Ontario. Clerks of the Peace (1968-1984)

• Clerks of the Peace

• Upper Canada. Clerks of the Peace

• Canada (Province). Clerks of the Peace

In 1968, the Government of Ontario, through the Department of the Attorney General, became responsible for all aspects of the administration of justice in the province. As a result, the Clerks of the Peace of the province, who prior to 1968 were local county officials, became officials of the Department of the Attorney General.

Clerks of the Peace were appointed by the Lieutenant Governor and were required to be a Barrister at Law, with not less than three years standing at the bar of Ontario. The positions of Clerk of the Peace and Crown Attorney were, in general, held by the same individual. However, if it was necessary for health reasons, the individual could resign as Crown Attorney and remain as Clerk of the Peace. If this was the case, the newly appointed Crown Attorney would then become Clerk of the Peace upon the vacancy of that position.

With the abolition of the General Sessions of the Peace in 1984, the position of Clerk of the Peace lost much of its remaining raison d’etre and subsequently faded away completely.

The following is an alphabetical listing of the counties/districts/judicial districts that have existed within the Province since 1968 (with Dt.= District, Co.=County, and J.D.=Judicial District), along with the dates for which they existed: Algoma Dt. (1859- ); Brant Co. (1853- ); Bruce Co. (1867- ); Carleton Co. (1850-1969); Cochrane Dt. (1922- ); Dufferin Co. (1881- ); Durham J.D. (1974- ); Elgin Co. (1853- ); Essex Co. (1853- ); Frontenac Co. (1865- ); Grey Co. (1853- ); Haldimand Co. (1851-1974); Haldimand J.D. (1974- ); Haliburton Co. (1874- ); Halton Co. (1855-1973); Halton J.D. (1974- ); Hamilton- Wentworth J.D. (1974- ); Hastings Co. (1850- ); Huron Co. (1867- ); Kenora Dt. (1898- ); Kent Co. (1851- ); Lambton Co. (1853- ); Lanark and Renfrew United Cos. (1850-1866); Lanark Co. (1866- ); Leeds and Grenville United Cos. (1850- ); Lennox and Addington United Co. (1865- ); Lincoln, Haldimand and Welland United Cos. (1850-1851); Lincoln and Welland United Cos. (1851-1856); Lincoln Co. (1856- 1970); London Dt. (1798-1849); Luneburg Dt. (1788-1792); Manitoulin Dt. (1899- ); Mecklenburg Dt. (1788-1792); Middlesex Co. (1850-1851; 1853- ); Middlesex and Elgin United Cos. (1851-1853); Midland Dt. (1792-1849); Montreal (1777- 1788); Muskoka and Parry Sound Dt. (1888-1898); Muskoka Dt. (1898- ); Nassau Dt. (1788- 1792); Newcastle Dt. (1802- 1849); Niagara Dt. (1798-1849); Niagara North J.D. (1970- ); Niagara South J.D. (1970- ); Nipissing Dt. (1858- ); Norfolk Co. (1850-1974); Norfolk J.D. (1974- ); Northumberland and Durham United Cos. (1850-1973); Northumberland Co. (1974- ); Ontario Co. (1853-1973); Ottawa Dt. (1816- 1849); Ottawa-Carleton J.D. (1969- ); ); Peel Co. (1866-1973); Peel J.D. (1974- ); Perth Co. (1853- ); Peterborough Co. (1850-1851; 1863- ); Peterborough and Victoria United Cos. (1851- 1863); Prescott and Russell United Cos. (1850- ); Prince Edward Dt. (1834-1849); Prince Edward Co. (1850- ); Rainy River Dt. (1909- ); Renfrew Co. (1866- ); Simcoe Dt. (1837-1849); Simcoe Co. (1850- ); Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry United Cos. (1850- ); Sudbury Dt. (1907- ); Talbot Dt. (1837-1849); Temiskaming Dt. (1913- ); Thunder Bay Dt. (1884- ); Victoria Dt. (1839-1849); Victoria Co. (1863- ); Waterloo Co. (1850-1851; 1853- 1973); Waterloo J.D. (1974- ); Waterloo, Wellington and Grey United Cos. (1851-1853); Wellington Dt. (1840-1849); Wellington Co. (1853- ); Welland Co. (1856-1970); Wentworth and Halton United Cos. (1850-1851; 1853-1855); Wentworth, Halton and Brant United Cos. (1851-1853); Wentworth Co. (1855-1973); Western Dt. (1792-1849); York Co. (1850-1851; 1866-1970); York, Ontario and Peel United Cos. (1851-1853); York and Peel United Cos. (1853-1866); York J.D. (1971- ); and York Region J.D. (1980- ).

Clerks of the Peace were appointed to keep the county record and to assist the justices of the peace in quarter sessions in drawing indictments, entering judgements, issuing process etc., and in administering business.

Basic duties of the Clerks of the Peace included: recording forfeited estates of traitors; prosecuting negligent assessors; laying property assessment suits before Quarter Sessions; furnishing government with annual returns of assessed property; making writs of assessments; notifying parish and town officials to take oath; granting certificates of pardon; delivering jury lists to the Sheriff; recording marriages; transmitting to the government lists of licences granted; recording and transmitting to government lists of population; making up, yearly, a list of inhabitant householders and delivering it to the Sheriff for jurors; returning convictions to the General Quarter Session of the Peace and filing Justice of the Peace's Returns of Convictions and Returns of Finis, Penalties etc.; publishing the returns in the newspaper of the district; recording the place and time of sittings of the County/District Court; and taking the affidavit of bastardy from unmarried mothers for support by declaring the father.

RAD: Rules for Archival Description, 2nd edn (2008)

2026-11-16: migrated to AtoM

Armstrong, Frederick. Handbook of Upper Canadian Chronology (1985)

Riddell, William. The Bar and the Courts of the Province of Upper Canada, or Ontario (1928)

Agency not found in Canadiana Name Authorities, 1996-12-24

Archivist(s):
R. Anger