A Guide to the Albemarle County (Va.) Commonwealth Causes, 1749-1922 (bulk 1797-1922) Albemarle County (Va.) Commonwealth Causes, 1749-1922 (bulk 1979-1922) Barcode numbers 1141747-1141826, 1147780-1147787/Albemarle County (Va.) Reels 235-339.

A Guide to the Albemarle County (Va.) Commonwealth Causes, 1749-1922 (bulk 1797-1922)

A Collection in
the Library of Virginia
Collection numbers: Barcode numbers 1141747-1141826, 1147780-1147787/Albemarle County (Va.) Reels 235-339.


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Processed by: E. Woodward

Repository
The Library of Virginia
Collection numbers
Barcode numbers 1141747-1141826, 1147780-1147787/Albemarle County (Va.) Reels 235-339.
Title
Albemarle County (Va.) Comonwealth Causes, 1749-1922 (bulk 1797-1922)
Physical Characteristics
39.6 cu. ft. (88 boxes), 105 microfilm reels.
Collector
Albemarle County (Va.) Circuit Court
Location
Library of Virginia
Language
English

Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

Use microfilm copies, Albemarle County (Va.) Reels 235-339.

Preferred Citation

Albemarle County (Va.) Commonwealth Causes, 1749-1922 (bulk 1797-1922). Local government records collection, Albemarle County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Acquisition Information

These items came to the Library of Virginia in shipments of court papers from Albemarle County.

Historical Information

Albemarle County was named for William Anne Keppel, second earl of Albemarle and governor of the Virginia colony from 1737 to 1754. It was formed from Goochland County in 1744, and part of Louisa County and certain islands in the Fluvanna River, now called the James, were added in 1761 and 1838.

Scope and Content

Albemarle County (Va.) Commonwealth Causes, 1749-1922 (bulk 1797-1922) are criminal court cases and consist primarily of warrants, summons, indictments, and verdicts handed down by grand juries and other legal authorities in order to prosecute individuals who violated the penal code. These offenses ranged in severity from murder, rape, assault and battery, and larceny to tax evasion and slander. Criminal offenders and victims who appear in cases prior to the abolition of slavery in Virginia in 1865 included both free and enslaved persons.

Warrants were issued by grand juries, judges, and justices of the peace directing law enforcement officials to either arrest and imprison a person suspected of having committed a crime or to cause an individual to appear in court to answer accusations made against them. Peace warrants directing an offender to "keep the peace of the Commonwealth" or to refrain from any violent acts are commonly found in assault and battery cases.

Summonses were used to call a suspected person to appear in court. A summons could also be issued to direct witnesses or victims to come before the court in order to provide evidence or information deemed pertinent to a case.

An indictment is the official, written description of the crime that an accused individual is suspected of committing, which is approved by a grand jury and presented to a court in order to begin legal proceedings. Due to this process, indictments are often referred to as "presentments."

Verdicts are the formal pronouncements made by juries on issues submitted to them by a judge or other law enforcement official. In the case of a guilty verdict, a judge will sentence the offender. Sentences may include a fine, corporal punishment, and/or imprisonment. Coroners also submitted verdicts such as "death by suicide," "death by natural causes," etc. when determining the cause of a suspicious or sudden death.

Arrangement

Chronological

Related Material

Additional court records for Albemarle County can be found on microfilm at the Library of Virginia. Consult A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm .

Additional Albemarle County Commonwealth Causes may be found at the Albemarle County Courthouse and the Library of Virginia.

Albemarle County is one of Virginia's Lost Records Localities. Additional Albemarle County Court Records may be found in the Virginia Lost Records Localities Collection at the Library of Virginia. Search the Lost Records Localities Database found at the Library of Virginia web site.

Index Terms


Adjunct Descriptive Data

Significant Places Associated With the Collection

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