Northumberland Quarter Sessions court was held in the county from 1388 until 1972. It was a Royal Court of Justice that was held four times a year. There were sessions at Morpeth, Hexham and Alnwick. It was not unusual for large counties to hold sessions at different towns so that justice could be done for the whole of the county.

Assizes courts tried more serious crime such as murder, rape and highway robbery and were held twice a year. In the 1730s petty sessions courts were introduced to try minor (or petty) crimes.

Indictment was the most common way of an alleged criminal being brought to court. Anyone could “bring” an indictment as long as they had “probable cause” and as long as they weren’t being malicious; they had to have proof and they couldn’t make an accusation because of a grudge.

The name of the accused (could be one or more people) and their alleged crimes were written on a piece of parchment and given to the Grand Jury (between thirteen and twenty-three male householders aged 21–60). The Grand Jury considered the indictment and decided on the verdict under the direction of the judge.

Not all of the indictments were on a printed form like the ones here. The fact that there were pre-printed forms for the crime of larceny (stealing), probably shows how common it was.

The indictments here also have the verdict and sentence noted on them.

Indictments were written on pieces of parchment, which is made from animal skins. The skins are cured and scraped so that they are very thin. The best quality parchment is called vellum and is made from calfskin. Parchment is very durable; if it is kept in the right conditions it can last for centuries. The oldest parchment document dates from 2000 BC.

In 1771 John Jarreel of Morpeth was indicted for larceny. He was accused of stealing the following from Thomas Walker:
five shirts
one pair of buckskin leather breeches
one blue double breasted cloth coat
one black waistcoat
one red and white spotted “hankerchief”
one pair of dark grey coloured yarn stocking
one pair of blue and white yarn stockings

At the bottom of the document are some handwritten notes which show that his plea was guilty – he admitted to stealing. The notes also record his sentence: to be transported to one His Majesty’s plantations in America for 7 years.

Before 1775, criminals were sent to Britain’s colonies in American to work on plantations there. American independence meant that Britain had to find somewhere else to ship its criminals.