Sources for Convicts and Prisoners

Domestic Records Information 88

1. Introduction

Before the 19th century most prisons were administered locally, and central government had no responsibility for them. The exceptions to this were the King's Bench, Marshalsea and Fleet prisons, which were debtors prisons, and Newgate gaol. These were Crown (government) prisons attached to the central courts. Holding people in prison was not the main form of punishment. From around 1700 most people who were convicted of an offence were either executed or transported to the North American colonies. Prisons were used for temporarily holding vagrants and debtors, those convicted of smaller offences, and those awaiting trial or sentencing. But with American independence in 1776 prisoners could no longer be sent to America, and they began to be accommodated in disused ships known as 'hulks' with the intention that they would eventually be transported. The establishment of the hulks, moored at Plymouth, Portsmouth, in the Thames and elsewhere, marked the first involvement of central government in the ownership and administration of prisons (see HO 7 - HO 11 ).

In 1787 transportation to Australia began and lasted for 80 years until 1867. For much this period large numbers of convicts were confined in the hulks pending the building of prisons at Millbank (1816), Parkhurst (1838), Pentonville (1842), Portland (1848), Portsmouth (1850) and Chatham (1856). The government also had contracts for the use of cells in county gaols. The Prisons Act 1877 placed all prisons under the administration of a new Prison Commission.

The Penal Servitude Act 1853 saw the beginning of the end for transportation. The Act substituted periods of penal servitude - time in prison - as punishment for almost all previously transportable offences, to be served in any prison or place of confinement in the UK or its dominions, as the Secretary of State might direct. Section 9 of the Act provided for the freeing on licence of convicts after serving a suitable period of the sentence. Sentence of transportation was finally abolished in 1887.

All those held in prison were known as prisoners, but those sentenced to penal servitude (hard labour) or transportation were known as Convicts.

Registers of prisoners in various prisons may be found in PCOM 2 , HO 23 (rented cells in county prisons) and HO 24 (Millbank, Parkhurst and Pentonville). For records of the King's Bench, Marshalsea and Fleet Prisons see PRIS 1 - PRIS 11 .

2. Tracing Individual Convicts and Prisoners

The following document series are those which are most likely to prove useful in the study or tracing of individual convicts and prisoners.

Catalogue Reference	Date Range	Description
ADM 101	1785-1963	Medical Journals - Journals of surgeons on HM Ships. They include details of the treatment of medical and surgical cases, daily sick lists, statistics on diseases, and remarks on the general health and activities of those on board the ship. Pieces 1-75 (1819-1855) and 251-255 (1850-1863) include details of convicts on convict ships, and are currently being indexed by name in the Catalogue, although the work is not yet complete. They are arranged by name of ship, and may include a summary of the voyage, dates and places. See MT 32 ; for similar records for the period 1858-1867.
AO 3	1539-1886	Accounts Various - These records include accounts of legal expenses in transporting criminals to NSW with convict's names (piece 291), accounts of convict hulk establishments (pieces 292-296), an inventory of items regularly used, and suppliers, in Millbank Prison 1827-1837 (piece 872), costs of subsistence and clothing for French Prisoners of War 1698-1796 (pieces 873-877), and Kings Bench and Fleet in 1780 (piece 1243).
B 2	1862-1869	Court of Bankruptcy: Gaolers' Returns, etc. - Includes gaolers' returns from 1862-1869 for Whitecross Street Prison, Horsemonger Lane Prison and Queens Prison (pieces 15-33). For each named prisoner they provide, trade, date of imprisonment, abode, creditor, amount of debt, circumstances of arrest, whether previously bankrupt, principal creditors, amount of property or credits.
B 3	1759-1911	Bankruptcy Commission Files - Over 5,800 bankruptcy case files arranged in the order of the registers known as Bankruptcy Commission Docket Books in B 4. This represents 5% of the cases that originally existed. An alphabetical index of the surnames of bankrupts in available in the Open Reading Room.
B 4	1710-1849	Bankruptcy Commission Docket Books - These docket books give brief details of a commission of bankruptcy being issued. Each book has an alphabetical index at the front. Details given include name of debtor, date of commission, and names of creditors and names of commissioners. Case files for approximately 5% of these dockets can be found in series B 3 .
B 6	1733-1925	Bankruptcy Registers - Registers of documents filed in cases of bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings. Indexes are in B 8 . The series includes prisoners' petitions between pieces 45 to 71 from 1820, giving the name of the gaol, petition number, name of insolvent, trade or profession, date of petition, date of hearing, attorney, adjudication of the court and when made, date of discharge, and remarks. Entries in B 6 may lead to the relevant files in B 9, which are selected files of Proceedings under the Bankruptcy Acts listed by name from 1832 to 1976.
B 8	1820-1870	Bankruptcy Indexes - These indexes relate to the registers in B 6 , and enrolments in B 5 . Pieces 2-68 cover petitions from prisoners. They comprise alphabetical indexes to bankrupts, giving trade and entry number to be keyed up to the registers in B6.
CO 201	1783-1900	Colonial Office: New South Wales Original Correspondence - Arranged chronologically under the following headings: Despatches (letters of the governors), Offices (letters of government departments and other organisations) and Individuals (arranged alphabetically). Each volume has a contents list giving the name of correspondent, date of letter and subject matter. In the early period there are separate volumes for Port Jackson, Norfolk Island, Hobart Town and Port Dalrymple.
CO 206	1803-1925	Colonial Office: New South Wales Miscellanea - Includes newspapers and blue books of statistics.
CO 280	1824-1900	Colonial Office: Tasmania, Original Correspondence - Includes correspondence between the Secretary of State for the colonies and the Governor on Tasmania's role as a penal colony.
CRIM 1	1835-1992	Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey): Depositions - Statements on oath used at the Old Bailey in cases of murder, sedition, treason, riot, conspiracy to affect political change, trials of historic interest, plus a 2% random sample of other depositions. Some pardons for 1835-1950 are also included.
CRIM 2	1923-1966	Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey): Calendars of Depositions - Calendars of depositions, being alphabetical indexes relating to cases sent up to the Central Criminal Court from coroners', magistrates' and police courts. They contain the date of the inferior court hearing, case number, name of the court, names of defendants, notes of attachments and exhibits. Relevant depositions are in CRIM 1 .
CRIM 4	1834-1971	Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey): Indictments - In chronological order, these provide for each person the charge, verdict, sentence, witnesses, prosecutor, and solicitors. Juror's details are included. Before 1858 felonies and misdemeanours are filed separately.
CRIM 5	1833-1971	Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey): Calendars of Indictments - Arranged by date of session, and then by surname, they give: name, offence, date of conviction or acquittal, result of any appeal, and a number which can be keyed up to the original indictment in CRIM 4 .
CRIM 6	1834-1949	Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey): Court Books - Hand written court books with brief details of cases heard in court, including the offence, plea, verdict, sentence, length of case and jurors names as well as the names of the accused and, in many cases, the victim. Un indexed. Separate volumes for Old Court and New Court which became First and Second courts in 1910. Three further courts were added later.
CRIM 9	1855-1949	Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey): After Trial Calendars of Prisoners - Printed calendars arranged by date giving details of the prisoners and committing magistrates, offences shown on indictment, date of trial and before whom tried, verdict of jury, previous convictions, and sentence or order of court.
CRIM 10	1834-1912	Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey): Minutes of Evidence - Printed, indexed, chronological notes taken by the court reporter. Lists of jurors are included. Each entry gives the name and age of the accused, the victim and the crime, followed by a detailed account of the witnesses' testimonies, and finally the verdict.
CRIM 11	1848-1893	Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey): Draft Pleadings Submitted to the - 22 files of hand-written notes or letters, sometimes including evidence, regarding cases heard at the Old Bailey, summarising the case and asking for advice. Each file covers one trial, indexed by name in the Catalogue.
CRIM 12	1848-1908	Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey): Orders of Court from the Court for the Consideration of Crown Cases Reserved - Comprises the orders, or decisions made by the court in response to the queries sent to them, examples of which are in CRIM 11 . The records are printed forms, one type for when they agreed with the Old Bailey, and one type for when they disagreed. Each file covers one trial, indexed by name in the Catalogue. Their decisions were final.
E 389	12th-19th Century	Exchequer, Miscellaneous: New Series - A complex collection of early records which has yet to be sorted and listed properly. Included are sheriffs' accounts and cravings, gaolers' bills which list sums paid for diet and other expenses for individual prisoners, sheriffs' assize vouchers relating to payments for hanging, whipping, the pillory and other punishments, and expenses for prisoners (pieces 241-257 Geo. I-Wm. IV). Other documents include names and numbers of prisoners transported or sent to hulks, and surgeons warrants and receipts of the delivery of bodies for dissection. The series includes Outlawry Rolls (21 Rich II - 2 Hen V, pieces 10-43) which were sent to the Exchequer from the Courts of King's Bench and Common Pleas. The names are of those who had been sued but had failed to appear, and whose property was therefore forfeit to the Crown. The rolls are written in Latin and give the name, date and court of outlawry. Similar rolls for Chester are in CHES 27 , and for Lancashire in PL 28 .
HO 6	1816-1840	Home Office: Judges and Recorders' Returns - Returns sent to the Home Office by Judges (and recorders) of convicted persons recommended for mercy, lists of convicts, letters from Prison Governors, etc. The documents comprise loose papers tied into bundles and can contain very detailed information on individual cases. They are filed by year of conviction, and there are no indexes.
HO 7	1785-1835	Home Office: Convicts, Miscellanea - Only three pieces: minutes of a House of Commons Committee on Transportation to West Africa (1785); papers, 1823-1835, including returns of convict deaths in NSW, and papers on the condition of prisons and hulks in the UK and colonies; and registers of convicts on ships in Bermuda 1823-8. Each box contains loose papers, and several items relate to County Cork, Ireland.
HO 8	1824-1876	Convict Prisons: Quarterly Returns of Prisoners - Sworn lists of convicts on board the hulks and in prisons, giving age, conviction, sentence, health, behaviour, mental state, remarks (removed, released, etc.) The Catalogue lists the hulks included in each document, and its geographical location.
HO 9	1802-1849	Convict Prison Hulks: Registers and Letter Books - Registers of the convicts in the hulks, and a letter book (piece 16) relating to the establishment of the hulks 1849-1849. The Catalogue includes a breakdown of the series by name of ship. The following is given for each man: name, age, offence, where/when convicted, sentence and remarks (usually a date of discharge or pardon).
HO 10	1787-1859	Settlers and Convicts, NSW and Tasmania: Records - Nominal lists of male and female convicts, and former convicts, in the colonies giving details of age, ship, year, sentence, religion, employment, residence, district, land, cattle horses and sheep acquired. There are also lists of pardons, convicts embarked for and arriving at NSW, general musters and a census of 1828. The documents are listed on the Catalogue simply by date, place, sex, census or pardon.
HO 11	1787-1870	Convict Transportation Registers - Lists of convicts transported in ships giving the date of their convictions. They are indexed by name of ship and the date of sailing. The records provide convicts' names, where convicted (including name of court), when, and term (length of sentence). Piece 20 comprises an index of colonies to which convicts were sent, and a list of convict ships. A database to the convict transportation registers (1787-1867) is available online at www.slq.qld.gov.au/info/fh/convicts
HO 12	1849-1871	Criminal Department: Old Criminal (OC) Papers - Original letters, memorials and other papers relating to criminal matters, entered in the registers in HO 14 . For earlier papers see PC 1 , and also HO 42 , HO 44 , and HO 45 . Later papers are in HO 45 and HO 144 . The series list in the Catalogue is simply a box list; for piece descriptions for the period 1841- 1855 see the HO 45 series list.
HO 13	1782-1871	Criminal Entry Books - Entry books (office copies) of out-letters, warrants and pardons. Each volume has a name index, and the letters are mainly concerning free pardons, conditional pardons, remissions, respites, movements of prisoners, and convict ships, etc.. These are useful for determining the actual outcome of a petition for a reduction in sentence or against transportation. For warrants and pardons after 1850 see HO 15 . After 1871 out-letters will be found in HO 136 (to February 1873) and HO 43 (to 1898), HO 146 and HO 163 .
HO 14	1849-1871	Criminal Dept: Registers of Papers - Registers of letters and papers in HO 12 , which may be used as indexes to that series. They are indexed, and for each letter issued or received the register gives the date, to/from, subject (often a prisoner's name) and an office number. From 1855 the registers refer to letters and warrants issued and copied into the entry books in HO 13 and HO 15 .
HO 15	1850-1898	Criminal and Miscellaneous Warrant Books - These continue the entries of warrants from HO 13 , but also include after 1871 other non-criminal warrants. The warrants are mainly instructions to prison officials concerning the administration of the prison. Each volume is indexed, and gives the date of the warrant, the place of issue, and to whom issued. After 1887 warrants relating to prisoners were entered in separate registers in HO 147 .
HO 16	1815-1849	Returns of Committals for Trial at the Old Bailey (CCC) - These are monthly lists of prisoners sent for trial at the Old Bailey. The lists were compiled by the Clerk of Sessions and sent to the Home Office. Now bound into volumes, they give name, age, crime as charged, verdict, and sentence.
HO 17	1819-1839	Criminal Petitions, Series I - Original petitions to the monarch from convicts, their friends or family, requesting a reduction in their sentence, sometimes including references and a history of the prisoner's life. Petitions are arranged in bundles, each with an alphabetical reference, and papers are numbered within each bundle. The alphabetical reference does not relate to the prisoner's name, it is merely a code for each bundle. Use the indexes in HO 19 , arranged alphabetically by name of convict, to find the bundle code and number. For post-1839 petitions see HO 18 . Among the petitions are lists of convicts recommended for early release for good behaviour submitted by Prison Governors.
HO 18	1839-1854	Criminal Petitions, Series II - Second series of prisoners' petitions following on from HO 17 . For references use HO 19/8 to HO 19/12 in which the petitioners names are arranged alphabetically with two numbers such as 15/18, which would equate to bundle15, paper 18.
HO 19	1797-1853	Registers of Criminal Petitions - Registers which act as indexes to petitions in HO 17 and HO 18 . Arranged alphabetically for specific years they give a coded reference to the original petition. For example: Rk 44 for William Ashton will lead to HO 17/92 . They provide: name, conviction (when, where, of what), sentence, character, remarks (usually the hulk or prison where the convict is held,) and the code to the petition in HO 17 or HO 18 . They also note the outcome of the petition (if any) - F.P. means Free Pardon.
HO 20	1820-1843	Prisons Correspondence and Papers - Original in-letters, reports of inspectors, etc. relating to the administration of convict ships and prisons, and their inmates. Subject matter is mainly statistics, costs, prison building and alterations. Piece 13 includes a journal of the Mandarin prison ship, and a register of criminal lunatics at Bethel Hospital giving name, age, crime, court, date convicted and acquitted for insanity, place of residence and comments on the state of mind of the person.
HO 23	1847-1866	Registers of County Prisons - Registers of prisoners in the county prisons of Aylesbury, Bath, Leeds, Leicester, Northampton, Nottingham, Preston, Reading, Somerset, and Wakefield. The registers are indexed and give each prisoner's age, marital status and number of children, whether they can read or write, trade, when and where convicted, crime, sentence, where and whence received, previous offences, when removed and where.
HO 24	1838-1875	Prison Registers and Returns - Pieces 1-19 of this series comprise nominal registers of Millbank, Parkhurst and Pentonville prisons, as described for HO 23 . Pieces 20 - 29 are annual prison returns for England and Wales giving statistical information on county gaols and juvenile reformatory schools, arranged by county. They give information on numbers of prisoners, sex, age, punishments, health, occupations, their disposal and costs.
HO 25	1850-1871	Criminal Entry Books, Public Departments - Out-letters to other government departments regarding prisoners, pardons, expenditure, convict ships, penal colonies, etc. Named convicts may occur, but only the first 5 volumes are indexed.
HO 26	1791-1849	Criminal Registers, Middlesex - Known as Series I, these registers are for Middlesex only and list all persons charged with an indictable offence. Details given include age, crime, where and when tried, sentence, acquittals, and remarks. May include other personal information about each prisoner, such as date of execution. From 1850 Middlesex is included in Series II, HO 27 . These documents are now available to download from the Ancestry website (http://www.ancestry.co.uk) and are searchable by name.
HO 27	1805-1892	Criminal Registers, England and Wales - Known as Series II, and arranged by county, these registers are similar to those in HO 26 . Registers of all persons in England and Wales charged with indictable offences showing the results of the trials, the sentences in case of conviction, and dates of execution of persons sentence to death; some of the registers contain personal information respecting the prisoners. There are incomplete microfiche indexes, arranged alphabetically and by county available in the Open Reading Room. These documents are now available to download from the Ancestry website (http://www.ancestry.co.uk) and are searchable by name.
HO 38	1782-1969	Warrant Books, General Series - Office copies of warrants for a variety of things, including free pardons for prisoners, and other warrants relating to prisons and asylums. Some volumes contain an index, but speculative searches for individuals would not be advised.
HO 40	1812-1855	Disturbances Correspondence- Original correspondence, reports, pamphlets and papers relating to riots, uprisings, political activity, Luddites, Chartists, treason cases, and prisoners .
HO 41	1815-1916	Disturbances Entry Books - Out-letters concerning riots, uprisings, political activity, public meetings, marches, treason cases, and prisoners. Most volumes are indexed.
HO 43	1782-1898	Domestic Entry Book - General out-letters which include letters to judges, magistrates, and police on a variety of subjects including criminal activity, movements of prisoners or requests for information on them, pardons, rewards, and lunatic asylums. Most volumes are indexed.
HO 44	1773-1861	Domestic Correspondence - In-letters on a variety of subjects including petitions, disturbances, sedition, prison administration, courts, crime, pardons, police, prisoners, sedition and Chartism. The series list in the Catalogue is searchable by keyword.
HO 45	1839-1979	Registered Papers - This is the main series of Home Office papers. It covers a wide range of subjects, arranged under subject headings in blocks of years. Includes papers on many criminal subjects, including bribery, courts, convicts, executions, treason, hulks, sedition and transportation. Papers are produced in loose leaf manila folders, each one concerning a specific event, case or occurrence. The Catalogue can be searched by keyword for this series, but there are also indexes in HO 46 .
HO 46	1841-1914	Daily Registers of Correspondence - These registers records all letters and papers received by the Home Office. Those on criminal matters were included, except for the period 1852 to 1871 when they started to be recorded in HO 14 , with papers in HO 12 . From 1871 entries are arranged alphabetically and include criminal matters, with related papers in HO 45 and HO 144 .
HO 47	1784-1829	Judges' Reports on Criminals - Bound reports from Judges to the Home Office on specific criminals, as a result of petitions from convicts, their friends and family. They are arranged chronologically but there is no integral index. A great deal of information on the prisoner, the victim and the crime may be included, including a recommendation by the Judge on whether mercy should be applied. HO 47 is now fully searchable in the Catalogue by name, crime, court, and location.
HO 62	1828-1839	Daily Reports from Metropolitan Police Offices - Bound and printed daily reports from Bow Street, Queens Square, Marlborough Street, Marylebone, Hatton Garden, Worship Street, Lambeth Street, Thames Police, Union Hall and Metropolitan Police Offices. They list the persons charged at each office, giving the charge and whether committed for trial, discharged or held for re-examination. Those for Bow Street and the Met. Police Offices give details of crimes committed or reported that day, including the names of the victims, description of offender and crime. The reports also include information received at the offices regarding offenders and stolen property. Useful for tracing a London crime during this period.
HO 75	1828-1845	Hue and Cry and Police Gazette - Bound copies of these printed police journals, published three times per week. They contain information received at police offices, details of the latest crimes, lists of escaped convicts (at home and in the colonies), descriptions of criminals, lists of deserters from the forces giving description and regiment. The volumes are not indexed but may be useful if you know when a crime was committed.
HO 77	1782-1853	Newgate Prison Calendar - Hand-written (or printed post-1823) lists of the prisoners to be tried at Newgate with, from 1822 onward, manuscript additions giving the result of the trial. Each volume comprises several monthly calendars which are divided into London and Middlesex. For each prisoner they generally supply: name, age, trade, by whom committed, date, offence, when tried, before whom, verdict and sentence.
HO 79	1798-1864	Private and Secret Entry Books - Entry books of out-letters and warrants from the Home Office relating to a variety of confidential matters including criminal acts, disturbances, prisoners, warrants for the apprehension of individuals, payments to spies and similar subjects. Names of prisoners are mentioned, and the volumes are indexed. Item descriptions will be appearing in the Catalogue in due course.
HO 119	1792-1870	Law Officers Miscellaneous Reports and Opinion - Original reports on specific cases or criminals from the Law Officers (the Attorney and Solicitor General) usually in answer to queries on points of law. Includes report on criminals from 1823 to 1870, but they are not indexed and speculative searches for individuals would not be advised.
HO 130	1798-1831	Miscellaneous Criminal Books - A small series comprising a printed calendar of prisoners at Winchester for trial at a Special Commission of Assize following the agricultural riots of 1830, and report of the trial (see HO 40 ); a list of the jury and instructions for the challenges in the case Rex v. O'Coighly, 1798 (see KB 8 ); and prison statistics and regulations, 1824-1826 for England and Wales.
HO 140	1868-1971	Calendars of Prisoners - This series comprises after trial lists, mainly printed, of prisoners tried at Assize and Quarter Sessions. For each person they give: age, trade, previous convictions, name of committing magistrate, date of warrant, when received into custody, offence (and name of victim), date of trial, before whom tried, verdict, sentence or order of the court. The calendars are arranged yearly, and then alphabetically by county and chronologically within county. Some entries have been annotated with file references which may be found in HO 45 or HO 144 . Calendars for Middlesex for 1868-1897 include Newgate Gaol and prisoners awaiting trial at the Central Criminal Court.
HO 144	1868-1959	Registered Papers: Supplementary - Files on criminal and other subjects which were separated from the main series in HO 45 on transfer to The National Archives due to their sensitivity. The series is divided by sub-headings such as: bankruptcy, courts, criminal, debtors, disturbances, evidence, explosives, Fenians, fugitive offenders, juries, lunacy, magistrates, pardons, petitions, petty sessions, police, prisons and prisoners, prosecutions, quarter sessions, and summary jurisdiction. The series contains both policy and case files, and the Catalogue entry includes names of criminals, their crimes, and for the latter period a summary of the case. The hard copy series list post-1879 gives piece numbers, but prior to this date the file reference needs to be cross-referred to the Packing List and both the box and file numbers are needed to order the file.
HO 145	1882-1921	Criminal Lunacy Warrant and Entry Books - The first 9 books in this series contain office copies of warrants only, for remissions (cuts or revocations of sentence). Entries are usually short giving brief details of the person, the offence, and the amendment to sentence. Despite the title of the series they do not all appear to relate to criminal lunatics. From 1899 the volumes contain printed forms and additional out-letters sent to prison governors for the transfer from prison to asylum of criminals found to be lunatics. Details of the crime, court and sentence are given.
HO 147	1887-1921	Criminal Warrant Books - Bound office copies of warrants relating to pardons and remissions of sentences of individual prisoners, administration of their property, etc. sent to prison governors. They provide the offence, date, court, conviction and sentence, details of the pardon or remission, and the name of the prison. The volumes are indexed by name of prisoner. Earlier warrants are entered in HO 15 , and copies of the warrants are in HO 188 .
HO 163	1899-1921	Criminal Cases Entry Books - Out-letters relating to petitions, remission of sentences, granting and revocation of licences, medical enquiries, executions, convicts' property, production of prisoners to give evidence at trials and letters to the Court of Appeal. The volumes are indexed by addressee and subject. Related warrants are in HO 147 and out-letters on miscellaneous matters are in HO 146 .
HO 169	1899-1906	Prisoners' Licences, Entry Books - Out-letters concerning prisoners released on licence to "live at large", and the remission and revocation of licences, when the person has re-offended. The documents comprise letters to prison governors, police courts, Scotland Yard and others. The volumes are indexed.
HO 188	1887-1960	Remissions and Pardons - Copies of warrants issued by the Home Secretary in exercise of the Royal Prerogative of Mercy. All prosecutions for criminal offences were taken in the name of the sovereign, and therefore s/he had the power to pardon all offenders. In practice this was done by the Home Secretary if satisfied that it was justified. A Free Pardon was when the conviction was completely disregarded; a Conditional Pardon was used to reduce a punishment, for example, a capital sentence reduced to life imprisonment. Remission reduced the length of sentence or size of fine. Entry books are in HO 147 .
HO 247	1905-1977	Borstal Associations Reports Registers and Files - This series comprises annual reports, registers and personal files of offenders from the Borstal Association, later the Central After Care Association. These bodies worked to find employment for discharged borstal prisoners (offenders between the ages of 16 and 21) and their progress back into the community. The personal files of the boys provide a photograph, personal history, parents, trade, and a diary progress. Many of the early files concern boys who joined the army and were killed in World War One. Most of the personal files are still closed, although it is possible to request a review of its status.
HO 253	1972-1977	Maxwell Confait Enquiry: Transcripts and Papers - Proceedings witness statements, notebooks, etc. arising from the Inquiry held between 1975 and 1977 by Sir Henry Fisher into the circumstances leading to the trial of 3 youths on charges of murder, manslaughter and arson following the death of Maxwell Confait in Lewisham, London in 1972.
HO 291	1902-1978	Criminal Files - Files from the CRI (Criminal) and CCS (Criminal Cases) series relating to criminal justice, the courts and legislation. Includes files on the provision of legal aid, the preparation of legislation and the administration of the law. Includes files on individual cases such those of Ruth Ellis, Christopher Craig, and Derek Bentley.
HO 324	1922-1969	Prison Commission and Home Office Prison Department: Records of Prison Graves - Includes a register of the graves of prisoners executed in prisons in England and Wales, arranged alphabetically by name of prison and recording the number of the grave, name of prisoner and date of burial. There are also plans of prison burial grounds which identify the numbered plots.
HO 336	1936-1957	Prison Commission and Home Office Prison Department: Specimens of Prisoner Records - Sample files of prisoners convicted of capital offences 1936-1948. These files were kept in the prison in which the sentence was being served, and contain records of conduct, medical and vocational training reports, visiting orders, early release licences, and photographs taken on reception and discharge. The Catalogue entry gives the Prison Commission's registered file reference in PCOM 8 or PCOM 9 , originally held by the Home Office, which include correspondence with the prison governor, progress reports, disciplinary action and petitions. For similar files for the period 1889-1936 see PCOM 8/229 to PCOM 8/327 and PCOM 8/426 .
HO 343	1927-1986	Home Office: Mental Patients Files - The Home Secretary is responsible for mentally disordered offenders, ordered by the courts to be admitted to special hospitals, or transferred from prison to hospital. These files relate to the Home Office's involvement in this and include papers originally registered in the BRP (Broadmoor Patients) and MNP (Mental Patients) series. Pieces 1-43 refer to named individual and all are currently closed, but the policy files from piece 44 are all open. Parallel files kept by the hospitals are in MH 103 .
KB 8	1477-1813	Court of King's Bench: Crown Side; Baga de Secretis (Bag of Secrets) - Records of important 'state trials' mainly for treason, including those of Sir Thomas More, Anne Boleyn, Katherine Howard, Guy Fawkes, the Regicides (those who had directly participated in the trial and execution of King Charles I) and Jacobite rebels of 1715 and 1745.
MEPO 3	1830-1974	Metropolitan Police: Office of the Commissioner: Correspondence and Papers, Special Series - Individual files each dealing with a specific subject including: police duties, attempted royal assassinations, lunacy laws, baby farming, burglary, evidence, forgery, habitual criminals, prisoners, murder, etc. The Catalogue entry includes murder cases by name, documents relating to the Whitechapel murders (Jack the Ripper), Metropolitan Police war diaries for the second world war, and a subject index. The series also contains general orders of the Commissioner (see also MEPO 8 ), personal files of senior officials and selected women police officers1858-1933. See MEPO 18 for registers of correspondence.
MEPO 6	1834-1959	Habitual Criminals Registers and Miscellaneous Papers - Registers of criminals as defined by sections 5-8 of the Prevention of Crimes Act 1871. Prison Governors were responsible for sending details of criminals to New Scotland Yard where the register was compiled. The information includes: appearance, date of discharge, name of prison, length of sentence and previous convictions. The series also includes examples of Police Gazettes, sent daily to all police forces in Britain, and copies of Supplement 'A' to the Police Gazette, which was issued twice a month, giving names, criminal histories, descriptions and methods of those considered expert criminals, intended for use by officers engaged in detective work. Informations were similar to the Police Gazette but for the London area only.
MH 51	1798-1971	Lunacy Commission and Board of Control: Correspondence and Papers - Includes general correspondence, a set of law officers' opinions from 1857 onwards, the County Register 1798-1812, and a list of private asylums and patients admitted to them. Earlier records in the series include copies of orders for the removal of pauper lunatics from one asylum to another, and a set of returns from gaols in England and Wales dated March 1858 relating to insane prisoners.
MH 103	1913-1981	Department of Health and Social Security and predecessors: Special Hospitals, Patients' Files - A selection of case files of patients at the special hospitals for the criminally insane, Broadmoor, Rampton and Moss Side. The files contain details of the length of stay, patient reviews, and the repatriation, discharge or death of the patient. Home Office case files on mentally disordered offenders are in HO 45 and HO 343 . Many files in this series are closed, although applications for review may be submitted.
MT 32	1858-1867	Admiralty Transport Department, Surgeon Superintendents' Journals of Convict Ships - Journals of Surgeon Superintendents in charge of convicts, containing rules and regulations, lists of names, details of diet and medical reports. The series is listed by name of convict ship: Lord Raglan, Lincelles, Norwood, Ironside, Merchantman, Clyde, Clara, Racehorse, Vimeira and Corona. See ADM 101 for journals from 1817 to 1853.
PC 1	1481-1946	Privy Council and Privy Council Office: Miscellaneous Unbound Papers - A varied collection of papers, mainly post-1700, including material on: Admiralty Courts, prisoners and convicts; returns of Roman Catholics taking oaths; and sheriffs. Prior to 1800 there are separate series for colonial and non-colonial papers. The colonial papers especially pertain to the Americas and West Indies. See also SP series before 1782 and PC 8 after 1860. The series also contains Convict Establishment Papers, 1819 to 1844 (from 1849 see HO 12 ).
PCOM 1	1801-1904	Old Bailey Sessions Papers - The printed proceedings of the Old Bailey covering Middlesex cases, and from 1834, the parts of Essex, Kent and Surrey within the jurisdiction of the Central Criminal Court. The series includes the printed proceedings of the Admiralty Session, 1807 to 1808. Each volume is indexed, covers a specific date range and the court session numbers are given. Very detailed statements from witnesses are included, originally taken down in shorthand by the court clerks. For each case the charge verdict and sentence are given. Old Bailey Proceedings from 1674 to 1834 are now available online at www.oldbaileyonline.org
PCOM 2	1770-1951	Prisons Records, Series I - Registers and indexes of prisoners and habitual criminals, Chaplains' journals, burials registers, photograph albums, minute books, visitors' books, order books, journals, assizes and quarter sessions calendars and other records relating to various prisons in England and Wales, Gibraltar prison and to some hulks. The Convict Group of the Western Australian Genealogical Society have produced a microfiche index to those prison registers, found in PCOM 2 , relating to Millbank, Pentonville, Portland, Portsmouth and Newgate prisons, as well as Hulks named Defence, Europe, Retribution, Stirling Castle and York. The fiche is arranged by surname of convict and gives the full PCOM 2 reference.
PCOM 3	1853-1887	Male Licences - Notes on licences for male convicts to be at large, notes of revocation of such licences written on old captions (copies of orders of the courts), and transfer papers from one prison to another; papers otherwise to be found in PCOM 5 . These records often contain a wealth of background information on the prisoner and the circumstances of the crime. Later files include photographs. Reference is by means of registers in PCOM 6 which supply the licence number.
PCOM 4	1853-1887	Female Licences - As PCOM 3 but for female convicts. Work on cataloguing these records is currently taking place, and many of these documents are now keyword searchable by name, crime, court, location, etc. on our online Catalogue. Details from the remaining documents will be added over the coming months.
PCOM 5	1843-1871	Old Captions and Transfer Papers - Copies of orders of court ('old captions') for the imprisonment or transportation of convicts and transfer papers for removal of a convict to a government prison, each containing the penal records and other particulars of the prisoners. Deaths from 1851-1866, and 1864-1871 are also included. Reference is by means of indexes in PCOM 6 .
PCOM 6	1824-1949	Registers and Indexes - Indexed registers of Male Licences 1853-1881, and Female Licences 1853-1885, and indexes of old captions 1824-1864. These registers act as a means of reference to the records in PCOM 3 , PCOM 4 and PCOM 5 .
PCOM 8	1876-1958	Registered Papers, Supplementary Series I - Registered files (from the same series as those in PCOM 7) , but these relate to named criminals (e.g. Oscar Wilde), and other criminal matters, such as execution, burial arrangements and suffragettes. The Catalogue entry for the series is searchable online. Many files are subject to extended closure for 100 years. Later prison records are in HO 336 .
PCOM 9	1901-1973	Registered Papers: Series II - Registered files on a wide range of subjects concerning the management, staffing and inmates of prisons and borstals. These include files on individual prisoners (e.g. Roger Casement) including those convicted of murder and those convicted by courts martial, and papers relating to the Central Aftercare Association (see also HO 247 ) and other advisory bodies. See also HO 336 for files on specific prisoners.
PRIS 1	1686-1842	Fleet Prison: Commitment Books - From the Middle Ages Fleet was a debtors prison in London. It was closed in 1842 due to its disgraceful condition. The Commitment Books are admission registers detailing the 'commitment' of debtors to the prison, and those prior to 1733 are in Latin. They give: name of prisoner, date of committal, date of discharge, sum concerned, and names of the lawyers involved. Most are indexed. A number of books were never received by The National Archives (some because of the fire damage caused by the Gordon riots) and details between 1729-1733 and 1748-1769 are irretrievable.
PRIS 2	1758-1842	Fleet Prison: Commitments Files - Files and bundles of documents concerning the committal of debtors to the prison. Each file relates to an individual prisoner, and is cross-referenced to numbers in the commitment books (PRIS 1 ) and the Fleet registers for 1822-1842 (PRIS 10 ). The records can be used for filling in some of the gaps in PRIS 1 .
PRIS 3	1775-1842	Fleet Prison: Discharges - Warrants to the wardens and gaolers of the prison for the release of prisoners in their care. They are bundled by date and include numerical cross-references to other details in PRIS 1 and PRIS 2 , by means of the prisoner's commitment number. Debtors were freed when the plaintiff's chance to render a case against the debtors expired, or if the debt was paid, or if an Insolvent Debtors Act permitted. Other discharges can be found in PRIS 10 . The series also contains a few misplaced letters and storeroom details relating to the Queen's Prison, the successor to the Fleet Prison.
PRIS 4	1719-1862	King's (Queen's) Bench Prison and Queen's Prison: Commitment Books - Books recording the 'commitment' or admission of debtors to the King's Bench Prison and to the Queen's Prison, its successor. Queen's prison was created in 1842-3 from an amalgamation of the King's Bench, Fleet and Marshalsea prisons, but was abolished in 1862. Like the commitment books for the Fleet Prison (PRIS 1 ), these hold a wealth of information on the individual debtor: the date of commitment, discharge or death, and the sums involved. Many of the books in this series have indexes of inmates' names. The prisoners' numbers can be cross-referenced with other information in PRIS 5 to PRIS 10 . This series also contains a misplaced commitment for the Fleet Prison (PRIS 1 ).
PRIS 5	1780-1815	King's Bench Prison: Abstract Books of Commitments - These books are small, portable versions of the King's Bench Prison commitment books described in PRIS 4 . Some are exact duplicates, and others are inferior copies. The abstracts are indexed, and give name, date of commitment, debt, prosecutor, and date of discharge, which can be cross referred to the warrant of discharge in PRIS 7 .
PRIS 6	1847-1862	Queen's Prison: Commitments to Strong Room - Entries in these books concern the punishment of debtors at the Queen's Prison between 1847 and 1862. Offences which led to prisoners being confined in the strongrooms included brawling, gambling, verbal abuse, smuggling of wives into cells, drinking, and consorting with prostitutes. The first two volumes are indexed. The keepers' journals in PRIS 9 also mention the committal of prisoners to the strongrooms.
PRIS 7	1776-1862	King's Bench Prison and Queen's Prison: Discharges - These warrants for the discharge of debtors in the prisons are filed by the date of discharge and provide the names of the prisoner, the date of release, and the creditor. They can be cross-referenced by date with the commitment books in PRIS 4 and the abstracts in PRIS 5 .
PRIS 8	1758-1852	King's (Queen's) Bench Prison and Queen's Prison: Execution Books - Books detailing the execution of the debts of prisoners (not the prisoner) at the two major debtors' prisons, i.e. the repayment of the debt and the release of the prisoner. Entries are listed in alphabetical order of prisoners' names, and then under the term in which the debtor was admitted to the prison. Entries include names of parties concerned, the amount of debt, the names of attorneys, damages awarded, and the date of the prisoner's discharge. Further details of some of the debtors can be found by comparing names and dates of execution of the debt with PRIS 4 , PRIS 5 , PRIS 7 , PRIS 9 and PRIS 10 .
PRIS 9	1842-1862	Queen's Prison: Miscellaneous Books - Varied books concerning the management of the Queen's Prison and the welfare of prisoners there. Books include charity donation books (payments made to individual prisoners, or to the prison itself), and receipt books (signatures of prisoners having received payments), keepers' journals (a record of extra food or allowances, the results of prison inspections, and notes of sick inmates, etc.), the governor's letter books, and miscellaneous books relating to charity given to destitute inmates under the Poor Prisoners' Relief Act 1813.
PRIS 10	1628-1862	King's (Queen's) Bench, Fleet, Marshalsea and Queen's Prisons: Miscellanea - Miscellaneous books relating to the Queen's Prison and its three predecessors. In many cases it is unclear to which prison the records belonged. The series includes books recording cell occupancy and sharing rates (chummages), commitment books, complaints, day books and other journals, discharge books arising from insolvency acts, exhibits (debtors' accounts) from bankruptcy cases, letters to the governor, habeas corpus books, memoranda books, documents relating to the damage done to the prison in the riots of 1780 and of prisoners freed then, and books concerning security and discipline in the prison. Some items help to fill gaps in other PRIS series.
PRIS 11	1773-1861	Prison of the Marshalsea of the King's Household and Palace Court, and the Queen's Prison: Records - Commitment (admission) and discharge books for the Marshalsea Prison, a debtors' prison which also held smugglers and Admiralty prisoners. Includes an entry for the commitment of Charles Dickens' father to the prison, and the prison features in his novel Little Dorrit. The prison closed in 1842, amalgamating with Fleet and Queen's Bench Prisons to form the new Queen's Prison. The day commitment books record the entry of new prisoners and details of their debt, and also discharges made. The series includes some details of Admiralty prisoners confined after courts martial, and there are examples of duplicate records destroyed under a schedule of 1906.
T 38	1558-1937	Treasury: Departmental Accounts - These include, among other subjects: accounts and papers for the Colonies, including Barbados, Cape Town, North Carolina, Grenada and Quebec; Convict Hulks, 1802 to 1831, quarterly lists of crews and convicts, sickness returns etc.; Metropolitan Police, 1756 to 1835; Secret Service, 1689 to 1710; and accounts of the inspector of the hulk establishments which are in piece 338.
TS 11	1584-1880	Treasury Solicitor and HM Procurator General: Papers - Papers of the Treasury Solicitor and HM Procurator General, relating to state trials, the preservation of the public peace, escheats and administration cases, and a great variety of other business. Subjects include the Jacobite rebellion of 1745; Nelson's descendants' annuity; the Pentrich Rising in Derbyshire in 1817; the trial of Queen Caroline; the Reform Bill riots in Bristol in 1831, Chartist disturbances, seditious acts, especially those involved in the radical movements of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The series is not in date or subject order, although "Hart's Calendar," available in the Open Reading Room, may help to pinpoint particular pieces.
TS 18	1517-1953	General Series Papers - Papers which deal with a variety of matters on which the Treasury Solicitor's legal advice or services were sought, and similar material to that in TS 11 . Subjects include criminal prosecutions, and contracts for the transportation of convicts (pieces 460-515, 1308-1361) which give the names, brief details of sentences, and ships' names. The series is not in date or subject order.
TS 20	1745-1753	Jacobite Rebellion (1745) Prosecution Papers - Papers concerning the prosecution in England (and a few in Scotland) of rebels taking part in the 1745 Jacobite rebellion. The series includes correspondence, lists of rebels prisoners and witnesses, evidence, and records of assizes and special commissions and of proceedings against Scottish peers, arranged under a number of headings. The series includes prison lists which give details of age, place of birth, trade, regiment, if dead since capture, etc. Prison conditions are sometimes given. Further material may be found in KB 8 , SP 36 and ASSI 45 .
TS 24	1732-1901	Miscellaneous Papers on Sedition Cases - Papers relating to prosecutions for seditious libel. Most concern those who campaigned for freedom of speech and parliamentary reform during the 1790's and 1810-20. The series consists mainly of printed pamphlets and newspapers in which inflammatory and seditious writings appeared, including songs and verses, but there are also some in-letters and out-letters of the London Corresponding Society. Notable persons mentioned include Thomas Hardy (secretary of the Society), Thomas Paine and John Thelwall. There are also some papers on the 'Stop-the-War Committee' 1900 to 1901, concerning the war in South Africa.
TS 36	1812-1936	Treasury Solicitor: Transcripts of Proceedings - Bound volumes of court proceedings and transcripts with later papers unbound from a number of cases dealt with by the Treasury Solicitor on behalf of the Crown. The series dates from 1812 and is continuing to accrue. The papers cover mainly serious criminal cases such as murder and robbery, and offences relating to the publication of seditious writings. Fenian prisoners are also included. Also included are transcripts of certain criminal prosecutions in 1842 against leaders of the Chartist movement, for treason and public order offences.

(ri2195) Last updated: 19 November 2009 | © Crown Copyright 2006