FindMyPast has just released a new collection of criminal records 1817 – 1931, additional records will be added in the coming months to make the complete dataset 1770 – 1934.
The original records are kept at The National Archives and among the records which will be available online today are:
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Admiralty registers of convicts in prison hulks between 1818-1831 (ADM 6)
- After trial calendars of prisoners from the Central criminal court between 1855-1931 (CRIM 9)
- Calendar of Prisoners in Home Office records 1868-1929 (HO 140)
- Criminal petitions 1817-1858 (HO 17)
- Metropolitan Police records of habitual drunkards for the period 1903-1914 (MEPO 6)
- Prison Commission records for 1880-1885 (PCOM 2)
A search for Henry Matkin gave the following details
| Number | 72 |
| Name | Henry Matkin (indicted with No. 41 in the Calendar) |
| Age | 28 |
| Trade | Glazier |
| Degree of Instruction | Imp. |
| Name & Address of Committing Magistrate | J Vaughan Esq. Bow Street Court |
| Date of Warrant | 5 May 1885 |
| When received into Custody | 13 May 1885 |
| Offence | Assaulting Joseph Payne, a police constable acting in the execution of his duty |
| Before whom tried | J D Fletcher Esq. |
| Verdict of Jury | Not guilty |
| Previous Convictions | —– |
| Sentence or Order of Court | —– |
Depending on which type of record you get come up in a search depends on the information given. Some records have accompanying photographs of the accused, sadly there was no such photo of Henry (he is one of my ancestors).
A very interesting set of records to have at our fingertips especially for those who like me have more than their fair share of criminal ancestors!
