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Sheriff's receipt book for cases in all courts at the Victoria Court Registry, 1879-1883.

Assize criminal record book (indexed), May 1917 - May 1948.

Case file 12/1893: Robert Ward vs. Harry Abbott and the Horsefly Hydraulic Mining Co.

Victoria Supreme Court probate/estate files, 1950-2007. See GR-1417 for index to files 761/1963 to 1606/1981.

NOTE: Microfilming was ongoing for many years so the date ranges for microfilm and originals given above may not be current.

File names are provided for 67/1950 to 760/1963. An index for 1963-1981 is available on microfilm (see GR-1417). This index can be found on Reels B11792 - B11794. If a will number is provided, it can be used to locate a copy of the will in GR-2009.

This series contains letters probate from the Victoria Supreme Court.

Letterpress book of correspondence outward from Victoria Court Registry (indexed).

Bankruptcy and Authorized Assignment case files handled by the Official Receiver. For index, see GR-2878.

Registrar's cash books.

This series contains probate files for estates probated in Victoria, ca. 1859-1941. The probate files from 1859 to 1917 are organized more or less alphabetically within date groups or ranges and have been numbered, sequentially, from 1 to 5307. From 1918 onwards, probate files were assigned numbers by year in the order of filing and are more or less in chronological order. The originals of files 1 to 5307 have been retained as well as being microfilmed. Files from 1918 onwards are only available on microfilm.

In addition to the file names provided in the finding aid, an index for this collection is also available on microfilm (see GR-1417, reel B01990). Reel B01990 should be used if a name is not found on the file list, as there are 103 missing files. If a will number is provided, it can be used to locate a copy of the will in GR-1052 or GR-1574.

The series consists of Chamber applications created by the Victoria Supreme Court from 1895 to 1945.

This series contains cause books and indexes from Victoria Supreme Court.

The series consists of cause books and case record cards for divorces at the Victoria Supreme Court between 1968 and 1989. Cause books and case records cards can be used to find a volume and folio number, which can then be used to obtain a copy of the final divorce order. Cause books and case record cards are also often the only source of information for divorce cases that were dropped and never completed, as no final order would have been granted, and case files would have been destroyed.

Cause books were generally used until the mid 1970s. They were replaced by case cards, which were used until the courts turned to digital systems in the 1990s. The records are organized by case file number and provide a list of actions in a case.

The series consists of correspondence inward created by the Victoria Supreme Court registry between 1889 and 1925. The correspondence is arranged by date and sorted alphabetically within each year by the name of the correspondent. The files include letters from the Attorney-General and government offices, law firms, Police Departments and other individuals and businesses. The files contain letters, government circulars, requests for information, statistics, judgements and other records.

The series consists of indexes to Victoria probate files and to probated wills in the Central registry.

The index serves two purposes because the Victoria court registry was responsible for maintaining the Victoria probate files and - until the late 1980s - kept the Central Will Registry for the Department of the Attorney General. The Victoria probate numbers (for files which are in GR-1304, GR-2083 and GR-3016) appear in the left-hand column under "papers". The will numbers (for wills found in GR-1052, GR-1574 and GR-2009) appear in the right-hand column of the indexes under remarks.

Users should note that index cards for the period 1982 to 1988 cover estates probated across the province, and provide the probate number, the registry where the estate was probated, and the central will registry number.

Notes regarding the Central Will Registry :

Until July 1986, all wills in BC were kept in a separate, central location, maintained by the Victoria Court Registry. When a person died, leaving a will, the will was submitted to a court registry for probate. Staff in that registry forwarded the original will to Victoria, where it was assigned a number in a sequence that included wills from all registries in the province. Copies of the wills were often kept in the probate files for working purposes. In some cases, however, wills were sometimes returned to the custody of the respective court registries. Researchers should keep this in mind if searching for an original will.

In July 1986, Vancouver, New Westminster, Nanaimo, Chilliwack, Penticton, Vernon, Kamloops, Prince George and Kelowna began to track their own original probated wills. All other registries continued to send their original probated wills to the Central Wills Registry in Victoria.

As of August 1998 each registry is responsible for their own wills.

Presentments of the Grand Jury, April 1900 - Oct 1931.

Chamber applications (Nos. 164/06-781/16).

This series consists of civil cause books from the Supreme Court of Vancouver Island, 1858-1870 and Supreme Court of British Columbia (Victoria), 1870-1882. All volumes are indexed. From 29 October 1866 fees relating to these cases are entered in the mainland fees book.

Civil case file 12/1902. Hopper vs Dunsmuir including exhibits, newspaper clippings, depositions and transcript. Also transcripts from an appeal of this case heard in San Francisco in 1905. Depositions and transcript on microfilm (B09711].

This series contains Victoria Supreme Court reasons for judgement.

The series consists of cause books for bankruptcies tried in the Victoria Supreme Court between 1920 and 1981. Entries are arranged chronologically by the date the case commenced, and provide a list of proceedings in the case. Entries also provide the date of the final order. Orders are found in GR-2876, and an index to the cause books can be found in GR-3743

Name changes by deed poll. Documents arranged alphabetically and indexed by present name from previous name.

Series consists of decrees nisi, decrees absolute, and divorce orders issued by the Supreme Court of Victoria between 1877 and 1998. Decrees nisi were used inconsistently prior to the 1930s and required a waiting period before a decree absolute could be issued. Between 1968 and 1985, the waiting period was three months. A divorce was not legally in effect without a decree absolute. After 1985, divorce orders automatically came into effect 31 days after the divorce was granted, barring an appeal.

Volumes 1-11 and 19-43 are indexed. The records were scheduled for full retention under Court Services ORCS (schedule 100152) 51440-25.

Minute books for civil and criminal cases. There are a few actions involving ships marked Vice-Admiralty Court and Exchequer Court, B.C. Admiralty Division.

This series consists of 19 volumes of Victoria Supreme Court daily diaries, 1907, 1910-1912, 1916-1919, 1923-1932, 1934. Volume 1 includes weather reports as well as matters of the court.

The series consists of an affidavit and a notice regarding payments to be made in the bankruptcy case of R.F. Pickett, a Victoria merchant. The governing legislation for the case was the “Bankrupt Law Consolidation Act” of 1849. Records in the series provide a listing of Pickett’s account at the Bank of British North America and an affidavit of Henry Atkinson Tuzo, bank manager.