19th Century

Prison Search

How many prisons were there in 19th century England? How big were they? Where were they located? Where can I find out more about them?

Use the search below to find detailed records on nearly 850 penal institutions operational between 1800 and 1899 including their locations, size, descriptions in the historical sources and surviving archives.

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About

19th Century Prisons aims to reconstruct the penal landscape of 19th Century England. To date, it contains information on 846 local and convict prisons, lock-ups and hulks used to confine those accused and convicted of crime between 1800 and 1899.

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In addition to searching for prisons, you can browse the list of archival documents uncovered as part of the creation of 19th Century Prisons. Order the list by the name of the archive, or refine the list by the category to which the document belongs. Find out more about prisoners, daily business, staff, finance or buildings both within and across institutions.

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Contact

We’d love to hear from you! If you have any additional information on the prisons included in the database, especially pictures or archival material, please let us know. We are also keen to hear about how you are using the data, and to receive any feedback you might have for improving the resource.

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