Author Archives: dashea2014

About dashea2014

A Law Librarian with extensive experience in general legal and court libraries. Editor of the Australian Law Librarian for 4.5 years (2008-2012) and active member of Law Libraries Tasmania. Special topics - Tasmanian legislation and case law. A passion for maintaining access to print resources.

Lieutenant Governor’s Court Van Diemen’s Land 1815-1823

Posted on 18/04/2019

In July 1812 the House of Commons published the Report of the Select Committee on Transportation; The Committee had been set up to inquire into the effectiveness of sentences of transportation and other matters in the Colony of New South … Continue reading →

Posted in Courts, VDL | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Court of Criminal Jurisdiction 1788-1823

Posted on 16/04/2019

From 1788 to 1823 criminal cases in the Colony of New South Wales were heard in the Court of Criminal Jurisdiction. Established through the First Charter of Justice as a court of record, its powers and functions were regulated by … Continue reading →

Posted in Courts, NSW | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Court of Civil Jurisdiction 1788-1814

Posted on 25/03/2019

When the British flag was unfurled at Port Jackson on 26 January 1788, Captain Arthur Phillip proposed toasts to the King, the royal family and the success of the Colony of New South Wales, a penal settlement primarily created to … Continue reading →

Posted in Courts, NSW | Tagged | Leave a comment

New South Wales Marine Corps 1788-1791

Posted on 20/03/2019

When Captain Arthur Phillip arrived in Botany Bay in January 1788 with the First Fleet, he brought with him the first long-term British military presence to set foot in Australia, the New South Wales Marine Corps (later to be re-named … Continue reading →

Posted in Military Law, Royal Marines | Leave a comment

Law of Outlawry

Posted on 08/03/2019

In English law an outlaw was someone who had literally been put outside the protection of the law. Outlawry normally occurred because of a criminal or civil action, although the process could occasionally begin with a petition in parliament. Criminal … Continue reading →

Posted in Imperial legislation, Reception of English Law | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Draught Instructions for Governor Phillip 1787

Posted on 07/03/2019

  The Draught Instructions for Governor Phillip, 25 April 1787 set out the constitutional foundation of the Colony of New South Wales that would apply when Captain Arthur Phillip arrived at Botany Bay in 1878. The original Instructions that were … Continue reading →

Posted in Imperial legislation, Reception of English Law | Tagged | Leave a comment

Law and Order 1803-1826

Posted on 20/02/2019

There were two main tools used to enforce law and order in Van Diemen’s Land when the first white settlers and convicts arrived in 1803: justices of the peace who swore an oath to enforce “the Laws and Customs of … Continue reading →

Posted in Van Diemen's Land | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment