The Face of Justice on Newfoundland’s Northeast Coast. Edited by Christopher Curran and Melvin Baker (2012)

The essays contained in this volume trace essential elements of the face of justice on Newfoundland’s northeast coast from the migratory fishery of the 18th century to the pre-confederation decades of the 20th. They were written by academic and by public community historians and reflect the growing interest in our legal history both within and outside the university community. They show not only that the sources of law and the level of justice activities varied as demographic, social and economic conditions changed throughout this period, but that the law and its institutions formed an integral part of the fabric of everyday community life and were valued as such.

The Journals of George Simms, JP., and the Records of the Labrador Court 1826—1833. Edited with an Introduction and Notes by Augustus G. Lilly and Christopher P. Curran

The Judicature Act of 1824 (5 Geo. 4, c. 67) contained provisions for the establishment of a Court of Civil Jurisdiction on the Coast of Labrador. Trepassey merchant and magistrate George Simms, served as Clerk of that Court and as a Justice of the Peace for the District of Labrador from 1827 to 1833 when the Labrador Court was abolished by the fledgling Newfoundland Legislature as an unwarranted expense. This book, in two volumes, contains the, heretofore unpublished, text of George Simms’s Labrador Journal 1830-1833 together with an indexed transcription of the Records of both the Civil Court and the Sessions Court for the period 1826-1833.  Simms’s Journal provides an unvarnished account of the daily life of the Court on the Labrador Coast. Despite the Court’s short life its existence played an essential role in the 1927 Privy Council decision in the Labrador Boundary Case.  Appendices of archival material, Indices of Words and Phrases, Place Names, biographical profiles, maps and period illustrations supplement the text.

The Southern Circuit Court at Ferryland: The Documentary Record: 1826-1872 Edited by Chris Curran (2019)

This volume traces the history of the Southern Circuit Court from its inception in 1826 to its demise in 1872, through an examination of the common law and statutory record. With the new century in the offing it also traces the reform efforts leading to the development of the streamlined judicial apparatus that would carry Newfoundland and Labrador into the 20th century.

Includes B&W and colour illustrations and photographs.

Three Chief Justices: Richard Routh, Jonathan Ogden & Thomas Tremlett, volume I Edited by Christopher Curran (2021)

This volume transcribes the decisions of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland for the period 1798-1803 from the Court’s Minute Books, and contains all the decisions of Chief Justice Richard Routh, Chief Justice Jonathan Ogden, and the decisions of (Chief) Surrogate Judge Thomas Tremlett.

Volume I also contains a representative sampling of memoranda and correspondence between Chief Justice Tremlett and Governor Gambier, as well as colonial letterbook correspondence between Governor Waldegrave and the Duke of Portland, which throw light on the administration of justice on the island during these formative years.