Courts of Quarter Sessions derive from British common law. Pennsylvania's 1715 statute to establish a Court of Quarter Sessions of the Peace, gave these courts broad jurisdiction in a variety of areas. Quarter Sessions dockets contain administrative entries, such as oaths of office; governmental entries, such as petitions for roads; petty criminal offenses such as nuisance and keeping a tipling house (unlicensed sale of alcoholic beverages); as well as more serious criminal offenses, such as assault and battery, riot, forcible entry, house burning, and horse stealing. The dockets name...