Court of Great Sessions in Wales facts for kids

The Court of Great Sessions in Wales was a very important court in Wales for a long time. It handled serious crimes, called felonies, and less serious ones, called misdemeanours. It also dealt with disagreements between people, known as civil law cases. This court existed from 1542 until 1830.

The court was set up by a law in 1542, which officially made Wales part of the English legal system. It had similar powers to the main courts in England at the time. For example, its power over civil cases was like the King's Bench in England. Its power over criminal cases was like the English Assizes, which were courts that traveled around the country.

How the Court Was Organized

When the court was created, Wales had 13 counties. All but one, Monmouthshire, became part of new court areas called "circuits." There were four main circuits:

• Chester Circuit: This included the counties of Flint, Denbigh, and Montgomery.
• North Wales Circuit: This covered Anglesea, Caernarvon, and Merioneth.
• Brecon Circuit: This circuit included Brecon, Glamorgan, and Radnor.
• Carmarthen Circuit: This circuit had Kayermarthen, Cardigan, and Pembroke.

Monmouthshire was treated differently. It was added to the Oxford circuit of the English Assizes. This meant it was handled by English courts, not the new Welsh court system.

Court Meetings and Language

The Court of Great Sessions met twice a year in each county. It used English law, but all the proceedings were in the English language. This was a problem for many Welsh people who only spoke Welsh. It made it hard for them to understand what was happening in court or to speak for themselves.

Over the 288 years the court existed, there were 217 judges. Only about 30 of these judges were Welsh. Even fewer of them likely spoke Welsh. This meant that the court often felt very separate from the local Welsh culture and people.

The Case of Monmouthshire

Some historians, like John Davies, say that the way Monmouthshire was treated led to the idea that it was no longer part of Wales. People thought that England was trying to make it seem like Monmouthshire had been taken over by England.

Where to Find Records

If you want to learn more about the Court of Great Sessions, many of its old records are kept safe. You can find them at the National Library of Wales. These records can tell us a lot about what life was like and how justice worked in Wales during that time.