New Kent County Circuit Court Records, 1865-1949

Access and use

Location of collection:
Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia
800 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Archives Reference Services
Phone: (804) 692-3888
Restrictions:

There are no restrictions.

Terms of access:

There are no restrictions.

Preferred citation:

New Kent County (Va.) Circuit Court Records, 1865-1949. Local government records collection, New Kent County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Summary

Extent:
16 v. and 4.6 cu. ft. (9 boxes)
Creator:
New Kent County (Va.) Circuit Court
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

New Kent County (Va.) Circuit Court Records, 1865-1949. Local government records collection, New Kent County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Background

Scope and content:

New Kent County (Va.) Circuit Court Records, 1865-1949, consist of a Chancery Execution Book, a Chancery Order Book, Chancery Rule Book No. 2, 6 boxes of Commonwealth Causes (A-W including cases against slaves in box 1045046), l box Commonwealth Cause (Commonwealth v. James Street), a Common Law Docket Book, Common Law Execution Book No. 1, Common Law Fee Book, Common Law Order Books, Nos. 3 and 4, 1 box of Common Law Records, Common Law Process Book No. 1, Common Law Rule Book No. 1, a box of Court Records (including Executions, Warrants and Criminal records), a Docket Book (including Criminal, Law and Chancery), Judgment Docket Book No. 1, a Order Book and Witness Attendance Book, a Witness Attendance Book and a Witness Attendance Book and List of Jurors.

Biographical / historical:

New Kent County may have been named either for the English county of Kent or for Kent Island, in the upper waters of the Chesapeake Bay. William Claiborne, a native of Kent who had been driven from Kent Island by Lord Baltimore, was a prominent resident of the New Kent area around 1654 when the county was formed from York County. Part of James City County was added in 1767.

The circuit courts in Virginia were authorized by the constitution of 1851, and were established by acts passed by the General Assembly in May 1852. Theese courts were granted original jurisdiction concurrent with that of the county courts. Since 1873 they have had exclusive jurisdiction in chancery causes. The Virginia constitution of 1902 made no provision for continuing the county courts, and their original jurisdiction was given to the circuit courts effective 1 February 1904. The circuit courts still exist today, and are now the only court of record in Virginia localities.

Records were destroyed when John Posey set fire to the courthouse on 15 July 1787. Many records were lost when the courthouse was partially destroyed by fire during the Civil War hostilities in 1862. Additional records were burned in Richmond on 3 April 1865, where they had been moved for safekeeping during the Civil War.

Acquisition information:

These volumes came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court records from New Kent County under the accession number 42127.

These boxes came to the Library of Virginia in a transfer of court records from New Kent County under the accession numbers 42123 and 43278.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged chronologically.

Boxes 1045043-1045048 are arranged alsphabetically by surname.

Physical location:
State Records Center--Archives Annex, Library of Virginia