 1858 (2) the Courts of General and Quarter Sessions were arranged into districts. The Darlionghurst Court was placed in the Sydney Division, comprising the Sydney Police District (city and metropolitan). An alteration to the Districts, creating six new Districts, occurred in 1861 (3) when Darlinghurst Court of General and Quarter Sessions was placed in successive districts of Metropolitan and Coast District; Metropolitan and Hunter District; Metropolitan, Suburban and Hunter District until 1902 and finally the Metropolitan District from 1903 until 1973. The role of the Court of Quarter Sessions was to hear less serious criminal cases. The dates of hearings at the Darlinghurst/Sydney/Metropolitan Court of General and Quarter Sessions were proclaimed in the NSW Government Gazette. The Court ceased on 1 July 1973 when Courts of General and Quarter Sessions were abolished and the district courts took on the criminal as well as the civil jurisdiction. Darlinghurst Court of General and Quarter Sessions became a court in the District Court Criminal and Special Jurisdiction, Sydney and CentralDivision. Endnotes:
(1) NSW Government Gazette 1 February, 1842. p.198
(2) NSW Government Gazette 9 December, 1858 pp.2173-2174
(3) NSW Government Gazette 16 July, 1861 p.1531>br> Reference:
Law Almanac, NSW Government Printer. 1882-1973
NSW Government Gazette, NSW Government Printer. 1832-1973