Bedfordshire Gaol Register

[Heilan Lass]

Bedfordshire & Luton Archives and Records Service have a great little on-line database of records from their gaols/jails registers. It currently covers the period from 1801 to 1879 but they are planning to extend the records to include the period up to 1901. If you had ancestors from that area try a search - the results can be quite detailed, including age, appearance, details of the offence and sentence, residence, date committed, and the gaol/jail in which incarcerated.

 

[Jennie]

Bedfordshire & Luton Archives and Records Service have a great little on-line database of records from their gaols/jails registers. .

Thought you might like some feedback. I found two of my ONS surname. First one was convicted of horse-stealing, death reprieved, transported for life. I had traced him on Ancestry and they pick up his later story through records. The second young lady refused to work in during her stay in a workhouse and received 14 days hard labour. Ancestry does not hold records of this event, neither for the deportee. Many thanks. It may be small but for some, like me, very useful. Sorry I can't tick the useful box, I awarded you the thanks before writing this, and cannot find a way to change it to 'Useful'.

 

[Siobhan]

Thought you might like some feedback. I found two of my ONS surname. First one was convicted of horse-stealing, death reprieved, transported for life. I had traced him on Ancestry and they pick up his later story through records. The second young lady refused to work in during her stay in a workhouse and received 14 days hard labour. Ancestry does not hold records of this event, neither for the deportee. Many thanks. It may be small but for some, like me, very useful. Sorry I can't tick the useful box, I awarded you the thanks before writing this, and cannot find a way to change it to 'Useful'.

Jennie where was he transported to?

 

[Jennie]

Jennie where was he transported to?

He was incarcerated in the Prison hulk 'Captivity', moored off Portsmouth 12 May 1812 and then shipped on 'Fortune 2' to New South Wales in 1812. What a dreadful experience neatly packed into one short sentence ....

 

[Tim]

I found two of my ONS surname.

ONS? Office for National Statistics? One Name Survey? Oxford Neighbourhood Scheme?

 

[Alexander Bisset]

One Name Study would be my guess.

 

[Siobhan]

He was incarcerated in the Prison hulk 'Captivity', moored off Portsmouth 12 May 1812 and then shipped on 'Fortune 2' to New South Wales in 1812. What a dreadful experience neatly packed into one short sentence ....

Have you tracked him in Australia? Yes what an experience packed into one short sentence - I wonder how so many survived the voyage, let alone the convict experience when they got to Australia

 

[VTinOZ]

Bedfordshire & Luton Archives and Records Service have a great little on-line database of records from their gaols/jails registers..

This is a great database, thanks for posting this link. So many search options available.
I tried searching just by putting transportation in the sentence field & came up with 34 pages to browse.

 

[Heilan Lass]

I was delighted to come across the site as it solved a niggling problem I'd had with a gt gt gt grandparents who had a son who appeared to have two surnames (Ford and Smith) but who appeared on the scene before said grandparents married. I assumed he was a pre-marital "accident" on behalf of his mother (Ann Smith) with someone else and had assumed Ann's surname in the absence of a father. Then I then found Ann's spouse, David, was in Bedford gaol for non-performance of a bond of filiation. All the info and dates fitted, everything fell into place, and it explained why the youngster was Smith on the 1841, then Ford on the 1851 and 1861, and reverted to Smith after that. Aaaaaand, it gave me David's residence which I hadn't know till he married Ann Yes, a very useful database!!

 

[peter]

It's little-known but potentially very useful online databases like this that are ideal for the forum - keep it up!

 

[Jennie]

ONS? Office for National Statistics? One Name Survey? Oxford Neighbourhood Scheme?

The previously-used abbreviation 'ONS' in my former message stands for One Name Study.

Now it stands for Ohh No Sorry and I take your polite hint and will try to remember not to use abbreviations that may be familiar to me but not to others on this forum.

 

[Tim]

The previously-used abbreviation 'ONS' in my former message stands for One Name Study.

Now it stands for Ohh No Sorry and I take your polite hint and will try to remember not to use abbreviations that may be familiar to me but not to others on this forum.

Only Nice Sherry?

Using abbreviations is fine, you just need to mention it in full before using the abbreviation

And anyhow, you haven't told us what the Surname is have you? We might be related

 

[Jennie]

And anyhow, you haven't told us what the Surname is have you? We might be related

Omitting Naming Surname: I am trying to keep focused on the subject in hand like a good girl as once I start down that avenue I could be lost to reality for a long time Related? If you've got a large and authenticated tree I might even consider a name change!

 

[SuzanneD]

If you find some hits on this database, it's worth also running a search on the online catalogue of the Bedfordshire & Luton Archives and Records Service, as you may find more papers relating to the crime that sent your relative to gaol, or other related things such as Poor Law records.

There seem to be a disproportionate number of my Bedfordshire relatives in there, mostly for crimes like poaching. It's rather sad to think of my 4xgreat-grandfather, at the age of 48, being sent off for a week's hard labour for the crime of stealing turnips. His wife served stints in gaol as well around that time, and they listed her occupation as "tramp" - hard times!