Joseph Wilson - Criminal Convict 1851 Census

[Chezwils]

Hi.
I have a Joseph Wilson (my g-g-g grandfather) showing as a criminal convict in Springfield Gaol, Chelmsford in the 1851 Census. I have him on the 1841 census and he was married to Elizabeth Holgate in December 1853.
Can anyone suggest where I might find the particulars for the crime committed?
I have checked the new criminal register on A***** with no result. I have checked the National Archives research guide, but it would seem that the records on their catalogue start after this date. Essex Records Office do not seem to have the calendar of prisoners for this period either.
I have even searched the timesonline for a name match and the old bailey archive website.
All to no avail so far.
Can anyone suggest anything I may be missing...?
Thanks
Cheryl

[Geoffers]

Welcome to the B-G forums

Finding the information you want depends on when he was convicted and at which court.

The criminal registers for England and Wales held at The National Archives in HO27 include:

"Registers of all persons in England and Wales charged with indictable offences showing the results of the trials, the sentences in case of conviction, and dates of execution of persons sentence to death; some of the registers contain personal information respecting the prisoners. Until 1850 Middlesex is excluded, its earlier records being in HO 26. (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/LinkFromEADRef.asp?CATREF=HO-d9-c26)"

It is these which are on Ancestry.

If he does not appear there, then he may have been convicted at a magristrates court - although I haven't used them in Essex, for other parts of the country, I am aware that their survival and availability is not great.

So, do you know if Essex RO has the magistrates court records for Chelmsford and the other courts which may have sent prisoners to Springfield gaol?

Convictions are often reported in local newspapers; but finding an entry which is not indexed can take sometime - unless a report is included in one of those available via the gale group, to which some libraries/record offices have a subscription.

[usernick]

Hi,

Quick post, but have you tried looking through:

http://seax.essexcc.gov.uk/default.asp

and entering in Q/SPb in the search box (luckily, these books are online)?

I tried looking through the period Q/SPb 25 (1848-1852) and Q/SPb 24 (1844-1848), but couldn't see him in those indexes, but he may appear in earlier ones?

Aside from that, unfortunately (or so it would appear), that there's a chunk of years missing from the Essex Calendar Books for those years (Q/SMc - search on SEAX).

So, apart from that, it's probably best to try the local newspapers of that period (Essex Standard, Chelmsford Chronicle, Essex Herald and Essex Chronicle) - available at the Essex Record Office.

Anyway, good luck.

Cheers,


Nick :)

[Hugh Thompson]

HI Cheryl, There are a couple of Joseph Wilson's on this site, (address below)
Hugh.

Victorian Crime and Punishment.

http://vcp.e2bn.org/