Wandsworth Borstal, Wandsworth, London
In 1931, a special wing at Wandsworth was converted for use as temporary quarters for boys that were awaiting transfer to one of the Borstal Institutions elswhere in the country. Despite its limited role, the establishment became known as Wandsworth Borstal.
Wandsworth Borstal subsequently took on the role of a corrective establishment for Borstal inmates who persistently misbehaved. In 1952, this function was transferrd to Reading Borstal. The Corrective Training Allocation Centre, previously at Reading, which dealt with adult inmates, then moved to Wandsworth.
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.
- London Metropolitan Archives, 40 Northampton Road, London EC1R OHB. Holdings include: Board of Visitors' minutes and report (1946-52); Nominal register (1947-51).
- 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
- Fox, Lionel W The English Prison and Borstal Systems (1952, Routledge & Kegan Paul)
- Behan, Brendan Borstal Boy (1958, Hutchinson)
- Hutton, John Portland Borstal Institutution Miscellany Volume 2 (2018)
- Lodge, Jeremy Lowdham Grange. Borstal! (2014)
Links
- 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.