General Chat

Thank you all for your kind & useful advice.
Phyll

Local newspapers may have a report.

If the case was heard in the magistrate's court then the local archives should have the Magistrate's Court Record Books. When I was looking for records of a desertion claim against my grandfather I was told that as long as the case was over 30 years ago then we could look through the books - which we did and found the report of the case. We were allowed to read through as many of the records as we wanted until we found the one we were looking for.

There were lots of different cases mentioned from women in court for soliciting, ice cream vans causing an obstruction on roads, trespassing on railways and vagrancy.

It would be worth getting in touch with the archives for the particular area your are interested in to see what they have and what is available for you to see.

Kath. x

I had an ancestor who was jailed, then transferred to an asylum in 1851,
I found his police records, then asylum admission, then his attempted escapes (twice) , and records of the search for him, on FMP.
But that was over 100 years ago.
I found my gran in prison on the 1939 register, but she was born in 1908 - so still 100 years.
My aunt shot her husband in the 1960's. (didn't manage to kill him!)
No records available.

'Classy' my family :-D :-D
.
It was easy finding ancestors accused of Piracy in the 16th century put on trial, and 'pardoned'
The fact that the accused Pirate's brother in law was a JP, and she was a 'Lady' may have had something to do with her release! :-S

Rollo, I, too, had a distant relative who died in an asylum during the 19th century. It surprised me that he was the only one because it was as a result of VD (STD to you young ones), fairly obviously caught in one of the places sailors visit and I have a lot of Royal and Merchant Navy in my background. (I have my suspicions about a second death but I am too far from that particular records office to visit.)

Like you, Rollo, I trooped to the local records office and was allowed to view the asylum records and doctors' comments but I had to hand-write everything because no photocopying of the asylum registers was allowed.

Phyll, I agree with Rollo here. I doubt that the prison will be allowed to release any of its records - especially not the 20th century ones - so local newspapers would be the best way forward, I think.

Thanks Rollo
Probably won't bother as I can't get to where the prison is.

One of my rellies served 6 months for drink driving (nobody hurt, lots of damage ), another one got a year for running a bingo hall, another got 6 months for being C.O., another served long spells in an asylum.

After a massive struggle I was eventually allowed access to all of the records but it was far from easy and I had something concrete to start with In every case I had to travel and in the case of the lady in the asylum was only allowed to read the records not make any copy.

In the case of offences heard by magistrates without being sent to a higher court I doubt you will find any officiial record. Digging stuff out will depend on local newspapers (not all of which are online) , how distinctive yr rellies name was and a lot of elbow grease.

good luck

I am led to believe that a relative of mine was in prison for vagrancy sometime in the late 1950's early 60's. Is there any way I can find out if this is so. If I wrote to the prison would they tell me?
Thank you.
Phyll