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Beginners => Family History Beginners Board => Topic started by: hackney51 on Tuesday 05 November 19 19:04 GMT (UK)
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Could someone help me please as I've hit a brick wall, my gg grandfather John Tompkins has a record of being in Forton Prison in 1871 and I am unable to find out any information of why and what was the history of this place??? if anyone could help I would be very grateful thank you
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Hi, and welcome to Rootschat!
Looking through old newspapers, most times "Forton Prison" is mentioned, it is referred to as a military prison. Have you found any military records for him?
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Hi, welcome :)
Do you have a little more info on him, age, where he lived? Was it 1871 or 1881?
Cathy
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Hi and welcome,
Could you please clarify the year, your thread title says 1881 but the post says 1871.
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There is a crime record for a John Tompkins dated 19th July 1869, Aylesbury in the county of Buckingham.
Committed burglary and given eight years penal servitude.
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There is a John Tompkins in prison in Portsea, age 42, birth year 1829, birth county Oxfordshire. Is this your John?
Registration district Portsea Island
Archive reference RG10
Piece number 1133
Folio 115
Page 41
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There is another crime record for 1852 for a John Tompkins born 1830. If you could tell us where and when your John was born it would help narrow him down.
The information I have given so far is speculative.
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Originally for prisoners of war, but it appears by 1871 for none military prisoners.
Look at image 1 and 2 of this census set this shows prison officers were classed as “civil servants”, a number of articles suggest this prison was used for long term prisoners.
https://historicgosport.uk/forton-prison/
Spendlove
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Apologies..not very good at this lol.. here we go...John Francis Leopold Tompkins dob July 1852 mother Mary Ann Elizabeth Lawrence/father William Tompkins) he married Ann Shea in July 1880, probably St Pancras/St.Marylebone London they had 5 children she was born in 1856 whereabouts I cant find...I cant find ANYTHING about her, just her name. My nan Elizabeth Tompkins was one of the 5 children. in 1871 or 81 (?) it mentions on the census that he was at Forton, no mention of why or what he had done after that I cant find any death information for either him or Ann, or any other information about them I would really appreciate any info..many thanks ( and good luck!)
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Well this is the marriage record
Marriages Sep 1880
SHEA Ann Pancras 1b 298
TOMPKINS John Pancras 1b 298
If you get the marriage certificate it will tell you who the fathers are. Someone may be able to find it on Ancestry as I think they have images for marriages in London.
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I found the family in 1891 and I can't quite believe how the enumerator managed to do this! :o
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Even the transcription has her down as Arthur, but of course the transcribers have to write what they see.
Place of birth for 'Arthur' is London, St. Pancras as is everyone else in the family.
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This may be Ann's birth, but you really need to get her marriage certificate to find out her father's name.
SHEA, ANN ROACH
GRO Reference: 1855 S Quarter in MARYLEBONE Volume 01A Page 332
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Thank you so much for this info, I will order the marriage certificate :) just waiting on the Forton Prison info now...I'm wondering if he actually dies there???...maybe someone who is more experienced than me could look into it for me please..really stuck on this one lol!!
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He is still around in the 1911 census, still at the same address as 1901 which is Litcham Street, St. Pancras
There is this death which could be him although age slightly out.
Deaths Jun 1915
Tompkins John 66 Pancras 1b 164
This gives a birth year of 1849. John's birth year is 1852 however on one census it is given as 1855. The person registering the death may not have known his exact birth year. You can get a pdf from the GRO at a cost of £7.
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Could this be them in 1901?: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X9ZQ-DZQ
1911?: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XWLL-CSQ
Jamjar
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Where do you have John on census prior to his marriage
I think I have him in 1871 (reply 20)
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Where did you get the idea that John had been in Forton Prison?
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This looks like John's parents marriage
Marriages Sep 1850
Lawrence Mary Ann Elizabeth St Pancras 1 344
TOMPKINS William St Pancras 1 344
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Children:
TOMPKINS, JOHN LAWRENCE mmn SHEA
GRO Reference: 1884 J Quarter in PANCRAS Volume 01B Page 173
TOMPKINS, JAMES WILLIAM mmn SHAY
GRO Reference: 1886 M Quarter in PANCRAS Volume 01B Page 153
TOMPKINS, ELIZABETH mmn SHEA
GRO Reference: 1890 M Quarter in PANCRAS Volume 01B Page 122
I can’t see the other two girls.
Jamjar
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1871 census for the Forton record
RG10/1150 f108 p5
Forton, Prison (Alverstoke)
John Tompkins - Unmarried -21 - Soldier -bn London, Middlesex
How did you get back to the birth record you are mentioning without having the details of his father from his marriage record.
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Good find Rosie, but is it Hackney's John or a different one? If the one you found was 22 later in the year that gives a birth year of 1849.
The John we are currently following was born in 1852 and parents married in 1850. We need to wait until Hackney has got John and Ann's marriage cert to see who the fathers are.