BANKRUPTCY RECORDS

The TV and radio presenter Fearne Cotton followed the colourful life of her 4x great grandfather, William Gilmour. He was originally from Ireland and he trained to be a doctor, spending time on a ship during the Crimean War. In later life he hit financial difficulties and was declared bankrupt in 1865 while in Aylesbury. He ended his life humbly, dying in a workhouse in 1881.

We discovered his bankruptcy by searching local newspapers, as such cases were often reported in the press.

The London Gazette also published bankruptcy notices in order to inform creditors ( thegazette.

co.uk). The National Archives ( TNA) also holds some records for bankrupts, although only a few personal cases survive ( nationalarchives. gov.uk/help-with-yourresearch/research- guides/ bankrupts-insolvent- debtors). Before 1832, bankruptcy proceedings were also included in Court of Chancery records, held at TNA. The High Court of Justice in Bankruptcy was created in 1884 (records also at TNA). Local archives also hold some records for bankruptcy after 1842, as this is when local bankruptcy courts were established. The Court of Bankruptcy was established 10 years earlier, in 1832.