4.5
Tracing Your Prisoner Ancestors
ByPublisher Description
An “excellent book . . . a great introduction to legal terms, offences, procedures, sentences, and much more besides” trom the author of Writing True Crime (Ripperologist).
The history of the British prison system only had systematic records from the middle of the nineteenth century. Before that, material on prisoners in local jails and houses of correction was patchy and minimal. In more recent times, many prison records have been destroyed.
In Tracing Your Prisoner Ancestors, crime historian Stephen Wade attempts to provide information and guidance to family and social history researchers in this difficult area of criminal records. His book covers the span of time from medieval to modern, and includes some Scottish and Irish sources.
The sources explained range broadly from central calendars of prisoners, court records and jail returns, through to memoirs and periodicals. The chapters also include case studies and short biographies of some individuals who experienced our prisons and left some records.
“All in all, it is a fascinating read, even if you don’t have prisoner ancestors! Wade has managed to explain the complexities of the criminal system, its records and how they affected our ancestors with his well-researched and illuminating guide.” —Family and Community Historical Research Society Newsletter
“Overall, it provides an excellent starting point for family historians to investigate their relations who ended up behind bars.” —WDYTYA? Magazine
The history of the British prison system only had systematic records from the middle of the nineteenth century. Before that, material on prisoners in local jails and houses of correction was patchy and minimal. In more recent times, many prison records have been destroyed.
In Tracing Your Prisoner Ancestors, crime historian Stephen Wade attempts to provide information and guidance to family and social history researchers in this difficult area of criminal records. His book covers the span of time from medieval to modern, and includes some Scottish and Irish sources.
The sources explained range broadly from central calendars of prisoners, court records and jail returns, through to memoirs and periodicals. The chapters also include case studies and short biographies of some individuals who experienced our prisons and left some records.
“All in all, it is a fascinating read, even if you don’t have prisoner ancestors! Wade has managed to explain the complexities of the criminal system, its records and how they affected our ancestors with his well-researched and illuminating guide.” —Family and Community Historical Research Society Newsletter
“Overall, it provides an excellent starting point for family historians to investigate their relations who ended up behind bars.” —WDYTYA? Magazine
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesTracing Your Prisoner Ancestors Reviews
4.5
“Like a previous title from this publisher, the content of the book serves as valuable tips and tools for genealogical research across the pond, NOT in the United States reformation and the American penal system. To note, the records and related materials mentioned in the book focus on the United Kingdom, not the United States.
However, I am (still) a librarian who helps patrons with their genealogies and family histories and I found this to be an extremely useful guide for our patrons.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.”
About Stephen Wade
Stephen Wade is a biographer and social historian, usually associated with crime and law, but here he turns his attention to a place he has known for forty years, as he has lived and worked in Scunthorpe all that time. His most recent books have been "Going to Extremes", "The Justice Women" and three volumes in the "Your Town in the Great War" series (all Pen & Sword), and :No More Soldiering" (Amberley).
Other books by Stephen Wade
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