Petty Session Courts

Nature of Source

What Were Petty Sessions?
Local Petty Sessions courts in England and Wales served a crucial role in delivering everyday justice, handling the vast majority of minor criminal cases and other civil business. They emerged around the 1730s but can trace their origins back to informal meetings of Justices of the Peace (JPs) in Tudor times (1485-1603) or even earlier. They operated under summary jurisdiction (without a jury) and were the lowest tier in the court hierarchy, dealing with minor summary cases previously undertaken by the higher tiered Quarter Sessions.

The courts were presided over by volunteer JPs, who were often local gentry. Paid qualified professional magistrates known as stipendiary magistrates were introduced from 1792 in London to deal with growing workloads. The use of professional magistrates gradually spread to other large towns and cities during the 19th century. These were renamed ‘District Judges’ in 2000 under the Access to Justice Act 1999.

Justice of the Peace and magistrate are essentially two names for the same office. The formal title Justice of the Peace was created by statute in 1361 but from early on these justices were also commonly described as magistrates. By the late 18th to mid 19th century magistrate became the everyday term used by the public and press despite Justice of the Peace remaining the formal legal title. The title Justice of the Peace is still the current, legally recognised term but are called magistrates within the judiciary and all levels of society.

Geographical Coverage
Each county was divided into several Petty Sessional Divisions, which often but not always corresponded to historic administrative units known as Hundreds. These were historic subdivisions of counties dating back to Anglo-Saxon times. City and town divisions were sometimes based on boroughs or other administrative units. Over time these divisions were redefined by county boundaries and later by other reorganisations.

Unfortunately, the survival of these records is patchy with few surviving records pre-1800 due to losses from fires, poor storage or neglect. However, the Summary Jurisdiction Act 1848 improved the survival of Petty Session records as they were forwarded to the Quarter Sessions for safe storage as official records. Petty Sessions continued until the early 1970s, when they were abolished on January 1, 1972 under the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by Magistrates’ Courts.

Trial Procedure and Penalties
Serious cases, referred to as felonies, were tried before a jury and a judge at the Assizes or at one of the higher courts. Those convicted could face harsh penalties, including forfeiture of property and personal possessions, transportation to penal colonies or even execution.

Less serious cases, known as misdemeanours, were heard at the Petty Sessions without juries by an individual Justice of the Peace. They could also be tried at Quarter Sessions, usually before a jury, although certain minor offences (summary cases) were heard without one. In these cases, the Justices of the Peace (magistrates) heard the case and decided guilt or innocence themselves.

Section 1 of the Criminal Law Act of 1967 covering England and Wales removed the distinction between a misdemeanour and a felony, treating offences based on severity rather than historical categories.

Types of Cases Handled

The types of cases heard in Petty Sessions included:

• Minor theft and larceny: Petty thefts often involving everyday items.
• Assault: Lesser form of physical violence such as common assaults.
• Public drunkenness: This included disorderly conduct while intoxicated.
• Bastardy examinations: Hearings to determine the paternity of illegitimate children and issue maintenance orders.
• Arbitration: Settling local/civil minor disputes.
• Preliminary hearings: Deciding whether to commit a case for trial at either the Quarter Sessions or the Assizes, depending on the severity of the alleged offence. This enquiry occurred during preliminary examinations (also called committal proceedings) involving indictable offences.
• Licencing: From 1872 onwards, Petty Sessions also took on responsibility for granting and renewing licences to sell alcohol in alehouses and public houses.

Court Order of Precedence:
Understanding the historic courts hierarchy can help locate where cases were tried.

Lower Courts:

• Petty Sessions (Handled summary offences, minor criminal cases, and some preliminary hearings for more serious crimes. Petty Sessions continued as Magistrate’s Courts post Courts Act 1971)
• Quarter Sessions (Quarter Sessions were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 which came into force 1 January 1972. Their work was taken over by the newly created Crown Court)
• Assizes (Assizes were also abolished by the Courts Act 1971, with their jurisdiction transferred to the Crown Court)
• Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey) (Functioned as the permanent assize court for London. Retained unchanged by the Courts Act 1971 and incorporated into the new Crown Court structure)

Senior or Superior Courts:

• Court of Common Pleas (Common law court mostly dealing with civil disputes between individuals)
• Court of Exchequer (Originally and primarily a common law court, but developed a significant equity jurisdiction from the 17th century onward)
• Court of King’s Bench or Queen’s Bench (Highest court of common law in England and Wales which dealt with criminal cases and civil suits)
• Court of Chancery (Principal equity court)
• Court of Probate (Established by the Court of Probate Act 1857)
• Court for Divorce and Matrimonial Causes (Established by the Matrimonial Causes Act 1857)
• High Court of Admiralty (English court that dealt with maritime cases, including piracy, prize (captured ships) and civil disputes over shipping, salvage and collisions)

The Supreme Court of Judicature Act 1873 (effective from November 1, 1875), merged the senior courts into the newly created the High Court of Justice with both common law and equity administered in the same court. Five divisions were created by the 1875 reforms:

• Queen’s Bench Division
• Common Pleas Division
• Exchequer Division
• Chancery Division
• Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division

The courts of the Queen’s Bench, Common Pleas, Exchequer and Chancery continued as separate divisions within the new court. However, an Order in Council which took effect in 1881, abolished and merged the Exchequer and Common Pleas Divisions into the Queen’s Bench Division. In 1971, the Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division was renamed the Family Division, and its admiralty and probate business was moved to the Queen’s Bench and Chancery Divisions respectively.

The Senior Courts of England and Wales now consist of:

• The Crown Court (The senior criminal trial court)
• The Court of Appeal
• The High Court of Justice (Consisting of three divisions: King’s Bench Division, Chancery Division and Family Division)

Who Appeared in Petty Session Courts?
The court itself was made up of two or more Justices of the Peace (magistrates), who heard the evidence and decided the outcome. Witnesses could be called by either side to give evidence under oath.

Private Prosecutor/Complainant/Informant
In the 18th and much of the 19th century, minor prosecutions were brought by a private individual who initiated the case. These included the victim themselves, a family member, a parish constable or officer or overseer of the poor. The individual (or occasionally a solicitor) presented the evidence, examined witnesses and argued for conviction.

From the mid-19th century onward, police constables increasingly acted as the prosecutor in many cases, but still technically in a ‘private’ capacity on behalf of the public. This represented a shift toward more formal public prosecution particularly after the establishment of modern police forces. No state public prosecutor existed until the establishment of the Director of Public Prosecutions in 1879, followed by the Crown Prosecution Service in 1986. Their role was to start or take over private prosecutions in more serious or sensitive cases where the public interest required it.

Defendant/Respondent
The person charged with the offense is usually described as the defendant in criminal matters typically for summary offenses like minor theft, assault, drunkenness or poaching. In civil or quasi-civil matters such as bastardy examinations and settlement disputes, the term respondent was frequently used.

Key Petty Session Records

• Summons Forms

These forms known as ‘informations’ (formal complaints) and ‘summonses’, initiated summary proceedings or committals to higher courts. They include names of the complainant and defendant, offence details, relevant statute, brief particulars, plea and outcome. The survival rate is patchy and often consists of loose or bundled papers.

• Depositions and examinations

These were sworn examinations and depositions from complainants, defendants and witnesses and are especially common in bastardy, settlement, vagrancy and minor criminal matters. They typically include the deponent’s full name, residence, age, occupation and other personal information.

• Recognizance registers

These bonds required the prosecutor/complainant, the defendant/respondent and witnesses to appear at a future hearing or to keep the peace. They provide the names of those bound over to appear, the amount of the recognizance, the purpose of the bond and sometimes the date and place of the required appearance.

• Court registers

These are primary records listing cases heard in a Petty Session division. They record defendants, complainants, charges, fines/fees and the outcome or order of the court. These records are most likely to survive and represent the most useful and complete set of petty session records.

• Minute books

These contain brief notes taken in court of the proceedings. They summarise who appeared, charges, pleas, verdict, sentence as well as maintenance and licensing decision. The individual prosecutor is often recorded as the complainant or initiator of the case. Variously called ‘rough minute books’ or ‘hearing books.

• Order books

The formal, legally binding version of every order, convictions, fines, maintenance orders or sentence the court made, written out in full legal language. These volumes are often combined with the Court Registers.

• Civil or administrative case files

These case files cover non-criminal matters such as bastardy and affiliation orders, settlement and removal, poor law orders, apprenticeships, and licensing disputes (beerhouses, public houses and game licences). The names of mothers, putative fathers, parish officers or overseers often appear in orders and examinations.

• Licensing registers

These registers form separate volumes recording the granting, renewal or forfeiture of alcohol and licences such as for beerhouses, inns and public houses. Entries usually give the name of the licensee, the premises, the type of licence and the date and result of the licensing decision.

• Appeal Cases

Quarter Sessions heard appeals from original cases started in the Petty Sessions. The appeals dealt with appeals against convictions, poor-law settlement appeals, rate appeals, licensing appeals, etc. Appeal files themselves are Quarter Sessions records.

Newspaper Reports
Checking local newspapers for reports of trials and other Petty Sessions business is crucial and can add information not found in the official court records alone.
Generally expect to find:

• Full story behind the prosecution.
• A detailed account of happened, sometimes with exact witness accounts.
• Names of family members, neighbours or employers who attended court or gave character references.
• Exact addresses such as the place of work where the incident occurred.
• Descriptions of appearance, age, clothing etc.
• For even minor cases such as thefts, poaching, licensing offences or bastardy disputes, the local newspaper might carry long and detailed reports.
• Reports of appeals and what happened to the prosecutor or defendant afterwards.

Additional Resources
The following GenGuide sources could assist in researching crime and criminal ancestors:

• Assize Records
• Calendars of Prisoners
• Criminal Petitions
• Criminal Registers
• General Eyre
• License Registers/’tickets of leave’
• Prison/Hulk/Gaol Registers
• Quarter Session Records
• Registers of Habitual Criminals
• Transported Convicts

Where Found

County Record Offices
Local archives holdings of Petty Session records include court registers and depositions, registers of public house licenses and registers of other licenses and bastardy information.

Period Covered

1700 – 1974

Genealogical Value

• Name, address and occupation of defendant.
• Ages, marital status and sometimes birthplace of defendant.
• Family relationships may be cited (spouse, parent, child etc.) particularly in maintenance and bastardy cases.
• Names, addresses and occupations of complainants, victims, witnesses and of those involved in the non judicial business of the sessions such as licensing and illegitimacy issues.

Further References

• Bard, Robert. Tyburn: The Story of London’s Gallows: Amberley Publishing, 2012
• Bard, Robert. Death in London: Places of Execution, Then and Now: Historical Publications, 2007
• Bevan, Amanda. Tracing Your Ancestors in the National Archives: The National Archives, 2006
• Brandon, David & Brooke. Alan. London West End 1800-1850 Murders And Misdemeanours: Amberley Publishing, 2009
• Brandon, David & Brooke. Alan. Olde London Punishments: The History Press (30 April 2010)
• Cale, Michelle. Law and Society : an introduction to sources for criminal and legal history from 1800: PRO Publications, 1996
• Campbell, Charles. The Intolerable Hulks: British Shipboard Confinement 1776-1857 Fenestra Books, 2001
• Decharne, Max. Capital Crimes : Seven Centuries of London Life and Murder: Arrow Books, 2013
• Eatwell, Alison. Crime, Clemency and Consequence in Britain 1821-1839: A Slice of Criminal Life: Pen & Sword History, 2017
• Emsley, Clive. Crime and Society in England: 1750-1900: Routledge, 2010
• Emsley, Clive. Crime and Society in Twentieth Century England: Routledge, 2011
• Gilfillan, Ross. Crime and Punishment in Victorian London: A Street-Level View of the City’s Underworld: Pen & Sword Books, 2014
• Gray, Adrian. Crime and Criminals of Victorian England: The History Press, 2011
• Hall, Malcolm. Gloucestershire Murders and Misdemeanours 1820-1829: Amberley Publishing, 2008
• Hawkings, David. Criminal Ancestors: A Guide to Historical Criminal Records in England & Wales: The History Press, 2009
• Hawkings, David. Bound for Australia: A Guide to the Records of Transported Convicts and Early Settlers: The History Press, 2012
• Herber, Mark. Criminal London: A Pictorial History from Medieval Times to 1939: Phillimore & Co, 2002
• Higgs, Michelle. Prison Life in Victorian England: The History Press, 2007
• Hitchcock, Tim & Shoemaker, Bob. Tales from the Hanging Court: Hodder Arnold, 2006
• Howse, Geoffrey. A History of London’s Prisons: Wharncliffe True Crime, 2012
• Jack, Elizabeth. A Victorian Prisoners of Gloucester Gaol: A Rogues’ Gallery: The History Press, 2009
• Jeaffreson, John Cordy (ed). Middlesex County Records. 4 Vols: Greater London Council, 1972 (1886) (Volumes available to download and view at the Internet Archive or at British History Online)
• Knapp, Andrew & Baldwin, William. The Newgate Calendar: London, 1828 (Available from: Google Books)
• Marson, Edward. Prison: Five Hundred Years of Life Behind Bars: The National Archives, 2009
• May, Trevor. Victorian and Edwardian Prisons: Shire, 2008
• Moir, Esther. Local Government in Gloucestershire 1775-1800: A Study of Justices of the Peace: Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society, 1969
• Moir, Esther. The Justice of the Peace: British Institutions: Penguin Books, 1969
• Oates, Dr Jonathan. Tracing Villains and Their Victims: A Guide for Family Historians: Pen and Sword Books, 2017
• Paley, Ruth & Fowler, Simon. Family Skeletons: Exploring The Lives of our Disreputable Ancestors: The National Archives, 2005
• Reake, Janet. How to Trace Your Convict Ancestors: Their Lives, Times and Records: Hale & Iremonger, 1999
• Stevens, Mark. Broadmoor Revealed: Victorian Crime and the Lunatic Asylum: Pen and Sword Books, 2013
• Storey, Neil. The Victorian Criminal: Shire Publications, 2011
• Wade, Stephen. Tracing Your Criminal Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians: Pen & Sword Books, 2009
• Wade, Stephen. Tyranny and the Lash : Prisoners & Punishment in British History: Robert Hale Publishers, 2011
• Watson, Katherine. Poisoned Lives: English Poisoners and their Victims: Hambledon Continuum, 2006
• Woolf, Alex. Past In Pictures : A Photographic View of Crime and Punishment: Wayland Publishers, 2013

Websites

The National Archives Research Guide
How to look for records of prisoners and convicts. This guide will help you to search for records of prisoners serving sentences in England and Wales.
Our Criminal Ancestors
Our Criminal Ancestors is a public engagement project, led by the University of Hull in collaboration with Leeds Beckett University, that encourages and supports to explore the criminal past of their own families, communities, towns and regions. Source guides include researching prison ancestors and tracing transported criminals.
Society of Genealogists Guide
Finding Criminal Ancestors
London Lives
Researching Crime. London Lives allows users to link together the records of several different courts to trace individual criminal careers, or at least an individual’s repeated encounters with the law, over a number of years.
London Picture Archive
Search over 250,000 photographs, prints and drawings as well as over 1,000 maps of London from the collections at The London Archives and Guildhall Art Gallery. Search for people or places or browse subject areas such as ‘Law & Crime’.
Proceedings of the Old Bailey
Crime, Justice and Punishment: The Historical Background to the Proceedings of the Old Bailey including a glossary of judicial terms, explanations of types and categories of indictable offences, trial procedures, verdicts, punishments and other topics.
Guildhall Library
Tracing London criminals. The Library has many sources for tracing London Criminals, including an extensive collection of Old Bailey Sessions Papers. The history and the changing nature of the information found in these is described in some detail with notes on London criminal courts, transportation, indictments and guidance on further research.
The London Archives Research Guide
Law and Crime. Our records on law and crime cover obvious things like criminal cases and prison records, as well as topics which can reveal much about family history like the records of the Court of Orphans and Coroner Inquests.
Register of Qualified Genealogists
Researching Criminal Ancestors.
Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine
The 14 best websites for tracing prisoners in your family history, by Jonathan Scott.
Family Tree
Researching “Black Sheep” Ancestors with Criminal Records, by David A. Fryxell.
Family Tree
5 ways to find your criminal ancestors, by Emma Maxwell.
Family Tree Resources
Tracing Your Criminal Ancestors.
Findmypast Blog
How to find criminal ancestors in the newspaper archives, by Alex Cox.
Digital Panopticon
A Guide to Researching Family History. Learn about crime and criminal justice with research guides covering the historical background to crime and punishment and the courts.
The Victorian Web
Crime in Victorian England. Explore crime related essays covering Victorian England.
Capital Punishment U.K.
The resource site for the history of death penalty in Britain. History of the death penalty in Britain.
Victorians
Victorian Crime and Punishment.
National Records of Scotland
Research Guide: Crime and Criminals. The archives holds many records relating to crime and criminals. Information about crime and criminals can be found in the records of criminal courts, criminal investigations and prisons.
ScotlandsPeople Guide
Prison registers. Read how to search prison registers and understand their contents.
Bodleian Libraries
Broadside Ballads Online. The site features a digital collection of 30,000 English printed ballad-sheets from between the 16th and 20th centuries with links to other resources for the study of the English ballad tradition
National Library of Scotland
Digital Gallery: The Word On The Street: Online collection of nearly 1,800 Scottish broadsides between 1650 and 1910.
Harvard Law School Library
English Crime and Execution Broadsides. Explore This collection of nearly 600 broadsides highlighting crime and capital punishment, primarily in England, as seen through the popular press in the 18th and 19th century.

Online Databases

National Criminal Collections

Findmypast
England & Wales, Crime, Prisons & Punishment, 1770-1935. Unlock the secrets of your family’s past with unparalleled access to over 5 million crime records spanning from 1770 to 1935 in England and Wales. Track their journey through the justice system, from trials to sentencing, gaining invaluable insights into their lives behind bars. The extensive collection of records from criminal cases, gaols, hulks, prisons, and criminal calendars is produced in association with The National Archives.
Highlights of the collection include:

• Criminal Petitions (HO 17)
• Register of Criminal Petitions (HO 19)
• Criminal Petitions Series II (HO 18)
• Criminal Registers, Middlesex (HO 26)
• Millbank, Parkhurst and Pentonville Prison Registers, 1838-1875 (HO 24)
• Criminal Registers, England and Wales (HO 27)
• Calendar of Prisoners (HO 140)
• Prison Records (PCOM 2)
• Registers of Convicts in Prison Hulks (ADM 6)
• Convict Hulks, Convict Prisons and Criminal Lunatic Asylums: Quarterly Returns of Prisoners 1824-1876 (HO 8)
• Treasury: Departmental Accounts, Convict Hulks, Ref (T 38)
• Convict Hulks 1802-1831 (T 38/310-338)

Ancestry
Court, Governmental & Criminal Records. Ancestry holds a comprehensive collection of national crime and prison records for England and Wales and Scotland, including:

• England & Wales, Criminal Registers, 1791-1892. The registers provide information about the charged individual, their trial, and sentence if convicted. (HO 26 and HO 27).
• UK, Prison Hulk Registers and Letter Books, 1802-1849. Registers and letter books of prisoners on 19 different convict prison hulks in England (HO 9).
• UK, Prison Commission Records, 1770-1951. Explore a variety of records including registers of prisoners and habitual criminals, photograph albums, minute books, visitors’ books, order books, journals, assizes and quarter sessions calendars (PCOM 2).
• UK, Police Gazettes, 1812-1902, 1921-1927. Explore information on wanted criminals, crimes committed, criminals who had been apprehended, and missing persons.
• Birmingham, England, Petty Session Registers, 1892-1923. This collection contains records and registers of Petty and Quarter court sessions from Birmingham, United Kingdom between 1892 and 1931.

To view all the crime and criminals collections, click on ‘View all in Card Catalogue’ in the Court, Governmental & Criminal Records start page.

The Genealogist
Court and Criminal Records. Criminal records covering indictable offences in England and Wales between 1782 and 1892. The records are produced in association with the National Archives and include:

• Criminal Registers, England and Wales (HO 27)
• Criminal Entry Books Lists of pardons (HO 13)
• Prisons Correspondence and Papers including Bethlehem Hospital (HO 20/13).
• Central Criminal Court Depositions (CRIM 1)
• After Trial Calendar of Prisoners. Search over 160,000 records and details of prisoners who were up before the Central Criminal Court/Old Bailey (CRIM 9)
• Newgate Prison Registers, 1791-1849 (HO 26)

MyHeritage

Datasets include:

• England and Wales, Metropolitan Police Register of Habitual Criminals, 1881-1925. This collection contains prisoner records from various jails in England and Wales.
• England, Middlesex and Westminster Sessions of the Peace, 1836-1889. This collection contains lists of prisoners tried at Middlesex or Westminster Sessions of the Peace.
• Scotland, Court of Session Processes, Acts and Decrees, 1560-1930. This collection contains court cases from the Court of Session, the supreme civil court of Scotland.
• Scotland, Prison Registers, 1791-1965. This collection contains prisoner records from various prisons in Scotland.

Digital Panopticon
Digital Humanities Institute Sheffield. The site offers a comprehensive resource which provides access to both full-text and summary data of historical criminal justice records the late 18th to early 20th centuries. The site hosts approximately fifty datasets covering the lives of around 90,000 convicts from Britain and Australia. The project collaborates with public and commercial organisations to share data on the site.

Datasets include:

Trial Records

• Old Bailey Proceedings 1740-1913
• England and Wales Criminal Registers 1791-1892

Post-Trial and Sentencing Records

• Home Office Criminal Entry Books 1782-1876
• Petitions for Pardon 1797-1858

Transportation Records

• Middlesex Convicts Delivered For Transportation 1785-1792
• British Transportation Registers 1787-1867

Colony Records

• New South Wales Convict Indexes 1788-1873
• Van Diemen’s Land Founders and Survivors Convicts 1802-1853
• Western Australia Convict Probation Records 1850-1868

Imprisonment Records

• Hulks Registers 1801-1879
• Prison Registers 1770-1951
• Newgate Calendars of Prisoners 1855-1931
• Metropolitan Police Register of Habitual Criminals 1881-1925
• Prisoner Photograph Albums 1871-1873

Findmypast
Prison Ship (Hulk) Registers 1811-1843. Discover whether your ancestor was held on one of the British prison ships or hulks extracted from TNA series HO 9. The collection of records includes details of prisoners on the following hulks: Antelope, Bellerophon, Coromandel, Dromedary, Euryalus, Hardy, and Weymouth as well as a small number of records for Parkhurst prison.
Findmypast
Hue and Cry Police Gazette Index. Index of published notices of wanted criminals and the offences they committed. This index includes information on many who were sentenced to transportation in the Australian colonies.
Findmypast
Police Gazette, 1921. Search wanted criminals from around the country’s police forces. The wanted criminals and their offences were published in the gazette to enable the police to pursue, catch and bring them to justice.
British Newspaper Archive
Police Gazette, 1773-1776, 1829, 1858, 1880, 1898, 1916-1918. Originally published as ‘The Quarterly Pursuit’ in 1772, before going through several title changes, including ‘The Public Hue and Cry’ and ‘The Hue and Cry’, the paper eventually became known as ‘The Police Gazette in 1839’.
BlackSheep Ancestors
Search prison records for the UK. Categories include: Prisons & Convicts Search, Outlaw & Criminal Ancestor Search, Court Records Search and Executions Search.
ProQuest
John Johnson Collection. Search a digitised collection of 65,000 items drawn from five subject areas including crimes and murders.
Capital Punishment U.K
The resource site for the history of death penalty in Britain including a listing of all U.K. executions from 1735-1964.

Regional Collections

Ancestry
Court, Governmental & Criminal Records. Ancestry holds a comprehensive collection of regional crime and prison records for England and Wales and Scotland, including:

• London, Newgate Calendar of Prisoners, 1785-1853. Lists of prisoners tried at Assizes and Quarter Sessions (HO 77).
• West Midlands, England, Criminal Registers, 1850-1933.
• Dorchester Prison Admission and Discharge Registers, 1782-1901.
• Bedfordshire Gaol Index, 1770-1882.
• Gloucestershire, England, Prison Records, 1728-1914.
• Somerset Gaol Registers, 1807-1879.
• Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England, Petty Sessions, 1841-1923

To view all the crime and criminal collections, click on ‘View all in Card Catalogue’ in the Court, Governmental & Criminal Records start page.

Findmypast
Institutions & organisations in United Kingdom. Findmypast offers a variety of regional crime and convict datasets including:

• The Manchester Collection: Prison register transcripts from Belle Vue Prison, New Bailey Prison and Strangeways Prison.
• Surrey Institutional Records 1788-1939.
• Devon, Plymouth Prison Records 1832-1919.
• Middlesex, London, Old Bailey Court Records 1674-1913. Explore over 782,000 court records from London’s Old Baily/Central Criminal Court, the central criminal court of England & Wales.
• Yorkshire, Sheffield Crime Courts and Convicts 1737-1938.
• City Of York Calendars Of Prisoners 1739-1851.

To restrict and filter your search to a county or place or dataset click on ‘Browse Record Set’ on the Institutions & organisations in United Kingdom search page.

The Proceedings of the Old Bailey
The site makes available a fully searchable, digitised collection of all surviving editions of the Old Bailey Proceedings from 1674 to 1913 and of the Ordinary of Newgate’s Accounts between 1676 and 1772. It allows access to over 197,000 trials and biographical details of approximately 2,500 men and women executed at Tyburn, free of charge for non-commercial use. These are accounts of the trials written by journalists and are not public records.
The National Archives
Records of Victorian prisoners’ photograph albums 1872-1873. These records are albums containing photos and details of prisoners in Wandsworth prison from 1872 to 1873.
London Lives
Searchable datasets include: Home Office Criminal Registers, Old Bailey Proceedings and Old Bailey Sessions.
Findmypast
London Lives, Culture & Society 1680-1817. London Lives chronicles the lives of Londoners through the exploration of a variety of sources including criminal registers, session papers, ordinary’s accounts from Old Bailey, apprentice records, coroner inquests, workhouse minutes.
Bedfordshire Archives
Bedfordshire Gaol Register. This database contains entries from gaol registers held by the Bedfordshire Archives and Records Service between 1801 and 1879.
Herefordshire Archives
Herefordshire prison register index, 1849-1915. This is a combined index to prisoners awaiting trial at the General Quarter Sessions for Herefordshire, 1849-1881, and convicted prisoners at Hereford County Gaol, 1881-1915.
Surrey History Centre Indexes
Deaths in Surrey county gaol 1798-1878.
Buckinghamshire Archives
Search for details of prisoners entering the County Gaol in Aylesbury in the 1870s.
Bath Ancestors
Datasets include:

• Bath City Police Prisoners Photograph Books, 1892-1922
• Commitments in Felony, 1840-1855. Search warrants of those accused of a serious crimes who could be sent to a House of Correction until their trial at Quarter Sessions or Assizes.
• Commitments to the House of Correction, 1836-1858. Search people found guilty of a minor crime.
• Bath Court of Quarter Sessions. 1785-1791 and 1837-1931

Cornwall OPC Database
Institution Inmates. Search gaol and convict records.
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks
Transcribed criminal records include: UK Prison Commission: Records of Cornish-born prisoners 1770-1951; Plymouth Prison Records 1867-68; Plymouth Prison Records 1881-1892 and 1909-1919.
Warwickshire County Record Office
Calendars of Prisoners, 1800-1900. The database is an index to the ‘Calendars of Prisoners’ or lists of those held in the County Prisons in Warwick, Birmingham and Coventry for trial at the Assize and the Quarter Sessions courts held in Warwick.
Staffordshire Name Indexes
Online resources include:

• Calendar of Prisoners at Staffs. Quarter Session, 1779-1921
• Quarter Sessions Indictments, 1581-1733
• Stafford Gaol Photograph Albums Index, 1877-1916

Gloucestershire Archives Genealogical Search
Gaol Registers, 1815-1879. Also search for a named individual in the Gloucestershire Archives Online Catalogue which includes the General Personal Names Index and other specialist indexes.
British History Online
Hackney Petty Sessions Book, 1734. Originally published by London Record Society, London, 1991.
GENUKI
Calendars of Prisoners extracted from Devon Quarter Sessions, 1655-1882; transcribed by Brian Brassett.
York Castle Prison
Database of almost 5000 convicted criminals imprisoned at York Castle Prison from the 1700s. Expect to find transported criminals, criminals executed and imprisoned debtors who pleaded insolvency.

Scotland

Scottish Indexes
Scotland’s Criminal Database. Search an index to all surviving High Court Precognitions and Trial Papers between 1790 and 1919, an index to the Crown Counsel Procedure Books from 1822-1879, and a large selection of prison registers. Sheriff Court criminal records are being added to the database. The database also includes 501,749 prison register entries from jails such as Dumfries 1841-1848; Greenlaw 1840-1862; Jedburgh 1843-1869; Kelso 1844-1862; Peebles 1848-1862; and Selkirk 1828-1840, 1853-1878.
National Records of Scotland
Search indexes of criminal trials held in the High Court of Justiciary covering the years 1800, 1833-1837, 1840-1930. The records are available through the NRS online catalogue. High Court trials are heard before a judge sitting with a jury of 15 persons and are known as ‘solemn trials’.
Scotland’s People
Search registers of people admitted to Scottish prisons to 1921. Registers for Edinburgh Bridewell, Edinburgh (Calton) Prison, Largs Prison and Perth Prison are available.
Findmypast
Scotland, Court & Criminal Database. Search records of Scottish prisons, Crown Office Precognitions and High Court Trial Papers. Find out details of the crime, where the trial was held and their incarceration. The collection also includes The Fife Kalendar of Convicts, 1708 to 1909.
Ancestry
Fife, Scotland, Criminal Registers, 1910-1931. Search individuals charged with criminal offences.
Friends of the Archives of Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries Jail Books and Bail Bond Registers 1714-1810.

Wales

National Library of Wales
Crime and Punishment, 1730-1830. The database comprises data about crimes, criminals and punishments included in the gaol files of the Court of Great Sessions in Wales from 1730 until its abolition in 1830. Records from less serious crimes heard at Quarter Sessions are held at county record offices and can be searched at Archives Wales. Monmouthshire formed part of the Oxford Assize circuit and are available from The National Archives at Kew.
FamilySearch
Wales, Court and Miscellaneous Records, 1542-1911. This collection contains browsable images from the National Library of Wales. Records include Consistory Court papers, Court records-Crown Books, Court records-gaol files, Marriage bonds and Memoranda of the Great Sessions.
Ancestry
Cardiff, Wales, Index to Police Constabulary Registers, 1904-1920. This collection comprises indexes to police constabulary files including photographic registers of criminals in the area of Cardiff, Wales.
Ancestry
Glamorgan, Wales, Calendar of Prisoners, 1850-1920. This collection contains lists of prisoners held while awaiting trial between at gaols and houses of correction in Cardiff and Swansea.
Ancestry
Swansea and Surrounding Area, Wales, Gaol Records, 1877-1922. This collection contains lists of charged individuals being held in the County Gaols and Houses of Correction for West Glamorgan, who were due for trial in the Quarter Sessions and Assizes.

CD Roms