Judge Advocate General's Office: Courts Martial Proceedings and Board of General Officers' Minutes

WO 71

This series comprises:

Minutes of the proceedings of the Board of General Officers, with entries of warrants, letters, etc, 1706-1807.

Papers of the original proceedings of the Judge Advocate General's Office in courts martial from 1668. These include warrants, letters, depositions, etc, with some special returns from Ireland, 1800-1820, and cases relating to the Easter Rising of 1916 and Irish rebellion, 1920-1921.

Entry books detailing the proceedings held at Horseguards; the proceedings held away from Horseguards, in home and foreign stations; and the proceedings of the marching regiments; from 1692-1796.

Cases against individual officers, 1780-1824, prepared for special submission to the Sovereign. They were deemed special usually because of seniority of rank.

1668-1993

For further Board of General Officer's minutes see:
PRO 30/26/87
PRO 30/26/88

The National Archives, Kew

Public Record

English

1586 files and volumes

Subject to 30 year closure unless otherwise stated

Papers for the period 1851-1914 are understood to have been destroyed by bombing in 1940, except for WO 71/343. Brief details can be obtained from various series of registers and reports, see WO 86-92 inclusive. Later files have been selected on the basis that they contain information on one or more of the following: murder, manslaughter, treason, sedition or riot; offences resulting in the imposition of a custodial sentence of five years or more; mutiny and insubordination resulting in a sentence of two years or more; cases relating to terrorist activities; cases considered to be of historic interest

Information on the outcome of courts martial proceedings can be found in other series within this division. See British Army: Courts Martial, 17th-20th Centuries for guidance. Go to our research guidance