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Only top-level descriptions Court records--British Columbia--Vancouver Island
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Vancouver Island Supreme Court of Civil Justice bench book

  • GR-2032
  • Series
  • 1853-1856

Series consists of one bench book for Colony of Vancouver Island Supreme Court of Civil Justice civil and criminal cases heard by Judge David Cameron at Fort Victoria from November 1853 to January 1856 and one criminal case at Nanaimo in May 1854. It also includes civil cases heard at Victoria in the Inferior Court of Civil Justice in 1856. The volume additionally served as a criminal record book for 1853, a cause book for 1856, and a Registrar's record book for 1853. It opens with a notation that Judge Cameron's commission was read and that he took his seat on 6 October 1853. The Registrar also notes that he received the court seal from Judge Cameron.

Vancouver Island. Supreme Court of Civil Justice

Plaint and procedure books

  • GR-2716
  • Series
  • 1857-1867

Plaint and procedure books. Volume 1 contains a guide for several court orders.

Vancouver Island (Colony). Inferior Court of Civil Justice

Cause books

  • GR-0657
  • Series
  • 1858-1882

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.

Vancouver Island. Supreme Court of Civil Justice

Vancouver Island Supreme Court of Civil Justice fee books

  • GR-0659
  • Series
  • 1859-1870

This series consists of 7 volumes of Vancouver Island Supreme Court fee books maintained by the Registrar, 1859-1870. The volumes record fees owing to the Supreme Court. Volume 2 also includes the registrar's office diary.

Although the colonies of Vancouver Island and mainland British Columbia were united in 1866, the Supreme Court of each Colony remained as two separate Supreme Courts until they were merged in 1870 as the Supreme Court of British Columbia, based in Victoria.

Vancouver Island. Supreme Court of Civil Justice

Bills of sale indexes and registers

  • GR-1900
  • Series
  • 1861-1956

The series consists of 11 volumes of a bills of sale indexes and registers created by the Victoria Supreme Court between 1861 and 1956. The registers list bills of sale for chattel mortgages and conditional sales and related volumes of nominal indexes. Most of the volumes relate to bills of sale in Victoria but one volume is an index to bills of sale on the mainland.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Victoria)

Victoria Police Court records

  • GR-0605
  • Series
  • 1865-1924; predominantly 1865-1871, 1885, 1890-1924

This series consists of Victoria Police Court record books, 1890-1924; magistrate's cash books, 1865-1871, recording fines and trade and liquor licenses; and a transcript of Regina vs. Lawrence, ca. 1896.

British Columbia. Police Court (Victoria)

Vancouver Island court records and indexes

  • GR-3758
  • Series
  • 1866-1867

The series consists of records created by the Vancouver Island courts of civil justice between approximately 1866 and 1867. The index records in this series appear to be drafts of an index to civil suits, and cases mentioned in this rough index appear in volume 3 of GR-2716 (plaint and procedure books from the Vancouver Island Inferior Court of Civil Justice). The index is not complete.

Several of the index pages were written on the back of records belonging to the probate file of Emilia Fedaro (also spelled Fidaro), who died in 1867 or 1868. The probate pages include the granting of letters of administration to Robert Newell, as well as what appears to be a draft of a covering page to the probate file.

Vancouver Island (Colony). Inferior Court of Civil Justice

Informations, warrants and convictions

  • GR-2494
  • Series
  • 1872-1889; 1900-1916

This series consists of informations, warrants and convictions from the Nanaimo district. Records may be from the Nanaimo County Court, Supreme Court or Magistrate's Court. Informations are forms in which a witness submits evidence against someone accused of a crime. It includes a summary of the information and personal information of the witness and accused. Several different kinds of warrants are included, such as warrants to apprehend a suspect, warrants to commit someone to gaol and search warrants.

Records from 1872-1889 were grouped together in several volumes beginning with a cardboard name tag; these have been broken into multiple files for preservation. They are arranged mostly chronologically and all include a mixture of different types of records. Some records relate to the Comox District. Files 9 to 16 are not arranged chronologically and include a range of dates that overlap with other volumes.

Most records from 1900-1916 are signed by Stipendiary Magistrate, J.H. Simpson. These forms were removed from a Shannon file where the order of filing was broadly (not strictly) chronological.

British Columbia. County Court (Nanaimo)

Victoria Supreme Court divorce orders

  • GR-1587
  • Series
  • 1877-1998

The series consists of divorce orders issued by the Supreme Court of Victoria between 1877 and 1998. After October 1998, divorce orders were filed in the Supreme Court order books.

Records from 1877 to December 31, 1948 have been microfilmed. Records from 1949 onward are original paper records. The records consist of decrees nisi and absolute.

Volumes in containers 830561-0001 to 830561-0020 contain indexes.

Until 1968, divorces in BC were granted under the English Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Act of 1857 (amended 1858). Selected sections of the Act were incorporated into BC’s Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Act in 1897 (RSBC 1897, c. 62) and remained largely unchanged until 1968 when the Federal government passed the first national divorce act. This act superseded existing provincial legislation, and a Central Registry of Divorce Proceedings was also created at this time.

In 1972, BC’s Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Act was repealed and replaced with the Family Relations Act, which included provisions for issues related to custody. In 1985, the federal Divorce Act was passed, and came into effect in 1986. Under the 1985 Act, the use of decrees nisi was discontinued. Decrees nisi, which had been used inconsistently prior to the 1930s, required a waiting period before a decree absolute – the finalization of the dissolution of the marriage – could be issued. Between 1968 and 1985, decrees nisi required a three-month waiting period. After this time, a decree absolute could be applied for. During this time, a divorce was not legally in effect without a decree absolute.

Under the 1985 Divorce Act, a single court order of dissolution was issued, under which the divorce automatically comes into effect 31 days after the divorce has been granted.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Victoria)

Victoria County Court record books

  • GR-0583
  • Series
  • 1879-1888

This series consists of record books from the Victoria County Court, 1879-1888. Records include journals, ledgers, and a letterbook of correspondence outward, written by A.F. Pemberton, County Court Judge, Dec. 1879 - Dec. 1880; Edwin Leigh, Registrar, Feb. 1883 - Nov. 1884; and Harvey Combe, Acting Registrar, Jan. 1885 - Nov. 1886.

British Columbia. County Court (Victoria)

Nanaimo County Court criminal case files

  • GR-2480
  • Series
  • 1881-1933

Criminal case files for cases under the Speedy Trials Act, 1881-1913 and 1918-1933.

Crimes were committed in Alberni, Brechin, Campbell River, Cedar, Chemainus, Comox, Cortes Island, Courtenay, Cowichan, Cumberland, Denman Island, Departure Bay, Duncan, Extension Mines, Fort Rupert, Koksilah, Kuper Island, Hornby Island, Ladysmith, Malahat, Mud Bay, Oyster, Port Alberni, Quadra Island, Qualicum Beach, Quatsino, Union, VanAnda, Wellington.

British Columbia. County Court (Nanaimo)

Index book

  • GR-3761
  • Series
  • [1882-1885]

The series consists of one index book that may have been created by the Victoria Supreme Court as an index to probate cause books during the 1880s. The majority of the individuals listed died in British Columbia between the years of approximately 1882 to 1885. The vast majority of these deaths took place in the vicinity of Victoria and many of the individuals are listed in GR-1304. The index provides the name of the individual and a page number, which likely corresponds to a probate cause book that has yet to be located and transferred to the Archives. Individuals listed in the book are both male and female, and the listings include the names of Chinese, Japanese, and Indigenous individuals

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Victoria)

Victoria County Court criminal record books

  • GR-1924
  • Series
  • 1888-1990

County Courts had jurisdiction in criminal cases held without a jury under the provision of the federal Speedy Trials Act, first enacted in 1888.

British Columbia. County Court (Victoria)

Victoria County Court Speedy trials case files

  • GR-1567
  • Series
  • 1888-1916

This series contains criminal case files under the "Speedy Trials Act". May include transcripts and Police Court proceedings.

British Columbia. County Court (Victoria)

Criminal record books

  • GR-2496
  • Series
  • 1888-1967

Record book for Judge's Criminal Court and Speedy Trials (with attachments).

British Columbia. County Court (Nanaimo)

Victoria Supeme Court minute books

  • GR-1901
  • Series
  • 1889-1925

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.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Victoria)

Administrative record books

  • GR-2118
  • Series
  • 1890-1912

Administrative record books kept by the Official Administrator, Mr. McAloney (to 1908) and Frederick L. Leighton (after 1908). Volume 1 begins as a Nanaimo City Police record book and has the pages prior to July 1908 glued together at the top.

British Columbia. Official Administrator (Nanaimo)

Minute books

  • GR-2300
  • Series
  • 1891-1895, 1891-1968

Minute books for civil and criminal cases. The volume in container 830889-0016 includes an index.

British Columbia. County Court (Nanaimo)

Transcripts and other material in case of Regina v. Stroebel and Eyerly

  • GR-0606
  • Series
  • 1893

This series consists of records November 1893 New Westminster Supreme Court case Regina v. Stroebel and Eyerly. Records include inquest, information, depositions and transcripts of the trial of Albert Stroebel and Franklin Eyerly for the murder of John Marshall, Upper Sumas, April 1893. The series also includes minutes of evidence from Regina v. Albert Stroebel for the same murder at the Victoria Fall Assizes, December 1893.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (New Westminster)

Plaint and procedure books, by-law register and naturalization register

  • GR-2870
  • Series
  • 1896-1933

Plaint and procedure book from Comox (Union), 1/1896 - 6/1898 (p 1- 45); plaint and procedure book from Cumberland, 1/1899 -24/1905 (pp. 47-272); City of Courtenay by-law register, 1915-1933, 1-202 (pp. 288-289 and 273-275); City of Cumberland by-law register 1904-1933, 1-102 (pp. 300, 286-287); naturalization register for Cumberland (1-459), 1897-1914 (pp. 290-299). (1 vol.)

British Columbia. County Court (Cumberland)

Cumberland County Court civil case files

  • GR-1949
  • Series
  • 1897-1941

County Court civil case files from Union, 1897, and from Cumberland, 1897-1941.

British Columbia. County Court (Cumberland)

Suitors' Fund register and other material

  • GR-2873
  • Series
  • 1898-1967

Suitors' Fund register from 1898-1967 with some correspondence attached; a register of unclaimed suitors' funds, 1924-1967; and a list of funds for deposit with the Deputy Minister of Finance, Victoria for investment, 1949-1967. (1 vol.)

British Columbia. County Court (Cumberland)

Telegrams sent by registrar

  • GR-0846
  • Series
  • 1899-1912

This series consists of copies of telegrams sent by registrar of the Victoria Supreme Court, 1899-1912.

British Columbia. Supreme Court (Victoria)

Registrar's record book

  • GR-2869
  • Series
  • 1900-1924

Registrar's (John Baird) record book, 1900-1917 (p 1-261); listing of letters of administration and letters probate issued, 1916-1924 (pp. 390-399); listing of firm declarations, 1902, 1904, 1909 (pp. 400 and 402).

British Columbia. County Court (Cumberland)

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