Nature of Source
Overview of Prison Records
Before the 19th century, most prisons were primarily used to hold individuals awaiting trial rather than serving sentences. However, by the 19th century prison sentences became a common form of punishment. Records from this period include court orders for imprisonment or details of transfers between prisons. Those convicted of more serious crimes were referred to as convicts, whereas prisoners held for lesser offenses were typically housed in local gaols.
An increase in prison overcrowding in the 19th century led to the use of prison hulks which were decommissioned ships converted into floating prisons. Prisoners were held in prison hulks whilst awaiting transportation or as a sentence and were in operation until 1857. During this period, Quarter Session magistrates could also sentence individuals to transportation, a common punishment for more serious crimes.
Sottish Records
In Scotland, individuals sentenced to deportation were actually transported from England, so the relevant records are held at The National Archives (TNA) in Kew. Details of criminal trials are typically found in the registers of the prison local to the court where sentencing took place. In Scotland, burgh prison registers were referred to as ‘warding and liberation books’. Most of these registers were introduced after 1839.
Locating Prison Records
The survival of prison records varies greatly; many have been destroyed or lost, while some may still be held by local prison authorities. From the 13th to the 17th century, counties where an assize court sat operated prisons known as houses of correction or bridewells. From 1877, prisons came under the control of central government, meaning records may be found at County Record Offices or The National Archives.
Key records to identify individuals include:
Quarter Session Lists: Names of local prisoners are often found in these lists as well as in prison admission and discharge registers.
Sheriff Lists: Sheriffs were required to provide justices of the assizes with lists of jail inmates which are often found amongst Quarter Session records at County Record Offices.
Newspapers and Journals: Local newspapers frequently reported on criminal cases which provide additional context or details about the individuals involved.
Transfer Papers: These documents provide details on a convict and record their transfer from one prison to another. They are found in The National Archives in series PCOM.
The Newgate Calendar
The Newgate Calendar is an essential resource for criminal research in London. It originated as a monthly bulletin of executions produced by the Keeper of Newgate Prison but later evolved into a series of biographical accounts of notorious criminals. The collected editions began in in mid-18th century with a standard five-volume edition in 1774. Further editions were subsequently released throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Many cases featured in the Newgate Calendar were tried at the Old Bailey, providing details of sentences, imprisonment, transportation or execution.
A digitised version of the 1795 edition is available at the Public Domain Review. Additionally, various editions can be found online at the Ex-Classics, The Internet Archive, the HathiTrust and Google Books.
Also see
Assize Records
Calendars of Prisoners
Criminal Petitions
Criminal Registers
General Eyre
License Registers/’tickets of leave’
Petty Sessions
Quarter Session Records
Registers of Habitual Criminals
Transported Convicts
Where Found
County Record Offices
Local archives hold a vast array of material relating to crime and convicts including:
Quarter Sessions Records
- Calendars of prisoners awaiting trial.
- Order books with details of sentences.
- Depositions from witnesses.
Petty Sessions Records
- Registers of convictions.
- Court minute books.
Prison Records
- Admission and discharge registers
- Description books
- Visitor books
Local police force archives
Newspaper reports
- Registers of government run and local prisons in Series HO 8, HO 23, HO 24, PCOM 2, and KB 32.
- Prison hulk records in Series HO 7, HO 8, HO 9, T 1, T 38, T 53, T 64, T 90, T 207, E 370, ADM 6 and PCOM 2.
- Criminal lunatic records are found in Series HO 8, HO 20, HO 144 and HO 145.
Series HO 9 is available free of charge to download from TNA’s Digital Microfilm.
Also available is the Chadwyck Healey microfiche collection ‘Chadwyck-Healey British Trials 1660-1900’ which covers thousands of trials.
British Library
Law and Legal Studies. Historical and current resources for the study of law, legislation and society. The Library has a wealth of material to support research on law including legislation, cases and traditional legal commentary.
ScotlandsPeople Centre
Holdings include:
- Scottish county prison registers.
- Copies of The National Archives transportation registers.
- Transportation records for 1653-1853 within the High Court files.
Sheriff Courts
Scotland Prison registers.
Period Covered
1299 – Onwards
Genealogical Value
Prison Registers
- Prisoner’s name, occupation, age, place of birth and marital status of prisoner.
- Physical description and character.
- Prison transfers and discharge details which include the name of the prisoner, a physical description and the names and addresses of the next of kin.
- Occasionally photos.
- Details of trial, verdict and punishment.
Hulks Registers
- Prisoner’s name, age, birth year, offence committed, date and place of conviction and sentence with the name of the hulk.
- Trade or occupation.
- Character reports written by the prison officer are shown under the heading of ‘Gaoler’s Report’.
- Later records show the prisoner’s marital status and number of children.
Further References
Prison Related
- Branch-Johnson, William. The English Prison Hulks: Phillimore, 1970
- Campbell, Charles. The Intolerable Hulks: British Shipboard Confinement 1776-1857 Fenestra Books, 2001
- Higgs, Michelle. Prison Life in Victorian England: The History Press, 2007
- 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
- Jowett, Caroline. The History of Newgate Prison: Pen and Sword Books, 2017
- 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
- Stevens, Mark. Broadmoor Revealed: Victorian Crime and the Lunatic Asylum: Pen and Sword Books, 2013
- Wade, Stephen. Tyranny and the Lash : Prisoners & Punishment in British History: Robert Hale Publishers, 2011
Crime General
- 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
- 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
- Hitchcock, Tim & Shoemaker, Bob. Tales from the Hanging Court: Hodder Arnold, 2006
- 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)
- 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
- Storey, Neil. The Victorian Criminal: Shire Publications, 2011
- Wade, Stephen. Tracing Your Criminal Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians: Pen & Sword Books, 2009
- 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
Prison Resources
Our Criminal Ancestors
Researching your prison ancestors: an introductory guide. Have you found a prisoner in your family history or wondering about the punishment of offenders in your local community history? Here is a simple introductory guide to finding prisoners in the 1800-1914 period.
Our Criminal Ancestors
HMP Holloway: History and Sources.
Our Criminal Ancestors
The history of prisons and imprisonment. A timeline documenting the history of prisons and a history of punishments.
Royal Arsenal History
History of Prison Hulks
Brewminate
Victorians Prisons and Punishments, by Liza Picard
The National Archives Research Guide
How to look for records of Prisons and prison staff. This is a guide to the records of prison management, administration and policy, as well as records of prison staff.
Prison History
A resource to expand our knowledge of the practice and experience of imprisonment in the British Isles between 1500 and 1999. Find detailed records on nearly 850 penal institutions from the 19th century England or on over 400 lock-ups spanning the early modern to the modern period. Expect to find full details on the institution and the whereabouts of the records.
Prison History
How to use the Census for Prisons Research. Struggling to find information on staff and prisoners at a particular prison? If there are no registers of prisoners or staff available, then an alternative path could be to use the Census for prisons research.
CyndisList
Prisons, Prisoners & Outlaws
London Ancestor
Descriptions of London places and buildings including a directory listings prisons from the New Picture of London, 1819.
Manchester Archives and Local History
Prison Records Guide.
Black Sheep Search
Convict Prison Hulks. Find out more about Convict Prison Hulks in England.
Scottish Archive Network Guide
My ancestor was a prisoner
Scottish Indexes
Learning Zone: Scottish Prison Registers.
General Crime Resources
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 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.
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.
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
Select prison registers with dates of admission up to and including 1924 are available to search and view on Scotland’s People.
The following registers are available:
- Barlinnie (Glasgow) Prison, 1882 to 1899
- Edinburgh Bridewell, 1798 to 1840
- Edinburgh (Calton) Prison, 1841 to 1851
- Largs Prison, 1843 to 1853
- Perth convict journals (male), 1867 to 1879
- Perth Prison registers (male), 1888 to 1897, 1902 to 1909, 1913 to 1924
- Perth Prison registers (female), 1901 to 1916
- Perth Prison Criminal Lunatic Department case books, 1846 to 1902
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.
Ancestry
Dumbartonshire, Scotland, Prison Registers, 1790-1824.
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
S & N Genealogy Supplies
Criminal Register Indexes 1805-1816 covering all counties of England and Wales.
GenFair
Machine Breakers News. Everything on the 1830 Swing Riots and Machine Breakers including trials covering a number of counties. Requests can also be made for a search for an individual machine breaker with information taken from both County Publications and unpublished material.
Fife Family History Society
Fife Kalendar of Convicts, 1790-1880. Index of convict names extracted from Courts in Fife, Fife cases before the High Court, Jury Trials of Cupar Sheriff Court, Dunfermline Sheriff Court, Justice of the Peace records held by the National Records of Scotland and Fife Council Archives and local Fife newspapers.
Parish Chest
Sussex Criminals and Victims, 1767-1850.
