In 1882 the Republic of Stellaland came into being and on 20 September 1882, the town of Vryburg was established.
Initially the judicial power was exercised by the “Bestuur” and “Krijgsraad”, but on 1 March 1883 the Volksraad appointed a Landdrost temporarily at Vryburg. On 26 June 1883 Gerhardus Bodenstein was appointed as permanent Landdrost, and a clerk, who was to be public prosecutor, Post and Storesmaster, and a Messenger of the Court was appointed too. The Landdrost had jurisdiction in civil and criminal cases not exceeding £37.10 and three months imprisonment.
When British Bechuanaland became a Crown Colony in 1885, a Court of Resident Magistrate was established in Vryburg to exercise jurisdiction and authority within the District of Stellaland on 6 October 1885. Mr Abraham Faure Robertson was appointed Civil Commissioner and Resident Magistrate; Mr Scholtz, Chief Clerk, and Assistant Resident Magistrate, and Mr Baxter as accounting clerk.
The boundaries of the District of Vryburg were defined as follows in the year 1893: “The Resident Magistrate of Vryburg shall exercise jurisdiction and authority within the territory bounded by a line drawn from the north-eastern beacon of the farm Langerman, thence along the western and southern boundaries of the District of Mafeking, … until the Transvaal Border is reached, then in a southerly direction along that Border until the northernmost beacon of the Taung Native Reserve is reached, thence in a westerly and northerly direction along the southern and western boundaries of Districts No 5 and 6 of the Division of Vryburg, as defined in Proclamation No 20 BB, until the southwestern beacon of the Motito Native Reserve is reached, thence along the eastern and northern boundaries of the said Reserve, and along the northern boundaries of the Native Reserve Keang and of the farms Koboga, Masilibitsani, Crayfield, Longhirst, Deorham, Clapham and Melrose, until the Mashowing River is reached, thence along the Mashowing River to its junction with the Molopo River, thence in an easterly direction along the Molopo River until the northeastern beacon of the farm Langerman is again reached”.
A Court of Special Justice of the Peace was established at Morokwen in the District of Vryburg by Proclamation No 219 BB of 26 June 1895 and abolished on 11 September 1899. Mr RO Styles was appointed Special Justice of the Peace and Issuer of Process to the Periodical Court Morokwen on 13 May 1897.
A Periodical Court was established at Morokwen by Proclamation No 217 BB of 21 June 1895 and held sittings once every two months until September 1899.
Amongst the documents of Vryburg there are some records of proceedings of the Court of the Landdrost of Stellaland from 1883 – 1885 that were retained in the group, owing to the continuity of the papers.
The records of the Justice of the Peace, Morokwen; the Deputy Registrar of Births and Deaths; the Registrar of Brands; the Inspector of Native Reserves; the Secretary of the Vryburg Hospital and the Gaoler of the Vryburg Gaol were found in the group and owing to some relationship between these offices and the Magistrate’s office, their records were included in the inventory.
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