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Ancestry UK

Town Gaol, Tamworth, Staffordshire

Tamworth Town Gaol located in the town hall on the Market Place, which was erected in 1701.

In 1835, it was reported that:

There is a Gaol in the borough, but of a very inferior description. It is used only as a place of confinement prior to commitment; prisoners committed for trial being always sent to the county gaol. It would be wholly unfit for the purpose of protracted imprisonment, and can hardly be said to be a fit place, even for the temporary confinement of persons detained, not for the purpose of punishment, but of safe custody alone. It is, in fact, a mere dungeon, being situated under the town hall. It consists of a single room with excavations in the wall, in which the prisoners sleep. There is no sufficient admission of light or air, nor any yard or place in which the prisoners may take exercise

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.