Criminal records

For those of us with criminal ancestry, the records left behind can be very illuminating.

Calendars of prisoners and records of indictment, trial and sentence, give a flavour of the relative importance of various crimes and the severity with which they were judged.
 

Where to find criminal records

Some of these records are held nationally, some locally and some online. There are also records of transportation among the collections of the National Archives and in various online collections. For particularly serious crimes, you might find your ancestor involved in the proceedings of the Old Bailey, which can be found at www.oldbaileyonline.org. This includes theft, which is the largest category of offences.

You may also find your ancestors listed on websites about individual prisons, which might include the names of convicts held there, as well as those who were executed – as on the Lancaster Castle website: www.lancastercastle.com/home.php. Black Sheep Ancestors has some interesting titbits on criminal ancestors too.

For more information about tracing your criminal ancestors, have a look at the National Archives research guide.
 

 Remember, you may find ancestors among the victims of crime as well as the perpetrators.