Find mugshots and more in new crime records

1-2 minute read

By Niall Cullen | June 18, 2021

Is there a bad apple on your family tree? You could find out with this week's Findmypast Friday new releases.

Sometimes shocking but always fascinating, finding a felon in your family history is one of the richest discoveries you can make. Which shady piece of your past will you unlock with this week's new records?

England & Wales, Crime, Prisons & Punishment, 1770-1935

Discover your criminal ancestors’ mugshots, prison registers, visitors’ details and more in the latest additions to this fascinating collection.

Spanning from 1784-1939, the records and prisons featured in these latest additions are:

Prison registers and minute books from Pentonville Prison
Visitor's book and journal of proceedings from Gibraltar Prison
Register of prisoners from Chatham Prison, Kent
Index of working parties from Portsmouth Prison
Index of working parties and register of prisoners under separate confinement from Wormwood Scrubs Prison
Book of questions from Millbank Prison
List of prisoners and chaplain, surgeons and sheriff visits from Newgate Prison
Governor's journal from Bedford Gaol
Visiting committee records from Lindsey Gaol
Calendar of trials and quarter sessions from Liverpool Gaol
Entry book of prisoners pardons and visiting justices' records from Reading Gaol
Register of debtors and plaintiffs from Lancaster Gaol
Gaoler's journal from Oxford Gaol

One of the most exciting elements of our crime collection is the chance of seeing your ancestor staring back at you. To explore original mugshots, search the MEPO 6, PCOM 2 and PCOM 4 series.

Mugshots of prisoners from Pentonville Prison. View the full record.

With over 800,000 new additions and the entire collection now standing at over 6.6 million records, you've got more chances than ever of finding a criminal connection. We've also added these latest records to our browsable collection so you can scour the detail-rich documents page-by-page.

Westminster Parish Records

Unearthed from our new crime resources, explore the records of hundreds of baptisms and burials that took place in Westminster Penitentiary.

An 1823 burial register from Westminster Penitentiary. View the full record.

Most of the baptism records are for adult prisoners, along with some that appear to be the children of prison staff.

Newspapers

This week, we've added the archives of two new publications and expanded coverage in six others. Online for the first time are:

Darlington & Richmond Herald covering 1880
Staffordshire Newsletter covering 1907-1915 and 1917-1933

While we've added thousands more pages to:

Bangalore Spectator from 1889-1890
Daily Record from 1895-1896, 1898, 1901-1902, 1908-1910, 1921, 1931-1932, 1936-1937, 1946, 1950 and 1952-1954
Derby Daily Telegraph from 1989
Dewsbury Chronicle and West Riding Advertiser from 1880-1881, 1883-1888 and 1890-1893
Kenilworth Advertiser from 1886-1889
Morning Herald (London) from 1804-1807, 1809-1810, 1819-1822, 1824-1827 and 1837-1839

Findmypast Fridays live

Have you discovered a salacious or heartbreaking crime story in your family tree? We'd be fascinated to hear how you found it and how it's affected you. Get in touch on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.