Dear Stephen,
What a feast this is!!! I've been sat here all day using the database to
the exclusion of all else! Even though I haven't found any sign of my own
families, the details in here are amazing. Interestingly, I input "Yeoman"
for the status category of the Accused and only searched for crimes
committed in Cardiganshire -- found no less than 500 persons classed as
"Yeoman" accused of crimes ranging the gamut. I've done searches using no
names but just restricted to crimes committed to a certain county and
parish -- again, what a fascinating picture it paints!
Thank you for providing us with this fascinating database -- I have a
feeling there will be innumerable ways it will be able to help researchers.
Bravo!
Best regards,
Julie Preston
juliefpreston(a)sbcglobal.net
----- Original Message -----
From: "Stephen Benham" <stb(a)llgc.org.uk>
To: <DYFED-L(a)rootsweb.com>
Sent: Thursday, October 21, 2004 5:56 AM
Subject: Llys y Sesiwn Fawr, 1730-1830 / Court of Great Session, 1730-1830
(The English version is below)
Ymddiheuriadau am unrhyw "cross-posting" (ac am safon fy Nghymraeg).
Mae'r Llyfrgell Genedlaethol newydd lawnsio "Trosedd a chosb", cronfa data
o enwau, troseddau a chosbau yn ffeiliau cachar y Sesiwn Fawr yng Nghymru
rhwng 1730 a diddymiad y llys ym 1830:
http://www.llgc.org.uk/sesiwn_fawr/index_c.htm
Roedd Llys y Sesiwn Fawr fersiwn Cymreig o llysoedd yr assize yn siroedd
Lloegr. Caeth y llys hefyd rhan o awdurdod y Kings Bench yng Nghymru.
Felly, roedd y llys yn gallu clywed bob math o achosion o fân-ladrad i
uchel-frad.
Dydy'r cofnodion ddim yn cynnwys achosion wedi'u clywed yn sir Fynwy,
oherwydd roedd y sir hon rhan o gylchdaith assizes Rhydychen (ffynhonnell
y celwydd bod sir Fynwy'n rhan o Lloegr). Beth bynnag, mae 'na achosion o
diddordeb sir Fynyw, Lloegr a llefydd eraill dramor.
Mae 'na tipyn bach llai na 21,000 o achosion. Mae'r rhan fwyaf o'r maesydd
ar y tudalen chwilio yn "free-text", felly does dim angen
"wild-cards". Er
enghraifft, bydd Ben yn un o'r maesydd enwau (erlynydd a throseddwr) yn
dychwelyd yr enwau cyntaf/cyfenwau Benjamin ac Ebenezer, ac y cyfenwau
Benion a Dolben.
Stephen Benham
------ English ------
Apologies for cross-posting.
The National Library of Wales has just launched "Trosedd a chosb / Crime
and punishment", a database of the criminals, crimes and punishments in
the gaol files of the Court of Great Sessions in Wales from 1730 until its
abolition in 1830:
http://www.llgc.org.uk/sesiwn_fawr/index_c.htm
The Court of Great Sessions was Wales's equivalent to the English assizes.
It also had part of the jurisdiction of the Kings Bench in Wales, and so
could try all types of crimes, from petty thefts to high treason.
The records of the court do not include cases tried in Monmouthshire since
that county formed part of the Oxford Assize circuit (the origin of the
canard that Monmouthshire was part of England). There are, however, a
number of cases of Monmouthshire, English and other foreign interest on
the database.
There are just shy of 21,000 cases. Most of the fields are free-text, so
there is no need for wild-cards. So for example, Ben in one of the names
fields (accused and prosecutor) will return the forenames/surnames
Benjamin and Ebenezer, and the surnames Benion and Dolben.
Stephen Benham
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