The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-01-31
County Court and Courtf#s-DlaY@4s u
Were Distinctive Features 81
Of Virginia Life. 853is3
A LONG LOOK BACK
TO COLONIAL DAYS
System Antcdated the Commons
wealth and Was Cocval With y
the Colony Itself Was IN N 5s
stitution of8tlle People and S
Removal of It Causes .s
Regret to- Many. stsss. 88ssI

Venerable withag and rich in tile tra,.,a
ditions OF people, tho County CourtaS
system OF virginia. antedating the Com
5monwealtll and cacval with tho colony; ls
to-day a record Of the pas 5sss
Il The last hours Of tho ancient and !lloir.- N
orablo Institution, around the neis i-8S
borhood lifo OF the State has revolyet
for moro than two centuries, We're fraug IT,
with uncommon interest to all tile good
people; OF tho CommonWealt tn. III 5 tsS II was
with moro than one pnng Of regret I la w
many watched the slow progress @ ths II
days that meant death and oblivion ~ &!
the hoary court, Which seemed inWoyenl
in the very life of the community Here 4
and there the county records sweres writ
finale before, but the great chang g Soc77S
Cured yesterday, when. at midntg NJ Btl lsSss
life or the system expired by limitatlOi
In a number O. ca SEES farewell exc rcisaSi
were held, ana a hearty .conmG Gnftn tt1n# %
was bestowed upon the learned Jug ges,
who now retire I'M e u fesss.
rich and rare ora tory Of tho Sout:l 70 sied
through many ,,s9 court ON, Iii gy;
ali end Or the old time seen Ys,ss
been the most characteristic n feature %ttillSg
the life In many sections of the 81 ~
Il Thus was severed another link connect
Ing tile past with the present. he County
Court has from time inimemorial 2s heen%S s.ll
tho ralying point for he cttizanh o6a sor$s
the community. Cotst gay ~ y
meant much to the Esrl'le. IN the ll..]sss
courthouse would assemble the better
portion or the county-th5 judge. the53
'suuire the hard ted farmer. he darkys
and then. would be enacted the courIS
scenes. so familiar to all. and 50 deaf
on their social side, to many. Around the
County Court, moreover, gathered tue iss {
history and the tradition OF the locaiity.M
No ground was richer In anecdote tfa1s
tho court green; no spot more sfaVorahie I
b for the recalling of memories In the lons
INST than tho smoky courtroom, VIII
it, kerosene lamp. The County Court Is
4 now itself to be SUCH q memory. = Z ms ~
closed It's book of days and mas VII, Wrlt.sn8s
its own name among the 55 Things s$t Iss.; tha ass
were. a storebousc OF history, 8
itself become history--a great type sWep. :.
aside, Il remarkable Institution rele ateeo I
to the background Of the past.
The Beginning. S S
,r,,o .nassinr OF tho County Court isSajsi
matter OF no inconsidarab b., moment
though this does not mean to-day WHAT whaCSs
r. might have meant two SEQ re years q go,s$
when the tribunal was more dis stinctlS$sS "
q peoples body thun was the case durllsal dtsal
tho latter days OF Its existcnc s "a, z. l$4
AS judicial ana social Institution, thc3si
County Court has existed Tor two nun !Il j
dred and fifty years or more. y. ~, y hau 4
Its BIRTH in tho good@o old days of tne iis
colony, long before the Common Wea "a iirss u
had even been projected y vas vas 8allllossss
coeyal with the administration of Justice
In the New World, rs was told M few feWsesS
days ago in n valuable paper. read !. by
Mr. III. C, Gordon at the last meettno # s
oisthe Augusta County Court, l5ss38 $s gS
E'rhc charter and tho "ArtGeS, instrueesl
tions and orders granted by james "a
ana Issued In 1906 vested In the G Governor
rs president of the Council IN virgil nlits5
extensive judicial powers TOR the good
ordering and disposition of all causes. fl
both civil and criminal, and tho court 80 AZ
composed was the only court In tho col-g
ony lntl tho establishment of Tho
.'monthlie County Courts" owing to tho
fact that this tribunal sat only at James, &
town. the cnptal it was inaccessible 1
to any who did not live In the Immediate
vicinity thereof Later on. however. on
"thc 10th day OF March. Anno Domlnt.
1850, and In the fourth year of the
reign of our Sovereign Lord Charles. by
the grace Of God Of England. Scotland.sA
France and ireland, King, Defender orsI
the Faith. etc, and in the two and twen-E
tleth years of this plantation" the peo--3fs
PIES courts, 'the monthlie' County
Courts, We're established by tho procla-
nation of the Governor and Captain,
General of Virginia., appointing CONF
missioners to ho,l such courts.
1t is recorded by Mr., Gordon as n c,l-tg
| rIous commentary that this Governor and
"Captain-Gsneral," whose action In tho
| premises was so beneficent and enduring
In colony and Commonwealth. should
himself, at no very much later day. havss
been the object of criminal prosecution n
In July, 1870. as tbs 's.Anclsnt Records z
Relating to Virginia published In Hem
ings Statutes at Large show Dir, john
Pott, late Governor WAS indicted, $arti3
raigned and found guilty. OF stealing
cattle by the Governor and Council OF
tho colony s
Curious Old Records,
From the days OF the unfortunate
Pott until the present year, the County, /
Court flourished anain, ZIP to 1918 tho 1
court was held monthly IN some of thess
more remote plantations" OF tile colony
and upper parts" thereof: the places
| where they were required by the Art \
| Of June, 164s. being In: Henrico ol tlo
| first of eyere month; Charles City tha
i sd; ia: County the 9TH; Isle of WiSht
the 9th, Upper Norff the 18th; L9wsr
trrs ttAsk La