H M Convict Prison Portsea

[johnadey]

Is anyone able to do a 1871 census look up for me please?

I have William Charge as a convict at H M Convict Prison, Portsea Town, Postsea, Hampshire in the 1881 census and I suspect that he was also there in 1871.

Your help would be appreciated.

Thanks
John Adey

[Carrie Meerten]

Hi John

I have found a William on the 1871 census, but as you left out some important details, I am unsure as to whether it is him or not. His birth yr and place would have been very helpful.

Anyway, here is what I found:
William Chargo, 30 (abt 1841), Convict, born Evington, Buckinghamshire.
Civil Parish is Portsea, Ecclesiastical parish is Trinity, Town is Portsea, County of Hampshire. Sub-registration district as Portsea Town and Registration district is Portsea Island. Institution is Her Majestys Convict Prison, Portsea.
Source RG10/1133, Folio 115, Page 41, Schedule 1
He is listed as number 21, married and his occupation is Chair (something - i cant read the writing)

Hope this helps
Carrie

[johnadey]

Thank you, sorry for missing information but what you have given me confirms what I already know and confirms that he was in prison for at least 10 years (1871 - 1881).

Thanks again.

John Adey

[Carrie Meerten]

no problem. must have been something pretty bad for 10 years of jail back then !!!!

good luck with your searches.

[johnadey]

I have no idea what he did but I thought that if you did something very bad you were packed off to Australia, I did not realise that they had long term prisoners. When next at the National Archives I must try and find what he did.

Regards
John Adey

[marymog]

here is the HM Prison Kingston website,

it has a wee picture of the outside of the prison, it looks like a castle

https://www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/pr...,15,2,15,464,0

nice one for your family history doc. mm

[Tallulah]

The Portsea Prison is no longer in existence, I don't know when it stopped being used but the HMP Kingston is in another area of Portsmouth several miles away from where the Portsea Prison was.

Best wishes,

Tallulah

[johnadey]

Thank you.

I had a feeling that it was not the same prison but lacking local knowledge I did not respond.

Regards
John Adey

[Tallulah]

You're welcome, was he anything to do with the Navy at all? My husband thinks it might have been a Naval Prison given it's location (it would have been very close to the Harbour).

Best wishes,

Tallulah

[johnadey]

He is a bit of a mystery, his occupation in the census is "chair turner", he marries in Buckinghamshire in 1863 and then disappears until 1871 when the census shows him in prison on Portsea. I will have to try and find the trial or prison records at the National Archives.

Would anyone happen to know if there is any information about this prison online?

Regards
John Adey