Prison lists?

**Sooty** · #1 (**permalink**) 20-01-2008, 01:14 AM

My wife has just found a 19th Century newspaper article showing that one of her ancestors was a bit of a 'bad lad' in 1860 he was sentenced to a £5 + costs fine or two months in prison for brawling. Given his occupation and circumstances we can't see any way he could have afforded to pay the fine so we assume that he ended up in clink. Anybody know how to find out which prison he was likely to be in or how to trace lists of inmates ?

**Jezer** · #2 (**permalink**) 20-01-2008, 05:01 AM

Sorry Sooty- the data has gone missing.

Arkangel · #3 (**permalink**) 20-01-2008, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sooty

My wife has just found a 19th Century newspaper article showing that one of her ancestors was a bit of a 'bad lad' in 1860 he was sentenced to a £5 + costs fine or two months in prison for brawling. Given his occupation and circumstances we can't see any way he could have afforded to pay the fine so we assume that he ended up in clink. Anybody know how to find out which prison he was likely to be in or how to trace lists of inmates ?

I honestly don't know whether there are separate lists for prisons. I did find one of my ancestors who was a patient in hospital via the normal census returns.

#4 (**permalink**) 20-01-2008, 11:13 AM

I'm sure there is a rootsweb mailing list for prisons. I'll have a look.

RootsWeb: Genealogy Mailing Lists: United Kingdom : PRISONS-UK

well there is one but virtually no activity. I'll ask on one of the forums I use.

#5 (**permalink**) 20-01-2008, 11:43 AM

The site I mainly use has it's own Wiki.

So can you tell me the area!

There also some counties that have a gaol list online, I know Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire definitely do.

#6 (**permalink**) 20-01-2008, 11:50 AM

Apparently there are prison registers in the Record Offices, he would more likely go to a prison near to where he was tried.

labr_ollie · #7 (**permalink**) 20-01-2008, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sooty

My wife has just found a 19th Century newspaper article showing that one of her ancestors was a bit of a 'bad lad' in 1860 he was sentenced to a £5 + costs fine or two months in prison for brawling. Given his occupation and circumstances we can't see any way he could have afforded to pay the fine so we assume that he ended up in clink. Anybody know how to find out which prison he was likely to be in or how to trace lists of inmates ?

The Home Office may help, but may have to look in their archives. It may be so long ago though, so might not have any details.

**Sooty** · #8 (**permalink**) 20-01-2008, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marnie

I'm sure there is a rootsweb mailing list for prisons. I'll have a look.

RootsWeb: Genealogy Mailing Lists: United Kingdom : PRISONS-UK

well there is one but virtually no activity. I'll ask on one of the forums I use.

It was the Aston/Newtown area of Birmingham in 1860 my guess is Winson Green Prison purely because I don't know any others in the Brimingham area

**Sooty** · #9 (**permalink**) 20-01-2008, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marnie

Apparently there are prison registers in the Record Offices, he would more likely go to a prison near to where he was tried.

Thanks Marnie I'm off down to Kew in the summer I'll look into it then