Colonial Records of New York : Selected Cases of the Mayor's Court of New York City : 1674 - 1768, 1784

            Mayor's Court, established by the Dutch in 1650, was given the name by the English when they took over New York in 1664. Like its prototype in England, the Court aimed to provide justice for businessmen speedily and at the lowest cost. In 1821, the Mayor's Court by statute became the Court of Common Pleas of the City and County of New York. While for a time the Mayor's Court exercised some criminal jurisdiction, it soon became largely a court of civil matter and as such the chief tribunal in New York City for business litigation.  

Material was originally published under the title: New York Mayor's Court. Select Cases of the Mayor's Court of New York City, 1674-1784  by the American Historical Association.
            

            The selected cases from the Mayor's Court at New York City provides an overview of the types of issues brought before the Court. As stated by the editor: In selecting cases for this volume it has been the aim of the editor to present representative material which would illustrate the wide jurisdiction of the Mayor’s Court and the social and economic habits of the people in NY [New York] in colonial times.  Main topics are urban crime and justice.

Arrangement and Detailed Contents: 

This collection is in typescript and organised in several subject sections which are divided into subtopics. The general headings of the sections are: Jurisdiction; Procedure; Persons; Forms of Action; Commercial Law; Maritime and Admiralty Business; Quasi-equity Business, and Crime. The Jurisdiction subsection includes: Administrative Business, contempt of court, admission of attorneys, elections, assessments, price fixing, charitable relief, health regulations, and material illustrating prison supervision. “Persons” subsection includes: free men, aliens and naturalization; supervision over apprentices, orphans, and minors; special substantive relief for debtors, Insolvency proceedings and seamen debtors.

“Crime” was usually handled in a separate court of sessions composed of the same officials as the Mayor’s Court. 

In relation to the American Revolutionary War: One of the effects was a flood of litigation in relation to property.
            

            At the start of the reel there is a Table of Contents which provides the main subjects, subsections and page numbers.  This table of contents is available online (see Electronic Finding Aid section), and in print in The Loyalist Collection red binder.

A Table of Cases listing the cases alphabetically by surname is found at the end of the reel, scanned online (see Electronic Finding Aid section), and in The Loyalist Collection red binders.

A general Index is found at the end of the reel (p. 749) which included subjects and names (not every name); this is also in print with The Loyalist Collection red binders.