Manchester Prison Registers1847-1881
Useful links & resources
About the Prison Registers
Here you can search 247,765 records covering the period 1847-1881.
Belle Vue Prison, Hyde Road, West Gorton (City/Borough Gaol)
The prison registers cover admissions for April 1850-November 1879. There are, however, some gaps for May 1853-March 1859, June 1867-May 1868, June 1871-April 1872, October 1874-July 1875 and September 1877-June 1878. Some pages in the registers have been water damaged.
The registers usually give:
- Register number
- Prisoners names
- When and by whom crimes were committed
- How committed
- On what charge
- Summary conviction
- Sentence
- Age last birthday
- Personal description: height, complexion, hair, eyes, marks upon person and remarks
- Professional trade or occupation
- Place of birth
- Last or usual residence (and address of friends, if to be advised of prisoner's discharge)
- Religion
- Education
- Married or single (and number of children)
- Parents living
- Number of previous committals
- References
- Register in last and next cases
- Record book
- Letter book
- How disposed of at trial
- Letters received and out
- Date of discharge
The original records are held by Manchester Archives and Local Studies (ref: GB127. GB127.M600/1).
Find out more about Belle Vue Prison here
New Bailey Prison, Salford
The prison registers consist of four types:
- General Registers (Male) March 1859-May 1869 - usually gives:
- Register number and number of commitment and reference to discharge book
- Prisoners' names
- When and by whom crimes were committed
- Offence and where committed
- Sentence
- Age
- Personal description: height, complexion, hair, eyes, marks upon person and remarks
- Professional trade or occupation
- Place of birth
- Last or usual residence (and address of friends, if to be advised of prisoner's discharge)
- Religion
- Education
- Married (and number of children) or single
- Parents living
- Number of previous committals
- Date of discharge
- Nominal Register (Small Debts - Male and Female) September 1863-19 November 1864, 28 August-29 October 1868. This record provides:
- Register number
- Monthly number of commitment
- Prisoners' names
- When and by whom crimes committed
- Offence and where committed
- Sentence
- Age
- Last usual residence
- Discharged
- Female Register 26 August 1862-20 July 1867 gives:
- Register number and number of commitment and reference to discharge book
- Prisoners' names
- When and by whom crimes were committed
- Offence and where committed
- Sentence
- Age
- Personal description: height, complexion, hair, eyes, marks upon person and remarks
- Professional trade or occupation
- Place of birth
- Last or usual residence (and address of friends, if to be advised of prisoner's discharge)
- Religion
- Education
- Married or single (and number of children)
- Parents living
- Number of previous committals
- Date of discharge
- Female Description Books 24 January 1859-18 December 1867 gives:
- Register number
- When received
- Name
- When and by whom crimes were committed
- Offence and where committed
- Age
- Personal description: height, complexion, hair, eyes, marks upon person and remarks
- Religion
- Trade or profession
- Place and date of birth
- Last or usual residence
- Register in last and following cases
- Number of previous commitments
- Date of discharge
If aged 16 and under: parents living; if in any other prison since last committed here; number of previous convictions; references: register in last case, register in following case, record book; remarks by surgeon; when discharged.
The original records are held by Manchester Archives and Local Studies (ref: GB127. GB127.M600/2).
Find out more about New Bailey Prison here
Strangeways Prison, Southall Street (H.M. Prison Manchester)
The prison registers consist of four types:
- Female Registers 1868-1875
- Female Description Books 1867-1879
- Male Registers 1869-1879 (with gaps May 1871-April 1873)
- Felony Register - Bolton and Salford Sessions (Male) & Manchester Assizes (probably New Bailey Prison and Strangeways Prison) January 1863-October 1876
The registers generally comprise:
- Register number
- When received
- Name
- When and by whom crimes were committed
- Offence and where committed
- Age
- Personal description: height, complexion, hair, eyes, marks upon person and remarks
- Religion
- Trade or profession
- Place and date of birth
- Last or usual residence
- Register in last and following cases
- Number of previous commitments
- Date of discharge
The original records are held by Manchester Archives and Local Studies (ref: GB127. GB127.M600/3).
Find out more about Strangeways Prison here
Search the entire Manchester Collection
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Begin with the basics
The name of the person you are searching for may not be recorded in the way you expect. Henry John Davies, for example, may have been recorded as Henry Davies, Henry J Davies, H Davies, or even H J Davies. We suggest that you initially search using the person’s last name only. If you receive too many results, you can then add a first name to narrow them down.
First name and last name variations
If you don’t find the result you want first time, it is worth trying every possible variation in the first and last name fields.
Your ancestor might have used a different first name in everyday life from the one that appears on official records. For example, your great-uncle Jack’s birth name might have been John. Last names can often be spelled in many different ways, for example, Smith, Smyth or Smythe.
We’ve added an ‘Include variants’ tickbox next to both fields to allow for common differences in spelling or incorrect spelling. If you can’t find someone recorded under the name you expect, try ticking the ‘Include variants’ boxes to include variations of the name in your results.