Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Brunswick County   (Va.) District Court Records, 1789-1809. Local government records collection, Brunswick County   Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Va.

Acquisition Information

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

Historical Information

Brunswick County   was named for the duchy of Brunswick-Luneburg, one of the German possessions of King George I. It was formed by statute in 1720 from Prince George County   and on 31 October 1723 the boundaries of the county   were ordered to be laid out, but, because of the sparse population, the county   court first met in June 1732. Brunswick County   was enlarged by the addition of parts of Surry and Isle of Wight Counties   in 1733. The county   seat is Lawrenceville.

The District Court was created in 1788. The purpose of the creation of the District Court was to alleviate congestion in the General Court which had caused unreasonable delays in the adjudication of common law cases. Virginia was divided into eighteen districts, each composed of several counties  , plust the district of Kentucky. Courts were held in each district twice yearly and cases were heard from the several counties   in that district. The District Court always met at the same place in each district, and its records were kept at that one location. The District Courts were abolished in 1809 and were replaced by the Superior Courts of Law.

The District Court at Brunswick County   included the following localities: Brunswick, Greensville, Lunenburg, and Mecklenburg   counties  .

Scope and Content

Brunswick County   (Va.) District Court Records, 1789-1809, consist of civil suits and commonwealth causes that were heard in the District Court of Brunswick County  . The majority of cases in this record series relate to matters of debt. Documents commonly found in civil suits include declarations or narratios that explain the plaintiff's complaint, executions, affidavits, and depositions. Suits may include exhibits such as wills, plats, deeds, indentures, estate inventories, and business records. Names of slaves are commonly found in the District Court records. Additional types of suits heard by the District Court include land ejectment suits and petitions for freedom made by slaves.

Related Material

Additional Brunswick County   Court Records can be found on microfilm at The Library of Virginia web site. Consult A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm.

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Brunswick County   (Va.) Circuit Court

Subjects:

• African Americans -- History
• Civil procedure -- Virginia -- Brunswick County  
• Crime -- Virginia -- Brunswick County  
• Debt -- Virginia -- Brunswick County  
• Estates (Law) -- Virginia -- Brunswick County  
• Right of property -- Virginia -- Brunswick County  
• Slaveholders -- Virginia -- Brunswick County  
• Slaves -- Virginia -- Brunswick County  

Geographical Names:

• Brunswick County   (Va.) -- History
• Greensville County   (Va.) -- History
• Lunenburg County   (Va.) -- History
• Mecklenburg   County   (Va.) -- History

Genre and Form Terms:

• Affidavits -- Virginia -- Brunswick County  
• Business records -- Virginia -- Brunswick County  
• Decisions -- Virginia -- Brunswick County  
• Deeds -- Virginia -- Brunswick County  
• Depositions -- Virginia -- Brunswick County  
• Judicial records -- Virginia -- Brunswick County  
• Local government records -- Virginia -- Brunswick County  
• Petitions -- Virginia -- Brunswick County  
• Plats -- Virginia -- Brunswick County  
• Wills -- Virginia -- Brunswick County  

Added Entry - Corporate Name:

• Brunswick County   (Va.) District Court

Adjunct Descriptive Data