Grow Your Family Tree
Know that a relative once spent time behind bars? Follow Nick Peers’ tips to…
Uncover ancestors’ criminal records
Reader Stephen Manistre got in touch with the following question: “I was reminiscing with my father about a relative who died in the 1980s. He surprised me by telling me that the relative had been in prison, though he didn’t know what for. Where can I find lists of prison sentences?”
Whether Stephen is successful will depend largely on when his relative served time. The important cut-off date is 1930: from then, prison records are locked away for between 75 and 100 years. To stand a chance of accessing them, you’ll need to submit a Freedom of Information request (follow the Government’s instructions at www. snipca.com/34952).
Search the Home Office Calendar of Prisoners
Stephen should have more luck if his relative’s conviction dates from before 1930, because records this old are reasonably easy to find. Indeed, a single online register may be all he needs. The Home Office Calendar of Prisoners (HO 140) contains a list of prisoners tried at Assizes and Quarter Sessions across the country, which covers most criminal trials.
Most of the records from 1770-1929 have been digitised and are available online through Find My Past. Visit www.snipca.com/34958 to enter what information you know: start with their name and, if too many records are returned, add the birth date to see what comes up. Search results display name, date of birth, date of trial and source to help you identify potential matches.
If you find what you’re looking for, you’ll need to buy a subscription to view the records – this costs £12.99 as part of the Plus package, giving a single month’s access to all of Find My Past’s UK records (once subscribed, click My Account, then ‘My subscription’ and scroll down to click ‘Turn off auto-renew’).
Once subscribed, click the ‘transcript’ icon to the right of a search result to view the record. Some details may be missing – click the ‘View Image’ button to review a scan of the original document to see what’s been left out of the transcript.
The screenshot left shows a transcript of one such record from 1846 involving Sarah Hirons (under the alias of Haynes). Here you’ll see details of the person being tried, plus when and where the trial took place. Click ‘View Image’ and you’ll also get to see the crime and sentence that was handed down – larceny and three months in this case.
Search local newspapers
If their crime was serious enough – or you drew a blank at Find My Past, but know roughly when or where the offence was committed - you may find it reported in the local newspaper. You can search through Find My Past’s newspaper archives ( www.snipca.com/34953) for free, but if you find a match, you’ll need to upgrade to a one-month Pro subscription for £16.99 (this gives you more records than the cheaper Plus account).
Start with a broad search for your ancestor’s name, then use the filters on the left of the page to narrow your search by period and place. Using this approach for Sarah Hirons, we tracked down reports in the Liverpool press from around a month before her conviction. It described her crimes as stealing jewellery from children (called “child stripping” at the time - see screenshot below).