Reference
QSR1844/2/5
Title
Depositions and examinations
Date free text
January to April 1844
Production date
From: 1844 To: 1844
Scope and Content
Depositions were testimonies of the accuser and witnesses taken before magistrates prior to the crime being indicted or prosecuted. Examinations were the statements of the accused. They were written in English. The deposition hearing would usually take place in the magistrates’ personal residence in the presence of a clerk. They are written under formulaic headings: Person, Place, Social Status, Magistrate, Clerk, Date, Witnesses account of the crime, deposition ‘examinations’ (The examination was the deposition of the accused). Witnesses were usually neighbours of the victim. The documents do not include the list of questions asked by the magistrate, when writing the document the Clerk weaves the questions and answers together. They are not the spontaneous words of the witness. Depositions were used to construct a case.
Level of description
file