Evictions in the 1860s

[Wexflyer]

My direct ancestor was evicted from his farm in the 1860s. I have two queries about this:
1) Which court(s) dealt with evictions in early 1860s? Some petty sessions court records are now available online. However, I have a feeling an eviction was too serious a matter for that court, but I don't really know - does anyone?
2) Were evictions given much prominence/coverage in local papers in the 1860s. I know they became a major source of interest by the 1880s, but I don't know about the 1860s.

Thanks for any input you can provide!