The archive is quite varied and reflects the different configurations of the highest authority appointed to administer justice in the Novara area over the course of five centuries.
Divided internally into the Old Judiciary and a modern section, it consists of numerous complete series of both civil and criminal records and includes documents produced, in the pre-Unification period, by the following courts:
- Prefettura - Prefecture (1770-1786).
- Consiglio di giustizia - Court of justice (1786-1800, 1814-1822).
- Corte criminale dipartimentale - Departmental criminal court (1804-1814).
- Tribunale di Prefettura - Prefecture court (1823-1848).
- Tribunale di prima cognizione - Court of first instance (1848-1855).
- Tribunale provinciale - Provincial court (1855-1859).
In 1859 the judiciary body was renamed Tribunale di Novara - the Court of Novara - having become part of the Kingdom of Italy, before being variously rechristened:
- Tribunale di circondario - District court (1859-1865)
- Tribunale civile e correzionale - Civil and correctional court (1965-1921)
- Tribunale civile e penale - Civil and criminal court (1921-1941)
- Tribunale - Court (1941-1988)
- Tribunale ordinario - Ordinary court (since 1988).
- CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS
The files of criminal proceedings constitute one of the biggest and best preserved series of this large archive, still only partially catalogued. Almost all of the files have their original cover indicating the sequential number (the series restarts at number 1 each year), the magistrate’s court that began proceedings, the name of the defendant or defendants with their personal details, the crime.
The reorganised part of the archive includes the files of the criminal proceedings of the Court of Novara with the judgements for the years 1889-1914. The reorganisation and indexing work was carried out by Maria Marcella Vallascas (years 1889-1910) and Chiara Scionti (1911-1914).
To request to view the records, it is necessary to specify the year and the file number.
Download inventory: Court of Novara, criminal proceedings files, 1889-1914
- REGISTERS
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- OTHERS
