Crime, Prisons & Punishment 1770-1934
About the crime, prisons and punishment records
Search for your ancestors in 518,000 records of criminals who passed through the justice system in England and Wales between 1770 and 1934.
It's possible to chart your ancestors' progress through the justice system, from the crimes they committed and their sentencing to their punishment and release.
You can also view records for victims of crime. Both men and women are included in the records.
We have published these records online for the very first time, in association with The National Archives. See the TNA reference number in the title for each series.
We are publishing this collection in three phases. Currently, you can view records for the period 1817-1931. We'll publish records for the whole period, 1770-1934, in the coming months.
Which records can I search here and what can they tell me about my ancestors?
Search the following sets of records for your criminal ancestors:
Admiralty: registers of convicts in prison hulks (TNA ref: ADM6)
Search records of 17,644 prisoners for the period 1818-1831. The records relate to convicts held in prison hulks Cumberland, Dolphin and Ganymede. Hulks were ships used as floating prisons, often when they were no longer fit for battle but were still afloat.
It's possible to find out the following about your ancestors from these records:
- Name and age
- Number
- Address and where born
- Physical description: height, complexion, make, visage, eye and hair colour
- Married or single
- Offence
- Conviction: when and where
- Sentence
- Discharge: where and how
- Gaoler's report
On the right is one of the beautiful handwritten records from this collection. Among the other criminals is Joseph Finney, a shoemaker from Derbyshire. We've highlighted Joseph in the red box – click on the image to see a larger version.
The record gives a fascinating account of Joseph's misconduct. He was charged with 'Entering enclosed lands in the night armed with bludgeons for the destruction of game' and sentenced to seven years in prison. The gaoler's report tells us more about Joseph's time in prison and offences: 'Character & disposition moderate, a noted poacher, convicted 9 times under the game laws'. We also learn from the record that Joseph was widowed with three children.
Central Criminal Court: after-trial calendars of prisoners (TNA ref: CRIM9)
Search records of 175,835 prisoners for the period 1855-1931. The after-trial calendars provide details of prisoners from each trial calendar or session.
Each record will usually tell you the following about your ancestors:
- Name and age
- Trade
- Degree of instruction
- Name and address of committing magistrate
- When received into custody
- Offence as charged
- When tried and before whom
- Jury's verdict
- Sentence or order of court
Home Office: calendar of prisoners (TNA ref: HO140)
Search records of 301,359 people for the period 1868-1929. The records comprise after trial calendars, which are lists of prisoners tried at assizes and quarter sessions.
The records will usually tell you the following about your ancestors:
- Name and age
- Number
- Trade
- Previous convictions
- Name and address of committing magistrates
- Date of warrant
- When received into custody
- Offence as charged in the commitment
- When tried and before whom
- Jury's verdict
- Sentence or order of the court
Home Office: criminal petitions (TNA ref: HO17)
These records contain details of petitions for 16,309 people for the period 1817-1858.
Convicted criminals, or their family and friends, made a petition when they wanted to revoke or reduce the sentence. Sometimes the governors of convict prisons recommended prisoners for early release for good behaviour.
These petition records can tell you the following information:
- Name of convicted prisoner
- Crime committed
- Date of sentence
- Original sentence
- Name/s of petitioner/s
- Grounds for clemency
In many cases, the outcome of pleas for clemency was recorded, e.g., commuted sentence, free pardon, etc.
Metropolitan Police: Criminal Record Office: habitual criminals' registers and miscellaneous papers (TNA ref: MEPO6)
These records provide details of 5,824 habitual drunkards for the period 1903-1914.
These records comprise portraits and descriptions circulated weekly to licensed persons and secretaries of clubs. What makes these records especially exciting is that there are usually two photographs per habitual drunkard: face on and profile.
The records can tell you the following:
- Name and aliases
- Age
- Residence
- Place of business or where employed
- Detailed physical description: height, build, complexion, hair, eyes, shape of nose, shape of face, peculiarities or marks
- Profession or occupation
- Date and nature of conviction
- Court at which convicted
- Remarks
Home Office and Prison Commission: prison records (TNA ref: PCOM2)
Search records for 1,145 people covering the period 1880-1885.
These records contain photo albums of criminals, so as well as details about your ancestor's conviction and prisoner number, you'll be able to view a photo of them.
How do I search these records?
You can search by entering first name, last name, year of birth, county of birth and keywords. We always recommend you enter as little information as possible to begin with, such as a first or last name, then add more detail to your search if you need to narrow down your results.
You can search the records by each individual set or all the records together.
Hover your mouse over the ?s next to each search field for tips on what to enter and click the 'search tips' link on the top-right of the search box for more detailed help.
Other useful records
Your ancestors may make an appearance in our Manchester Prison Registers 1847-1881
Try searching our Prison ship (Hulk) registers 1811-1843
Search our Convict departures to New South Wales 1788-1842 to see if your ancestors were among the convicts who arrived in New South Wales between 1788 and 1842.
Find out more
Take a look at The National Archives' research guides on prisons and prisoners
How to search the Crime, Prisons & Punishment records
It's always best to start searching with basic information, like your ancestor's first and last name. If there are too many results, you can refine your search and add more detail.
Click the 'refine search' button on the search results page to return to this search box and add more information.
Was your ancestor the criminal or the victim?
The Crime, Prisons & Punishment records often list the victims of a crime as well as the criminal. You can search for either a victim or a criminal by using this search box.
When you view a record, you'll see the criminal's details listed at the top of the transcript and any victims' names at the bottom. The original image will tell you more information about the crime – click the icon on the right of the page to view it.
If you know where your criminal ancestor was tried or convicted
If a basic search returns too many results, you could try entering the town, city or county in which your ancestor was tried or convicted in the 'place' box as shown below.
If you know your criminal ancestor's occupation, offence or victim's name
If a basic search returns too many results, you could try entering your ancestor's occupation, offence or victim's name in the 'keywords' box as shown below.
You can enter as many keywords as you like in the same search and findmypast.co.uk will find records that match any of these words.
You can search for an exact phrase by putting quote marks around the keywords you enter. For example, if you search for "domestic servant", findmypast.co.uk will find records that match this exact phrase.
If you know the record series you want to search
The Crime, Prisons & Punishment records are made up of a number of different record collections, held by The National Archives.
It's best to start by searching all of these records, but if you're sure that your ancestor is listed in a particular record series you could use this to narrow down your search results.
Choose a record series from the list in the box shown below. Findmypast.co.uk will then only show you records from this collection.
Can't find who you're looking for?
- Try leaving some search boxes empty. Your ancestor's year of birth, place of conviction, occupation or offence may not be listed as you would expect, so the details you enter could exclude relevant results.
- Keep the 'include variants' boxes underneath the name fields ticked. This means your search results will include spelling variations of the names you've entered.
- If your ancestor's name could be easily misspelled, try using a wildcard search. Just use a * symbol in place of a letter or multiple letters. For example, instead of searching for Jennings you could search for Je*ngs or *enning*.