Introduction
The records of the Police and Municipal Courts described in this inventory cover the years 1846 to 1959 and total 32 volumes. They form a subgroup within the record group, Police Department.
This group of records documents the civil cases that came before the Police/Municipal Court of Manchester. This court was called the Police Court, City of Manchester from 1846 to 1913. It was renamed the Police Court for the District of Manchester from 1913 to 1915. In March of 1915, the name was changed again to the Municipal Court of Manchester.
The first Civil Court volume, 1846-1849, has been restored courtesy of a New Hampshire State Library's Moose Plate Conservation Grant. The scanned images of the book can be seen below.
Scope and Content
The records of civil cases consist of four series of types of records arranged chronologically. The Records of Attachment indicate when cases were first filed. Waste Dockets, Court Dockets and Records of Judgment show the progress and outcome of the cases.
Arrangement
The records are arranged chronologically within each series. The Court Dockets, with the exception of the first volume and the last two volumes, are lettered on the spines.
Administrative Information
The records were arranged and described by Bonnie Kilby, archival assistant, in December 2000.
Access
The records are open for research with restrictions. Researchers must receive permission from the archivist to reprint any portion of the material.
Citation
The records of the Police Court and Municipal Courts: Civil Cases, 1846-1959, Police Department, City of Manchester, New Hampshire.
Series Descriptions
Records of Attachments
This is one volume, arranged alphabetically, by the first letter of the defendants' last name. Listed is the name of the defendant, plaintiff, term of court, date and time received, and occasionally when the defendant was discharged. The volume covers the period, March 1849 to September 1874.
Waste Dockets
Four volumes which appear to be the books that the court clerk would use to record cases before copying them into the final dockets. They date from the late 19th to early 20th centuries, but are fragmentary.
Court Dockets
Twenty-six volumes that are arranged chronologically and cover the period 1846 to 1959. In most cases, they record the names of the plaintiff, defendant, legal counsel, judge and the outcome of the case.
Records of Judgment
This single volume covers the years 1876 to 1881. It contains complete descriptions of civil cases found in Court Dockets G, H and I.
Manchester, NH Civil Docket, Vol. 1, 1846-1847
Manchester, NH Civil Docket, Vol. 1, 1848-1849