Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Bland County (Va.) Justice of the Peace Records, 1893-1915, Local government records collection, Bland County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va. 23219.

Acquisition Information

These items came to the Library of Virginia in a shipment of court papers from Bland County.

Historical Information

Bland County is said to have been named for Richard Bland, a leader of colonial Virginia's resistance to Great Britain in the 1760s and 1770s. It was formed from Giles, Wythe, and Tazewell Counties in 1861, and another part of Giles was added in 1900. Its area is 369 square miles, and the county seat is Bland.

First known as commissions, the Justice of the Peace office originated with the county quarterly court in 1623. Commanders of Plantations (1607-1629) were predecessors of the commissioners, who since 1662 have been called justices of the peace. They have traditionally had both civil and criminal jurisdiction, and have served other functions, including performing coroners' and lunacy inquisitions. Until 1869 justices served both as judges of the county court and as individual justices; since then they have had only the latter function.

Scope and Content

Bland County (Va.) Justice of the Peace Records, 1893-1915, consist of Civil Judgments and Execution Books.

Related Material

Additional Bland County Records can be found on microfilm at the Library of Virginia. Consult "A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm."

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Bland County (Va.) Circuit Court.

Subjects:

• Public records--Virginia--Bland County.

Genre and Form Terms:

• Local government records--Virginia--Bland County.

Adjunct Descriptive Data