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Ancestry UK

University Bridewell, Oxford, Oxfordshire

Oxford University appears at one time to have had its own bridewell, perhaps for the detention of local women deemed to be having a corrupting influence on its male students, as was the case with the Spinning House bridewell at Cambridge. A reference to the "University Bridewell" appears in the Oxford Journal in 1775. Although it has been suggested that this was actually an allusion to Oxford's City Bridewell, John Howard in 1784 listed the two as separate establishments. It is possible, however, that they shared the same building and keeper, both being described as occupying "two garrets in the keeper's house".

Records

Note: many repositories impose a closure period of up to 100 years for records identifying individuals. Before travelling a long distance, always check that the records you want to consult will be available.

  • No individual records identified for this establishment — any information welcome.
  • The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 4DU. Has a wide variety of crime and prison records going back to the 1770s, including calendars of prisoners, prison registers and criminal registers.
  • Find My Past has digitized many of the National Archives' prison records, including prisoner-of-war records, plus a variety of local records including Manchester, York and Plymouth. More information.
  • Prison-related records on Ancestry UK include Prison Commission Records, 1770-1951, and local records from London, Swansea, Gloucesterhire and West Yorkshire. More information.
  • The Genealogist also has a number of National Archives' prison records. More information.

Bibliography

  • Prison Oracle - resources those involved in present-day UK prisons.
  • GOV.UK - UK Government's information on sentencing, probation and support for families.

Except where indicated, this page () © Peter Higginbotham. Contents may not be reproduced without permission.