Researching Warwick’s criminal past

Members of Unlocking Warwick are currently researching reports of court cases held in Warwick 200 years ago in the hope of finding some cases that can be dramatised for modern audiences.

In the 19th Century, the Court House in Jury Street, which is now the Town Hall, Information Centre and Warwickshire Yeomanry Museum, held Petty Sessions in front of the town’s magistrates. More serious cases were held over to Quarter Sessions, and the most serious cases went to jury trial at the Assizes in Northgate Street.  

The County Record Office in Priory Park has a huge number of documents, photographs, maps and old books that are available to the general public, with helpful staff guiding researchers in the right direction. Visitors have to get a free Reader’s Permit for personal identification purposes, and there are strict rules in place to protect the valuable records.

Court cases held in Warwick were often reported in the Warwick Advertiser (now The Courier) and there are bound copies kept in large ledgers that can be ordered from the store rooms.

Most of the newspapers are also held on microfiche, and can be viewed on a projection-screen.

It can be quite a long process to find reports of court hearings with enough detail to enable them to be re-created authentically. But the Unlocking Warwick volunteers are optimistic that they will be able to find some locally heard cases that will provide an insight into the social conditions and attitudes to crime and punishment in Georgian Warwick. 

If you are interested in researching the records for Warwick stories, you will be welcome to join the Unlocking Warwick team. Email info@unlockingwarwick.org and our Secretary will get back to you.