Crime and punishment publications
Criminal Ancestors: a guide to historical criminal records in England and Wales, David T. Hawkings, 1992, published by Alan Sutton Publishing.
Shelved at S 364.1 HAW
A very useful book which has chapters devoted to each type of record where one might find the name of an ancestor, including assize records, quarter sessions, prison registers and so on. Each chapter discusses the history of that record and how they are organised and there are many examples taken from records at the National Archives exploring the many ways a particular type of record might be useful. For example, under assize records there are examples of nuisances, gaol returns, evidentiary hearings and murder. The comprehensive appendices recommend where a researcher should look for certain records and most helpfully, how practically to search through the various books, rolls and calendars.
Some West-Country Lock-Ups in the Counties of Somerset, Dorset, Avon, Wiltshire, Devon and Cornwall, Leslie Brooke, published by Fox Publications in 1985.
Shelved at S 365.3 SOM BRO
While this is predominantly a collection of pencil sketches of the remaining lock-ups to be found in the South West, the introductory sections devoted to each county give a good background of the social history of prisons and cells in the area. Many parishes had to either find inventive ways of paying for the lock-up, or dealing with them once they became redundant, and from an architectural point of view, the different ways that were found of keeping public nuisances at bay is fascinating. The book includes some beautiful sketches of the remaining buildings, with a few elevations and architectural drawings.
A Hundred Years in the Saddle: the Avon and Somerset Mounted Police 1899-1999, Stephen Foulkes, published by Broadcast Books in 1998.
Shelved at S 363.2 FOU
The beginnings of the Avon and Somerset Mounted Police are firmly set in Bristol, but the background information the author has found to build a picture of turn of the century policing is still fascinating, both in terms of what the police force could and could not do for itself and also how a mounted force would be used in dealing with the public, being used in situations ranging from crossing patrols to breaking up riots. This history covers the force’s inception, the war years and on to the end of the 20th century where there is a combination of ceremonial duties and formal policing. As a social history of policing in a county with a mix of rural and urban areas, this is an excellent starting point.
Crime and Punishment in England: a sourcebook, Andrew Barrett and Christopher Harrison, published by UCL Press in 1999.
Shelved at S 364.1 BAR
This sourcebook covers potential crimes and the methods for determining guilt from the medieval period up to the nineteenth century, beginning with as discussion of trials by ordeals. The majority of the book is given over to examples from extant records, but they give a good overview of what constitutes a crime and how communities through time have dealt with both the crime and the criminal. There is a comprehensive history of the policing, including legislation and their own records, and then a section dedicated to nineteenth century punishment of specific types of criminal, including women, children, transportees, etc.
Crime, Law and Order in a Somersetshire Market Town: Bruton c.1500-c.1900.
Shelved at S 364.1 RAN
This book focusses on how a single community has dealt with law-breakers from 1500 to the beginning of the 20th century. It tackles the subject by looking at the type of law being broken, including violence protection of property, aberrant behaviour etc, then finishes with an overview of all the different administrators of justice in and out of the parish model. There is an interesting chapter titled ‘Who were the criminals?’ which gives a good guide to using and interpreting gaol registers. The book is well researched and, crucially, referenced allowing the reader to find the original documents and come to his own conclusions.
Shepton Mallet Prison: 380 years of prison regimes, Francis Disney, published by the author in 1986.
Shelved at S 365.44 DIS oversize
This history of Shepton Mallet prison, now closed, offers an excellent insight into life inside a prison for both the prisoners and warders. The subject is dealt with chronologically, touching on noteworthy events in the institution’s history, including fires, mutinies and standing in for other prisons on television. It covers the prison’s war service, including its role as an American Army training centre, its hard-labour conditions and some of its more famous occupants and executions. It is fully illustrated with some plans of the interior and gives a detailed view of the life of a working prison.
Bound for Australia, David T. Hawkings, published by Phillimore in 1987.
Shelved at S 929.394 HAW
This book helps researchers to trace both their convict and free ancestors on their voyage to Australia. It is full of examples of records which may be useful to genealogist and advice about how best to use them. The whole is tied together by the use of a single case study of two men transported to illustrate how the records have helped in tracing their histories. This book has recently been revised and reissued, with photographs and updates.
