Criminal Registers look-up Please

[terrysfamily]

Hope I've posted this in the right place

Anc**try England & Wales, Criminal Registers, 1791-1892

Name: James Drayton
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1809
Date of Trial: 18 Oct 1839
Location of Trial: Lincolnshire, England

I'm not 100% sure but I think this is the brother of my 2nd great grandfather. If this is the right james he was born 12 May 1809 and died in 1888. Although, I'm not sure how I'm going to prove it!



Thanks in advance


Terry

[RobinC]

I'm not sure what his offence was but he received 10 months imprisonment.

He'll be out of prison before 1841 so was probably be back with his family on the census.

[terrysfamily]

Thank you Robin. 10 months!!! either killed someone who was poor or stole a penny from someone who was very rich. The punishment very rarely fitted the crime back then. It was more the standing status of the victim that denoted the punishment.

I don't have the 1841 census for him but by 1861 James is living in Ashby Young Men's Institute.

Thank you again

Terry

[olliecat]

10 months!!! either killed someone who was poor or stole a penny from someone who was very rich.

Close!

Check the British Newspaper Archive. A free search results in this...

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Lincolnshire Chronicle
Fri 25 Oct 1839
LINDSEY SESSIONS

tted. James Drayton, aged 30, for stealing at Bromby, three rabbit traps, the property of William Hutchinson. Ten calendar months hard labour. Stephen Hannah, Bgea M ... ?
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There is another snippet in the Stamford Mercury, same date. Edit: The information is slightly different in this article as it say he was "convicted of taking and killing in the night time at Ashby, in the parish of Bottesford, coney, in a warren belonging to Wm. Hutchinson."

[geneius]

Reading the document on line, the case was listed for the Lyndsey Sessions then transferred to KIRTON on 18 October1839, the sessions were known as Michaelmas, Epiphany, Easter and Midsummer
The court year starting 1 October therefore you would need to look at the Michaelmas Session 1839 court documents in Lincolnshire Archives.

You have a date of 18 October so you may find a news report.

[terrysfamily]

Well if people will leave things laying around. He probably just picked them up to stop anyone stealing them and that's all the thanks he gets

Thanks for the link.

Terry

[geneius]

Just clicked, thanks olliecat

Offence against the Game Laws!

[olliecat]

According to information from the TNA Access To Archives, Session Rolls, Minute Books, Calendars of Prisoners and other records relating to the LINDSEY QUARTER SESSIONS are held at the Lincolnshire Archives.

Worth contacting them I would have thought.

Edit: Reading the TNA information futher, annoyingly the Calendar of Prisoners appears to be missing for 1839. They do however have Session Rolls for that date. The Lincolnshire Archives should be able to tell you what records they have that are relevant to the date in question.

[terrysfamily]

Thanks Geneius, Hmmm Lincolnshire archives is a little off the beaten track for me over here in SUNNY Wales Phttttt.

[terrysfamily]

I now have a copy of the paper.

It would appear that James went to prison for stealing a rabbit.
He was acquitted on the charge of stealing the traps. It wasn't his first offence either. He had been in custody 3 times before.

I have black sheep No.2. At this rate I'll have a whole flock by the winter