This database contains 115,573 records from houses of correction across the County of Suffolk, England, primarily from receiving books at Ipswich Gaol, with additional material from Beccles, Bury, and Woodbridge. If you had Suffolk ancestry in the period, I do, and given the population of 327,240 in 1851, there’s a fair chance of finding a miscreant.
I found a namesake of my two-times-great-grandmother, convicted of prostitution. If it had been mine, I’d know, from the surprisingly detailed biographical snapshot, details beyond the basics of name, age, and offence, such as:
- Physical description (height, hair colour, eye colour)
- Birthplace and residence
- Occupation and literacy level
- Religion and marital status
- Father’s name, birthplace, and occupation
- Complete timeline from warrant to trial, sentencing, and release
The receiving books sometimes recorded even more granular details, including which school an inmate attended, the amount and type of clothing they possessed upon admission, and whether they had prior convictions. Lists of confined inmates might note the work performed behind bars and comments on behaviour.