Quarter Sessions (Noun)
Meaning
A local court with criminal jurisdiction and sometimes administrative functions.
Classification
Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects.
Examples
- The quarter sessions court heard evidence from multiple witnesses before delivering its verdict in the high-profile case.
- Quarter sessions were held quarterly in the town hall, with the judge traveling from the city to preside over the proceedings.
- In some counties, quarter sessions had the power to license alehouses and regulate other local businesses.
- The defendant was tried at quarter sessions for theft and was sentenced to transportation to a penal colony.
- Historians have studied the records of quarter sessions to gain insight into the social and economic conditions of the time.