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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Leicestershire => Topic started by: davidgodalming on Monday 26 December 11 09:19 GMT (UK)

Title: Leicester prison records
Post by: davidgodalming on Monday 26 December 11 09:19 GMT (UK)
Hello. I wonder if anyone can help. The brother of an ancestor from rural Carmarthenshire was imprisoned for sheep stealing in 1865 and although the crime took place in south west Wales there's a pencilled note of Leicester on the court record.
I visited the records office at Wigston Magna but whilst the people there were very helpful they only had admissions records for 1868/9 and no mention of the person I'm interested in. Also what seem curious is he got a 5 year sentence but most of the sentences in the records book were 3 months or less. Also the crimes were all committed in and around the Leicester area so quite why someone was sent such a long way to prison I have no idea.
I wonder if there were two or more prisons in Leicester at the time. Does anyone have any thoughts?
Thanks in advance.
Title: Re: Leicester prison records
Post by: Bunnygirl on Monday 26 December 11 10:15 GMT (UK)
Hi davidgodalming
Have you tried The British Newspaper Archive at the British library?  there may have been a report in the  local newspaper.

Regards

Bunnygirl
Title: Re: Leicester prison records
Post by: davidgodalming on Monday 26 December 11 10:47 GMT (UK)
That's a quick response !! My brain hasn't been working as well as it should and funnily enough as soon as I posted my message I started to wonder about newspaper archives. I'll happily take your advice.
Title: Re: Leicester prison records
Post by: willsy on Monday 26 December 11 21:32 GMT (UK)
If you post some details I can look up the Leicester paper for you
Title: Re: Leicester prison records
Post by: davidgodalming on Tuesday 27 December 11 08:37 GMT (UK)
The person I'm trying to get details on is James Jonathan, i.e. Jonathan is the surname. Aged 22 he was commited to court in Carmarthen on 10 August 1864. He was tried 21 October 1864 and got a 5 year sentence. The bit about Leicester prison is pencilled in as opposed to written in ink on the Carmarthen Register of Felons so whether he actually went to prison in Leicester I just don't know.
Any help greatfully received. Thank you.
Title: Re: Leicester prison records
Post by: willsy on Tuesday 27 December 11 20:31 GMT (UK)
Is this the record you have

http://www.welshlegalhistory.org/felons-register-search.php?func=showrecord&srch_id=10977

My newspapers don't cover Carmarthen, so haven't found a record and so far nothing in Leicester
Title: Re: Leicester prison records
Post by: davidgodalming on Wednesday 28 December 11 14:07 GMT (UK)
I got the info via www.gtj.org.uk/en/small/item/11844 if that's any use.
Title: Re: Leicester prison records
Post by: willsy on Thursday 29 December 11 19:29 GMT (UK)
Sorry, have not come up with anything, the coverage is not wide enough.
Title: Re: Leicester prison records
Post by: davidgodalming on Friday 30 December 11 10:37 GMT (UK)
I've looked again at the Welsh records and I'm confused. He seems to have got one month's sentence for the crime of sheep stealing but then he is indeed transfered to Leicester prison. Maybe I'm just misunderstading things but after a month he was transferred to Leicester for 5 years penal servitude. 5 years seems very harsh in terms of length - maybe he'd done other things. Anyway thank you so much for your trouble.
Title: Re: Leicester prison records
Post by: charby on Sunday 08 January 12 00:03 GMT (UK)
I was looking around and saw this topic and was hoping someone could find ABEDNEGO SUTTON he was born
in 1879 loughborough leicestershire and was imprisoned at the I think the HMP prison in leicester welford road
I hope I wrote this right :-\
He was in prison in 1901 and he died in 1902 in worksop nottingham.
Could you find out why he was in prison ??? ???
Thank you.
Title: Re: Leicester prison records
Post by: willsy on Sunday 08 January 12 11:34 GMT (UK)
Found it, if you let me have an email address, I will send the article. He attempted to kill his mother in law!
Title: Re: Leicester prison records
Post by: davidgodalming on Sunday 08 January 12 17:43 GMT (UK)
Blimey ! It's (*)

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Title: Re: Leicester prison records
Post by: christine bw on Wednesday 22 January 14 09:30 GMT (UK)
I am interested in finding out where I would obtain welford rd prison records ,for the years 1958/1970 can any one advise me please