The justicing notebook (1750-64) of Edmund Tew, Rector of Boldon

Edmund Tew's notebook is a remarkable if cryptic record of the troublesome relationships of local people in a rapidly developing area of North-East England.

In the coal-exporting towns of Sunderland and South Shields, notorious for the collective violence of their industrial conflicts, there were no formal structures of local government, and so, as the notebook indicates, it was the lone magistrate who provided the opportunity for judicial intervention into and resolution of the many individual and personal disputes which arose.

As magistrate, Tew dealt with many problems, such as vagrancy, the poor law and employment disputes, as well as accusations of theft, assault and rape, resolving most problems in his home rather than taking them further to court.

The notebook is presented here with an introduction, giving details of what is known of Tew's life, and putting the notebook into context, a glossary, and index.

Dr Gwenda Morgan is Reader in History, and Dr Peter Rushton is Reader in Historical Sociology, at the University of Sunderland.