Amongst the Berwick Borough Archives, there is a lot of information about Crime and Punishment which gives a wonderful insight into the types of crimes committed and how they were dealt with in the Courts. Unlike the rest of Northumberland, Berwick had it owns Quarter Session Court whose jurisdiction was the town itself and its border with Scotland. This was a privilege granted to it by the Crown under its royal charters and this status continued right up until 1951 when it was incorporated into the Northumberland Quarter Sessions.

Under its royal charter, the town was also allowed to try all cases including those requiring the sentence of death. In other places such serious cases would have been transferred to the regional Assize Courts. Within the Berwick records, there are many examples of the sentence being given but few of it actually being executed. The following documents illustrate the range of material available for Crime and Punishment.

Right - Detail from William Allison's duty book