Search Middlesex, London, Old Bailey Court records 1674-1913
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Middlesex, London, Old Bailey Court Records 1674-1913
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Do you have a criminal ancestor? Or was your ancestor a victim or witness of a crime? Discover your ancestor in the records from the Old Bailey dating from 1674 to 1913.
This collection is composed of both transcripts and links to images of the original documents. The records come from Old Bailey/Central Criminal Court Proceedings 1674-1913 (197,745 criminal proceedings), of which we have images for the records pertaining to the years 1834 to 1913, and Ordinary’s Accounts 1676-1772 (2,500 biographies of executed criminals at Tyburn).
Images will often be able to provide additional details and insight into the proceedings.
Offence
(1) Breaking peace
(2) Damage to property
(3) Deception
(4) Killing
(5) Miscellaneous
(6) Royal offences
(7) Sexual offences
(8) Theft
(9) Violent theft
Verdicts
(1) Guilty
(2) Miscellaneous
(3) Not guilty
(4) Special verdict
Punishments
(1) Corporal
(2) Death
(3) Imprisonment
(4) Miscellaneous
(5) No punishment
(6) Transportation (convicts sent overseas—originally shipped to the West Indies then, later, convicts were sent to America and Australia)
The original medieval court was situated next to the Newgate gaol and dated back to at least 1585. After it was destroyed in the Great Fire of London, it was rebuilt in 1674, which is when these records start. The name of Old Bailey comes from the street on which it resides. While it is still known best by this name, it was officially renamed the Central Criminal Court in 1834. Around this time, the court’s jurisdiction was expanded to allow all major cases in England to be tried there.
The passing of the Central Criminal Court Act 1856 allowed for crimes committed outside of London to be tried at the Central Criminal Court instead of in the local court. The passing of this act was a direct product of the impending trial of William Palmer, a doctor accused of murder, and the fear that the local jury of Staffordshire would be prejudiced against him.
The current courthouse stands where the Newgate gaol had. The gaol was demolished for the purpose of building the new courthouse, which was built in 1902 and opened in 1907.
Ordinary’s Accounts
These biographies are from the Ordinary of Newgate, who was the chaplain of Newgate prison located next to the Old Bailey. In that capacity, he would see to the spiritual wellbeing of prisoners condemned to death (and subsequently hung at Tyburn) and would witness to their final words and behaviour. The Ordinary was given the right to publish such observations along with a detailing of a prisoner’s life and crimes.
Along with short biographical sketches of the condemned, including an enumeration of their crimes, there would be included excerpts of the Ordinary’s sermon and details of his visits to the prisoners.
This was a very beneficial system for an Ordinary as, in the eighteenth century, revenue from such publications could be as much as £200 a year. To modern sentiments, this may seem a crass and morbid endeavor by opportunistic employees exploiting their charges. However, the intended purpose of such publications was moralistic in nature – to illustrate to the public at large the evils and consequences of sin. This explains, in part, the inclusion of biographical sketches illustrating a prisoner’s life trajectory and how smaller sins earlier in life led to greater sins later on. The records also highlight an Ordinary’s belief that redemption was not withheld from any man and that, through final confessions (“Last Dying Speech”) given just prior to hanging, like those published here, condemned prisoners could be spiritually saved. Despite the moralistic crafting of the narrative, the biographies are considered reliable as to details and dates. Findmypast has prison calendars from Newgate covering the years 1780 to 1841. They can be found in the Useful links and resources section.
You can find Jack Sheppard, the infamous thief who made a habit of escaping prison, in these records. Of the five times Sheppard was arrested, he escaped four times. Such a sensational track record ensured that he was no stranger to being mentioned in the newspapers. In the Derby Mercury newspaper on 3 June 1736, it is written that Sheppard “found Newgate [gaol] was not strong enough to keep him in or out.” In these records, we can see his conviction on 12 August 1724 after his third arrest. In the records, he’s listed as John Sheppard.
The last woman to be burned at the stake, Catherine Murphy, can be found in these records. Catherine was convicted for counterfeiting and found guilty on 10 September 1788. She was convicted alongside her husband, Hugh, who was sentenced to death by hanging. The difference in the method of death between husband and wife was a matter of law. At the time, the law allowed for a woman to be burned at the stake. On the day of her execution, eight men were hanged. Catherine was required to walk out in front of those deceased men to be secured to the stake. The sheriff of London at the time, Sir Benjamin Hammett, gave testimony saying that he instructed the executioner to strangle Catherine first before burning her. Either way, Catherine was the last woman sentenced to death by burning and the last to be officially killed in that manner. It was the year following her execution that death by burning was banned by the Treason Act of 1790.
John Bellingham can also be found in these records. Bellingham murdered Prime Minister Spencer Perceval and was convicted and found guilty of murder. He was sentenced to death and dissection. His skull was preserved and kept at Barts Pathology Museum. Bellingham killed the Prime Minister as retaliation to denied claims for compensation after being allegedly imprisoned in Russia unjustly. You can read the criminal proceedings of his case, including a list of the jurors, by searching on his name with the year 1812.
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