Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Queen's Bench Division
Other form(s) of name
Ontario. High Court of Justice. King's Bench Division
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
History
With the passage of the Ontario Judicature Act of 1881, the court system for Ontario was reorganized. The Courts of Queen's Bench, Appeal, Chancery, and Common Pleas were merged to form the Supreme Court of Judicature for Ontario. This new Supreme Court, in turn, consisted of two branches - the High Court of Justice, and the Court of Appeal. Within the High Court of Justice there were a further three divisions established - the Queen's Bench Division, the Chancery Division, and the Common Pleas Division. The number of judges in the Queen's Bench Division was to remain the same as was required of the former Court of Queen's Bench, ie. three, with the Chief Justice of the Queen's Bench becoming the President of the new division.
One of the primary differences in this new structure was the fact that each of the branches and divisions within the Supreme Court of Judicature were now empowered with authority over both equitable and legal jurisdiction. As well, Terms were abolished and all the Courts sat as business required. Every action was begun by Writ, with the plaintiff specifying in which division of the High Court he or she wished the action to lie.
With the Law Reform Act of 1909 - which came into force in 1913 - the separate divisions of the High Court were abolished and the authority and jurisidiction of the former divisions were assumed by the new High Court Division of the Supreme Court of Ontario.
Places
Legal status
Functions, occupations and activities
The Queen's Bench Division, being part of the High Court of Justice, had legal jurisdiction over both criminal and civil matters, as well as full equitable jurisdiction.
Address
Ontario Judicature Act, Statutes of Ontario 1881, Chap. 5
Internal structures/genealogy
General context
Relationships area
Related entity
Identifier of related entity
Category of relationship
Type of relationship
Dates of relationship
Description of relationship
Related entity
Identifier of related entity
Category of relationship
Type of relationship
Dates of relationship
Description of relationship
Access points area
Subject access points
Place access points
Epithet
Control area
Authority record identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
RAD: Rules for Archival Description, 2nd edn (2008)
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation, revision and deletion
2026-11-16: migrated to AtoM
Language(s)
Script(s)
Sources
Banks, Margaret A. Evolution of the Ontario Courts 1788-1981 (1983)
Zuber, The Honourable T.G. Report of the Ontario Courts Inquiry (1987)
Riddell, William. The Bar and the Courts of Upper Canada or Ontario (1928)
Canadiana Name Authorities, 1996-12-24
Maintenance notes
Archivist(s):
R. Anger