Prison & hulk records
Find records of your convict's confinement in UK prisons or hulks before being transported to Australia. Select resources which correspond to your convict's likely dates of imprisonment in the UK. There is some overlap between the records but it may be worth checking all relevant resources as the information for each convict may differ.
In order to search these resources you need to know the name of your convict's prison/hulk and their date of confinement - Not sure of the name of the prison/hulk or date of confinement?
| Resource | Type |
|---|---|
Treasury Board hulk returns, 1783-1803A return (list) of prisoners on board awaiting transportation for select hulks. Information includes name, age, when and where convicted, sentence and, in some cases, state of health and when and where discharged. Available at the State Library or try your local public library | microform |
Miscellaneous convict prison registers, 1802-1849 (HO 9)Prison registers consisting of lists of convicts under sentence of transportation imprisoned in UK hulks. Registers from 1802-1836 record the prisoner number, name, age, offence, where received from, place and date of conviction and how and when discharged. Registers after 1836 include sentence, marital status, literacy and trade. Available at the State Library or try your local public library | microform |
Quarterly returns of convicts in gaols and hulks, 1824-1876 (HO 8)Returns (lists) of convicts in hulks (from 1824) and some prisons (from 1848). Information includes convict name, age, offence, place and date of conviction, sentence, record of health, behaviour, remarks and information about transfers to other gaols. Available at the State Library or try your local public library | microform |
Prison commission prison books, 1816–1866Records for select prisons and hulks, including prison commission registers of convicts. Available at the State Library or try your local public library | microform |
Prison records held in the miscellaneous series of the AJCP, 1723–1878Records may include transcript of trial, lists of convicts sentenced to transportation, lists of prisoners in various gaols, costs of administering convicts for transportation and indictments (which may include considerable detail about the convict). Available at the State Library or try your local public library | microform |
Prison and hulk lists held in the UKFind out more about records held in the UK National Archives and county record offices. | website/ print |
Our cataloguesUse these catalogues to find a large variety of original materials, covering convicts and convict life in Australia. | database/ print |
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