Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Essex County (Va.) Sheriffs' Returns, 1810-1872. Local government records collection, Essex County Court Records. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia 23219.

Acquisition Information

These items came to the Virginia State Library (now the Library of Virginia),under accession number 21817, n a transfer of court records on April 11, 1941.

Historical Information

Essex County was formed from old Rappahannock County in 1692. The county was probably named for the English county or perhaps for Algernon Capell, second earl of Essex.

Sheriffs appeared in Virginia when the original shires were formed in 1634. They originally had three functions: 1) law enforcement 2) conduct of elections, and 3) financial officer. The sheriff's duties have been curtailed over the years, but he is still the major law enforcing agent in a county.

Scope and Content

Essex County (Va.) Sheriffs' Returns cover the years 1810-1872. A sheriff's return refers to an officer of the court bringing back an instrument (usually an execution) to the court that issued it. An execution is a court order directing an officer of the court to enforce a judgment, usually by seizing and selling the judgment debtor's property.

Related Material

Additional Essex County Records can be found on microfilm at the Library of Virginia. Consult "A Guide to Virginia County and City Records on Microfilm" found on the Library of Virginia's web site.

Index Terms

Corporate Names:

• Essex County (Va.) Circuit Court.

Subjects:

• Public records--Virginia--Essex County.

Geographical Names:

• Essex County (Va.)--History--19th century.

Genre and Form Terms:

• Local government records--Virginia--Essex County.

Adjunct Descriptive Data