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Ancestry UK

Town Gaol, Wareham, Dorset

In 1818, it was recorded that Wareham had a Town Gaol able to accommodate up to 4 inmates. It was described as:

A small Gaol, in which prisoners are only confined for one night, and always committed to the County Gaol for trial, &c.

In 1835, it was reported that:

There is no Gaol or House of Correction within the borough. A lock-up room, of which the serjeant-at-mace and constables have keys, has been occasionally used for confining persons arrested on mesne process from the court of record; but no instance of the sort has occurred within the last 20 years.

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.