Criminal Indictment Register, Swan River Colony 1830 – 1861

Below is an index of criminal cases in the order in which they were heard before the Court of Quarter sessions from 1830 – 1861 courtesy of the State Records Office of Western Australia.

The early court of Quarter Sessions were held in Fremantle until the Court house was built in Perth in 1837. With the establishment of the Supreme Court in 1861, criminal matters were transferred to the Supreme Court. 

History of the criminal justice system prior to 1861

With the proclamation of the Swan River Settlement in June 1829 and the appointment of Captain James Stirling as Lieutenant Governor of the colony, the foundation of the Western Australian court system was established.

During the first months of the colony, Stirling was the sole arbitrator on civil rights and legal matters. At the end of 1829, Stirling appointed a magistracy, consisting of justices of the peace, to deal with the growing amount of petty crime and drunkenness. These justices presided over both the Courts of Petty Session (dealing with minor offences) and Courts of Quarter Session (dealing with serious offences). Stirling continued to be the arbitrator in the Civil Court until 1832 when a Commissioner was appointed. The Court of Quarter Sessions and Civil Court were amalgamated in 1861 to form the Supreme Court.