BEST WEBSITES Whether your ancestor was an inmate, guard, ‘peeler’, lawyer or official, there is a depth of digitised material that can help you investigate a particular case, prison or punishment.
Some of the records available via this month’s recommended sites contain details impossible to find elsewhere, such as your forebear’s height, distinguishing marks, hair or eye colour. And of course if your relation is featured in court records then you may also find written depositions, or even read the very words that were spoken in court.
One of the sites, Our Criminal Ancestors (ourcriminalancestors.org), includes all sorts of information for researching criminals, punishment and policing. There’s plenty of free guidance and advice on the website of this very magazine as well. Indeed, this month’s expert, Dr Nell Darby, has…