Returns of prisoners committed for trial at the Supreme Court. The returns were sent to the Court initially by the Comptroller of convicts and later they were sent from Perth Gaol.
The returns list the men accused with their registration number, if they have been transported, or status (Aboriginal native, free, expiree etc) and often for transported convicts the ship on which they arrived in WA, the offence they were charged with, their number on the criminal calendar, the district they were from, date of committal.
There is often a second return for the same date showing previous convictions.
The first return lists persons committed for trail from 1.1.1860 to 31.12.1861; they are listed in order of district for 1860 then 1861.
The returns are in chronological order, the date of the return often being the date of the trial at the Supreme Court.
It is thought that later returns were sent to the Supreme Court with the convict conduct forms (WAS 252). For details of the trial consult criminal registers (WAS 49) and criminal indictment files (WAS 122).
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