Calendar of Prisoners

                               Transcribed & kindly contributed by Allan Hayward.

General

This computer-file is a secondary source, and must be treated as such. Rely only on the original Calendars.

As instructed, data have been keyed as printed/written on the Calendars, even if they are incorrect or differ from other clearly-similar entries. (It does sometimes cast an interesting light on the development of place-names)

Highlighted data indicate that there is an additional entry in the "Notes" column, but, in all cases, the "Notes" column should be checked in case a useful piece of datum has been included, but not indicated.

An Assize-date, eg 1825.1, covers both the initial Assize AND, if it was adjourned, the adjourned Assize held later.

If the Assize-date is NNNN.5 it indicates that the data were extracted from the "List of Prisoners Discharged", which was published at the time of the relevant Assize. In these cases there is also an entry in the "Notes"

Data in italics are not actually on the Calendars. They could be correct, possibly!

Do not alter the positions of Columns A & F!!

Do not alter the width of Columns G or H or R

The Data

(a) DATE OF BIRTH: (approximate). calculated by subtracting the AGE from the ASSIZE (truncated)

(b) SURNAME (or ALIAS): as entered on the Calendars

© CHRISTIAN NAME (S): as entered on the Calendars

(d) AGE: as entered on the Calendars

(e) LOCATION OF OFFENCE: where the Offence took place, as entered on the Calendars

(f) ASSIZE: Year of the Assize, plus a suffix. 1=Epiphany, 2=Easter/Lent, etc

(g) VICTIM OF OFFENCE: the person who was robbed, assaulted, victim of bigamy or fraud or base currency, etc. (In the format of surname, christian name).

(h) COMMITTED BY: the person(s) who did the committal to Gaol. (In the format of surname, christian name).

. (i) TYPE OF OFFENCE: eg robbery, financial, violence, sex, etc

(j) DETAIL OF OFFENCE: item stolen, rape, manslaughter, riot, sheepstealing. To aid analysis, these are general headings, eg theft of cloth or clothing, or theft poultry, EXCEPT in cases of Transportation, where I have attempted to detail the exact reason for the Transportation.

(k) VERDICT: Not Guilty, Prison + hard labour, Transportation, etc

(l) SENTENCE LENGTH: as entered on the Calendars

(m) SENTENCE LENGTH (in months): to aid the comparison of Offences and sentences received, I have converted the sentence into months, eg 1 year = 12, 7 years = 84, 14 days = 0.5, 10 days = 0.33, etc

(n) SEX OF THE OFFENDER: assumed from Christian Name. I have indicated those few ambiguous cases where I was in doubt

(o) WRITING ABILITY: as entered on the Calendars

(p) READING ABILITY: as entered on the Calendars

(q) GANG: a rather awkward abbreviation to indicate whether it was a solo Offence.

® NOTES: additional detail. Or data which could not be held anywhere else. Or detail of the source of the data. Or points which sprang to mind. Or just about anything else.

Calnotes (20.12.2001)